Synopses & Reviews
Containing all the knowledge required to get started riding a bicycle for everyday transportation, Elly Blue introduces readers to the basics, including shopping for a bike, honing street smarts, dressing properly for conditions, carrying everything from groceries to children to furniture, and riding in all weather. Although the daily commute to and from work is included, the focus for this manual is to make a lifestyle change to a transportation bicyclist whether it be to run a few errands, pick up the kids from school, or head to a birthday party for a friend with the birthday cake. Encouragement and entertainment are found throughout in the form of personal anecdotes, stories of impressive feats performed by everyday people, and whimsical illustrations. With its positive, practical approach, this book will prepare anyone considering making this lifestyle change to hop on the bike.
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"Designed to fit in your back pocket while you ride, this slim little zine is part tour-guide, part civic history book, and will bring you up to (ten) speed on Portland's unstoppable bike culture." —Portlandia IFC
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"A super-smart indie writer who keenly understands bike issues and how bikes can help our cities." —Kevin Buchanan, www.FortWorthology.com
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"Bicycling is one thing each of us can do that will have an immediate, positive impact on the environment. This book is an excellent place to start." —Matthew Modine, actor and founder, Bicycle for a Day
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"Bicycling was key to simplifying my life and this book will help you make your life better too. It's like the friend you wish you had who can patiently show you all the details that make bicycling fun rather than frustrating." —Tammy Strobel, author, Simply Car-free and Smalltopia
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"When it comes to bicycling, knowledge is power. This book gives you the knowledge you need to get around under your own steam. It's a real life guide for real people with places to go and things to do." —Mia Birk, author, Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet
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"Everyday Bicycling is a great resource for anyone new to transportation cycling, for anyone making the move to a car-lite or car-free lifestyle with kids, and for anyone wanting to become more engaged with the bicycling community in their town." —www.SimplyBikeBlog.com
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"A super relevant and straightforward city biking handbook that I would recommend gifting to someone who's just getting started biking." —www.BlogTown.PortlandMercury.com
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"And her book is what anyone who wants to start enjoying bicycle transportation can use: a collection of hard-won wisdom, delivered by someone who really cares." —www.TheAtlanticCities.com
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"Blue takes cycling and makes it digestible to cyclists and would-be's in a friendly, laid-back tone. Absent of any authoritarian voice, this is the book I wish I had years ago." —www.UrbanVelo.org
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"A great book for the budding cyclist with know-it-all aspirations and little time to commit. And it's something you can grow with as a cyclist, with helpful reminders that whats right for one is not necessarily right for all." —www.grist.org
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"Elly Blues Everyday Bicycling is one of the rare books that deserve to be called 'perfect.' I finished reading it and thought everyone, absolutely everyone, should read a copy." —Jan Heine, Editor, Bicycle Quarterly
Synopsis
Everyday Bicycling is a guide to everything you need to know to get started riding a bicycle for transportation. Elly Blue introduces you to the basics, including street smarts, bike shopping, dressing professionally, carrying everything from groceries to children to furniture, and riding in all weather. With its positive, practical approach, this book is perfect for anyone who has ever dreamed of riding a bicycle for transportation.
About the Author
Elly Blue is a writer and bicycle activist whose work has appeared in BikePortland, Bitch Magazine, Grist, Momentum, and Reclaim. She has been featured on Democracy Now!, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and in the Oregonian, and she blogs about bicycling and empowerment at www.TakingTheLane.com. She lives in Portland, Oregon.