Putting feet to pedals

Press, 16 January 1982, Page 13

Putting feet to pedals

The Complete Book of Bicycle Commuting. By. John S. Allen. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pa., 1981. 305 pp. $17.50.

This manual on riding round town is so comprehensive that the initial reaction of some prospective bicycle commuters could well be that if riding to work needs such detailed preparation, is it worth the trouble? Not to mention the risk. An hour or two spent with this book will reduce both the risk and trouble of embarking on a healthy and socially responsible means of transport. The book is based on an assumption that the world will be a better place if more people bike to work, but does not beat a missionary drum to any excess. The sections on-acquiring riding skills and coping with traffic in different situations are perhaps too detailed and, in addition, confusing for New Zealand

readers who. will be riding on the other

side of the road and will be encountering somewhat different situations from those

cyclists encounter on the roads of American cities. But the temptation to skip the sections, and take off on to the road could be

costly. If the specific advice may not always be applicable to New Zealand, the general approach and attitudes towards riding in traffic which the sections will foster are sound. So, too, is the advice on selecting a bicycle, on choosing ancillary equipment, on carrying loads, on parking and locking the bicycle, and on riding in the rain (those on riding in snow or excessive heat can safely be skipped). Experienced city cyclists will find the book does little more than confirm what they have already learned from experience. Beginners will save themselves trouble and expense if they consult this book before buying a bicycle for commuting and setting out on the road. — John Wilson.

(John Wilson has been a bicycle commuter in Geneva, London, and Christchurch.)