...For decades, Americans have too often seen cycling as a kind of macho extreme sport, which has actually done a lot to damage the cause of winning acceptance for biking as a legitimate form of transportation. If your association with bikes is guys in spandex narrowly missing you on the weekends or YouTube videos of kids flying over ramps on their clown-size bikes, you’re likely to think that bikes are for only the athletic and the risk-prone. Manufacturers in the United States have tended to make bikes that look like the two-wheeled equivalent of Hummers, with fat tires and stocky frames necessitating a hunched-over riding position that is downright unsafe for urban biking and commuting. But that’s been changing for at least a few years now. Whew...
01 November 2009
David Byrne on Biking
In the NY Times today, David Byrne has a review of a book by Jeff Mapes: "Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities". And he apparently has a book coming out soon called "Bicycle Diaries".
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You may find this essay by Byrne, from a September issue of the WSJ, to be of interest as well. He's a smart guy.
From the second Byrne article:
"The perfect city isn't static. It's evolving and ever changing, and its laws and structure allow that to happen. Neighborhoods change, clubs close and others open, yuppies move in and move out—as long as there is a mix of some sort, then business districts and neighborhoods stay healthy even if they're not what they once were. My perfect city isn't fixed, it doesn't actually exist, and I like it that way."
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