Look for a book (or maybe website) on cycling

December 27, 2015 2:22 AM

Many years ago (maybe 8?) there was a FPP about the owner of a cycling website who had passed away.

The website was very in-depth and offered all kinds of practical info for newbie and advanced cyclists both, and was mainly geared at, I believe, commuters. In the comments of that post was a recommendation for a book on cycling that addressed both newbie tips and ways to maximize cycling efficiency (things like how to turn correctly, how to dress for weather, etc. etc.)

Now that I live in a city famous for bike commuting, I would like to read this book. Does anyone remember this post or recommendation? It's also entirely possible that I am confusing/combining two completely different posts, but hopefully this will ring a bell for someone.

posted by Brittanie to MetaFilter-Related at 2:22 AM (12 comments total)

The late, great Sheldon Brown, with many previouslies
posted by zachxman at 2:49 AM on December 27, 2015 [8 favorites]

YES! That Sheldon Brown obit thread is definitely the thread I am thinking of. But what was the book?
posted by Brittanie at 4:44 AM on December 27, 2015

zinn's book (now plural) is the standard reference that would come up in a discussion on sheldon brown. amazon.

hmm. although reading your description again, i am not so sure it fits. sorry.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:16 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Found it! The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street by Robert Hurst.
posted by Brittanie at 5:50 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

A revised version was released last year.
posted by box at 6:24 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sound to me like you're looking for Ken Kiefer, now archived at phred.com.

Memorial thread here.
posted by bonehead at 9:02 AM on December 27, 2015

Thanks for asking this question, and bonehead, thanks for answering!

When I biked across the country in 2005, I had no idea what I was doing and Ken Kiefer's website was basically the extent of my research. I have occasionally asked bike people since then, and only ever heard Sheldon Brown, Sheldon Brown, Sheldon Brown.

Now I can know just how much I knew!
posted by aniola at 7:57 PM on December 27, 2015

*puffing chest* I was in a community play with Sheldon Brown once. He was excellent at giving people dagger stares.
posted by Melismata at 7:03 AM on December 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

The book you are thinking of might be Effective Cycling by John Forester. It's a real doorstop, and has some outdated (and weird even then) recommendations for bike maintenance, but otherwise it is full of solid advice.
posted by adamrice at 8:23 AM on January 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

The book you are thinking of might be Effective Cycling by John Forester.

I thought so too, but was did not mention it, as it seems raise more problems than it solves. There are excerpts of it on Forester's own site.
posted by bonehead at 9:55 AM on January 4, 2016

Still miss the guy. Taught me to build wheels, and none of them have failed.
posted by eriko at 5:54 PM on January 5, 2016

Zinn's book is good. Jobst's book on bike wheels is still one of the definite reference works. Jobst Brant was a straight talking engineer with basically no idea what tone was, so he grated on a lot of people, but his info was dead on solid. Sheldon Brown had that rare combo of encyclopedic knowledge and grace. But when Brant said "no, that's not what it is," Sheldon listened and then, if needed rethought his position.

True competence is not always being right. It is being right quite often, admitting when your wrong, and then not saying the wrong thing you used to say.

Sheldon had that. So did Jobst, but it was really rare, because he was that good. Tactless, true. I miss them both.
posted by eriko at 6:07 PM on January 5, 2016