Thursday, July 14, 2011

"Urban Bikers' Tricks & Tips" A brief book review

If your only bicycling trips are a long rides in the country with light traffic that loves you, the book "Urban Biker's Tricks & Tips" will be like a visit to a dangerous land where the most important thing to pack is a bad attitude.
Snarky advice such as, "A car's windshield is most vulnerable at a spot half way down and a quarter of the way across. Caution If you accidentially hit one of those spots with a U lock or the heal of your gloved hand, you might crack the windshield," captures the book's tone.
Yet Dave Glowacz's book has lots of good advice too that all cyclists can use. There are 24 pages on how to buy a lock, where to park, how to secure it and tips on how to recover it if it is stolen. Lots and lots of advice on how to ride in city traffic and lots and lots of pictures to go with the advice.
Never the naif, Glowacz gives advice on when to ride stairs, "When someone's chasing you, especially from a car, stairways can make for a good escape," and"before you run red lights, make sure your bike's in good shape. When you run lights you often must move or stop suddenly. A bike with bad brakes or bad drive train will choke."
There are descriptions on exactly what to do in event of an accidend and how to treat the wounds. Going intermodal is detailed with pages on how to get a bike on a subway, train or airplane and how to pack a bike in a box.
The book is published by Wordspace Press (www.wordspacepress.com) and is $14.95, but I borrowed by copy from the New Orleans Public Library. Its the kind of book you might want to wear your helmet while reading.
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