The Urban Cyclist's Survival Guide

289 Pages·222.009 MB·English

by  James Rubin and Scot Rowan

T h e
Urban Cyclist’s
S u r v i v a l G u i d e

T h e
Urban Cyclist’s
S u r v i v a l G u i d e
James Rubin & Scott Rowan
Copyright © 2011 by James Rubin and Scott Rowan
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publisher, Triumph Books, 542 South Dearborn Street, Suite 750,
Chicago, Illinois 60605.
Triumph Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random
House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rubin, James, 1960–
Urban cyclist’s survival guide / James Rubin and Scott Rowan.
       p. cm.
  ISBN 978-1-60078-566-5
1.  Cycling—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2.  Bicycle commuting—
Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3.  City traffic—Handbooks, manuals, etc.  
I. Rowan, Scott, 1969– II. Title.
  GV1043.7.R83 2011
  796.6—dc22
                                                        2011014966
This book is available in quantity at special discounts for your group or
organization. For further information, contact:
Triumph Books
542 South Dearborn Street
Suite 750
Chicago, Illinois 60605
[phone]
Fax [phone]
www.triumphbooks.com
Printed in U.S.A.
ISBN: 978-1-60078-566-5
Design by Sue Knopf
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs by Michal Czerwonka.
To Chris, Harper, and Saskia
—J.R.
To Ziggy, the reason I make sure
to cycle home in one piece every day
—S.R.

Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
1 History velocipedes, Bone-Crushers,
high-Wheelers, Safety Cycles…and Schwinns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
2 Fitness Bicycle riding Will Make You healthier . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3 Bike Buying how to Survive by Buying
the right Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4 Helmets Fifteen Questions about
Wearing a helmet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
5 Accessories You May Not Think You Need
Them, but You Should Make Sure You have Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
viii THe UrBAn CyClisT’s sUrvivAl GUide
6 Clothes how to Survive by Wearing
the right Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7 Chains and locks how to Survive
by Purchasing the right locks and Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
8 safety Cycling how to Survive by Being
Bold and Following the rules of the road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
9 Packing Gear and Techniques You’re Not handicapped
Just Because You don’t have a Car Trunk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
10 Commuting how to Survive the road to Work . . . . . . . . . . 155
11 repairs and Maintenance how to Survive
by Taking Better Care of Your Bike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
12 Accidents how to Survive by learning
from the experiences of Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
13 What to do When Hit By a Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
14 Cycle rage learning to Share . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
15 diary of a Commute how to Survive
by learning from One of Our Commutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Appendix resources: how to Survive
by having the right Things to read . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Preface
T
here is something brewing with bicycles and cities.
It’s still small, but the signs of a movement are there. We see
and hear anecdotally of more cyclists on roads in New York,
Chicago, Los Angeles, and other cities. By cyclists, we don’t
mean the fancy, clip shoes set, out on 50-mile weekend jaunts.
We mean people like us, wearing regular clothes, using bicycles
for commuting, chores, and other daily purposes. We know
of Brooklyn dads and moms pedaling around New York’s hip-
pest borough, their kids in protective seats and baskets laden
with groceries. We see laptop-toting tech workers with their
messenger bags hanging securely around their shoulders as
they move swiftly up Los Angeles’s Sunset Boulevard, along
with small groups of day workers on Huffys, Schwinns, and
fixed-gear bikes.
We know of urban bike companies sprouting along the
West Coast and more established firms manufacturing bikes
and marketing others for the same consumers. These are more