The Cyclist's Manifesto: The Case for Riding on Two Wheels Instead of Four (Falcon Guide)

Why we're entering a different phase in the history of energy, why we can't afford to ignore it — and why the bicycle provides a uniquely empowering way of dealing with it.

The Cyclist's Manifesto makes the most powerful case to date for a simple fact: America can no longer afford to ignore the bicycle as a tool for serious transportation. Robert Hurst takes off his gloves to lay out the case in favor of the bicycle as today's superior mode of transport — and to voice a resounding call to action for people to use it.

Hurst visits a surprising variety of places and historical moments in search of an explanation for America's dysfunctional love-hate relationship with the most efficient vehicle ever invented. He argues that the American aversion to bicycling for transportation is a unique historical-cultural absurdity based largely on false assumptions and bad information.

Written with wit and more than a little exasperation, The Cyclist's Manifesto paints a tantalizing picture of the potential benefits of an increasingly self-propelled America, and beckons the frustrated driver, transit user, or pedestrian into the streets for a healthier, happier life on two wheels.

"This empowering cycling book should come in the glove box of every new car sold." Marla Streb, World Champion Downhill Mountain Bike Racer

"With a spot-on foreword written by Luna downhiller Marla Streb and a detailed index of footnotes and bibliography, Hurst has compiled a cerebral but hip manifesto for [urban] cyclists looking to coexist in a system that has left them to fend for their lives." VeloNews, Journal of Competitive Cycling

Why we're entering a different phase in the history of energy, why it isn't going to change any time soon, and why the bicycle provides a uniquely empowering way of dealing with it.

Robert Hurst is a veteran bicycle messenger and all-around cyclist who has cycled more than 180,000 miles and 18,000 hours in heavy traffic. In this time, he has completed something like 85,000 deliveries. He is a native Coloradan who is just happy to be in one piece after working for more than twelve years as a professional bike messenger in Denver. He celebrates his continued survival by spending time in the mountains, and by riding the world's most excellent trails. Mr. Hurst is also the author of The Art of Cycling, Mountain Biking Colorado's San Juan Mountains and Road Biking Colorado's Front Range (FalconGuides).