Just Ride

Very refreshing and timely look at urban cycling, this book provides an antidote to the lycra and clipless shoe culture promoted by dorks and slowing the adoption of the bike as a normal accessible mean of transportation.

If you are new to the sport of cycling, please avoid this book like the plague. It promotes very unsafe (and sometimes illegal) behavior such as riding without a helmet and swerving wildly into traffic. As a person who has been riding all my life, I can tell you that the author is flat out incorrect about much of what he writes and puts people's safety at risk.There are many books out there that are filled with good advice but this is defintely NOT one of them.

I care for all cyclists. I really do. I care for the 22 year old professional and for the 72 year old recreational rider. I would hate it if any of you got hurt from taking the advice in this book.

This tall skinny book reads like a tip sheet for bicycling. It is a counterpoint to the current trend of having to dress and ride the same type of bike as a racer on street. Petersen emphasizes having fun on a bike and not forcing oneself to ride for "personal records". He even says the bicycle racing culture is bad for the sport of bicycling. There is nothing wrong with practicing the current racing trends in clothing and riding, but this book gives justification for riding a comfortable bike in street clothes & shoes and not feeling guilty for not being a bicycle geek. A refreshing perspective actually.

I have been bicycling to get from point A to point B for decades. I do not own a motor vehicle, and never have. This is unequivocally the best book for the non-racing cyclist that I have ever encountered. Most amazing of all, it is written by the owner of a bike store, who explains why most of what bike stores try to sell their customers is unnecessary, and actually discourages people from making bicycling routine for pursuits now done by car. This is basically Dutch-style cycling that he is advocating. The Dutch do not wear helmets, do not wear cycling clothes, do not buy expensive racing-style road bikes, etc., yet they have the highest rate of bicycle ridership and lowest injury rate anywhere in the world. Engagingly written, it is an easy read, and can change lives.