5 Books for the Bicycle Commuter

There are a few books out there that are worthwhile reads for anyone with even a passing interest in bicycle commuting. Several of them have really shaped my own cycling experience and my journey as a bike commuter, so I wanted to share. Some are books on bike commuting specifically, others are on related topics, but all are great resources. If you're interested in any of them, just click on the pictures - I've linked them all to the Amazon pages!

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car, by Chris Balish

This is not actually a book about bicycle commuting, per-se, but it is a book on how to ditch the car and it includes some truly compelling reasons to do so. It covers many of the benefits of going car-lite or car-free, including breaking down just what a financial burden owning a car is. Bike commuting is obviously included as one of the solutions. This is actually the book that helped me finally make the decision to sell my car for good, back when I was just starting to bike commute! It showed me that it could be done, which was the final push I needed.

The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street, by Robert Hurst

This is the other book that really helped me when I began bike commuting. It has a ton of great information, from safety to tips and techniques for effectively biking in an urban environment. If you're just starting out, this is a book you should read to really understand how to take a safe, practical approach to bike commuting. Reading it not only taught me new things, it made me more consciously aware of techniques I'd already been using and allowed me to refine them.

Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike, by Grant Peterson

I'll admit that I haven't read this one, but I need to. The author, Grant Peterson, is a huge influence in the cycling world (check out www.rivbike.com to see his bikes - they're beautiful!) He's a major advocate of practical (i.e. non-Spandex) cycling, and his bike designs and philosophy were influential when I built my own bike. He has lots of excellent practical cycling tips, from what to wear (wool!) to how to design and set up a really great bike. His bikes forgo materials like carbon fiber in favor of timeless materials like steel and leather, and that philosophy is reflected in the advice he gives.

Park Tool BBB-3

First off, this is not necessary for the average bike commuter, but it's worth mentioning as the single best resource for anyone wanting to do regular bicycle maintenance, building, or repair (or open their own bike shop, for that matter!) Park Tool's website also has a spectacular interactive bike repair guide available for free, so if you need to do anything from replace an inner-tube to installing a new derailleur, it is the place to start. It's like WebMD but for bicycles, and I turned to it for advice when building my bike.

Bicycle Times

Not a book, but a magazine that I absolutely have to include. I love reading it because it include stories, photos, tips, bikes, and cycling gear reviews for "normal" cyclists. It is a refreshing change from the sea of racing magazines that don't really apply to the average commuter. In it, you will find stories about bike touring and local bike advocacy, not time trials or training regimes. Absolutely worth the subscription, and comes six times per year. I subscribed after reading the first issue.

Do you have any other books or magazines that are cycling "must-reads"? Let me know in the comments section!