I’ve been riding my bicycle to work several days a week for the past few months. Before that though I had to delve into the world of bike repair. I got a Schwinn World bike from an acquaintance for free, and for the most part it was in good condition. It did need new tires though because it’s current ones looked like frosted flakes were sitting on the edges. Boy did I feel like a cyclist when I successfully ordered and changed the tires on my own (or rather with the help of the internet and my best friend). Since that time, I’ve been riding uphill to work about a mile and a half, partially on road and partially on sidewalk. I’ve learned about safety while riding in the road and built a few new muscles. It feels good each day that I don’t use my car.
All that long story is to explain why I selected the book Hello, Bicycle as my next review book. Before I received this book, I expected fun pictures and witty text. I wanted it to be a quick read and easily organized so that I could easily flip to a particular section. From the book, I hoped to learn about bicycle repair/adjustments, how to make my ride easier, and some rules of the road.
The book does have a fun cartoons, but more importantly the text is informative and fun to read. The text is light, but punches in the information. It includes everything from how to ride in a skirt to how to change a tire to the history of the bicycle. It also includes fun information about how to re-use old parts of your bike and recipes for on-the-road snacks.
This book encourages me to ride my bicycle more often, and it taught me some skills in an easy-to-understand format. It’ll definitely be one that I keep on my shelf and re-visit often.
