Scan barcode
ashrafulla's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
This book could have had a good message about the winding story of the bicycle and how it has evolved with the times along with the cultures it evolved. Chapters about this message are there, such as the one on the variation of bicycle from luxury item to common item and back to luxury item.
However, the book is overshadowed by the hell-bent intent of the author to treat the bicycle as strictly a counterculture item, with at most a token chapter dedicated to the bicycle for it's use as a tool (the chapter on Dhaka). I forced myself to finish this book and do not recommend anyone else do that unless they are into highly sexualized nonfiction. This book spends more words on bikes used in pornography than on bikes used by farmers. That's clearly the intent: to associat the bike with whatever is the latest revolutionary movement.
As a result the book is nearly inaccessible to anyone other than activists. If you like bikes but don't really care about naked bike rides or the sensory feeling of a bumpy bike seat, then you will gain nearly nothing from this book. If you want to read a book that is fringe activism thinly veiled by a shallow history of bicycles, then read this book.
However, the book is overshadowed by the hell-bent intent of the author to treat the bicycle as strictly a counterculture item, with at most a token chapter dedicated to the bicycle for it's use as a tool (the chapter on Dhaka). I forced myself to finish this book and do not recommend anyone else do that unless they are into highly sexualized nonfiction. This book spends more words on bikes used in pornography than on bikes used by farmers. That's clearly the intent: to associat the bike with whatever is the latest revolutionary movement.
As a result the book is nearly inaccessible to anyone other than activists. If you like bikes but don't really care about naked bike rides or the sensory feeling of a bumpy bike seat, then you will gain nearly nothing from this book. If you want to read a book that is fringe activism thinly veiled by a shallow history of bicycles, then read this book.
lwb's review against another edition
You'll likely enjoy this if reading a 300+ page newspaper article strikes you as appealing.
ratatossssk's review against another edition
Esseemäisiä tekstejä pyöräilyn eri aspekteista, kuten sen historiasta, talvipyöräilystä, riksoista, kuntopyöristä, pyörämatkailusta, pyörälähettiydestä, pyöräilyaktivismista ja tietysti koronapandemian vaikutuksista pyöräilyyn. Ihan kiinnostavia tekstejä, vaikkakin pyöräilyyn vähänkään perehtyneelle varsinkin historiaosuus oli melko tuttua kauraa penny farthingeineen ja laufmaschineineen. Joidenkin tekstien yhteys pyöräilyyn oli myös hieman kaukaa haettu. Esimerkiksi yhdessä kappaleessa juteltiin ummet ja lammet Bhutanin onnellisuusindeksistä, jota yritettiin sitten puolivillaisesti yhdistää pyöräilyyn. Parasta kirjassa olivat yhteiskunnallisemmat osuudet, kuten polkupyörän rooli kolonialismissa tai autoilukulttuurin kehittymisen pohtiminen.
Luin tämän suomeksi, ja pakko kyllä puuttua pariinkin asiaan. Kirjan nimi, Pyöräilyn lumo ja sen historia, on todella outo. Eikö voisi olla vain pyöräilyn lumo ja historia? Vai onko kyse nimenomaan sen lumon historiasta? Lisäksi suomentaja oli tehnyt hämmentävän valinnan kääntää wheel-sana pyöränä eikä renkaana. Lukeminen oli kognitiivisesti tosi raskasta, kun jokaisen pyörä-sanan kohdalla piti miettiä, onko kyseessä nyt polkupyörä vai rengas.
Luin tämän suomeksi, ja pakko kyllä puuttua pariinkin asiaan. Kirjan nimi, Pyöräilyn lumo ja sen historia, on todella outo. Eikö voisi olla vain pyöräilyn lumo ja historia? Vai onko kyse nimenomaan sen lumon historiasta? Lisäksi suomentaja oli tehnyt hämmentävän valinnan kääntää wheel-sana pyöränä eikä renkaana. Lukeminen oli kognitiivisesti tosi raskasta, kun jokaisen pyörä-sanan kohdalla piti miettiä, onko kyseessä nyt polkupyörä vai rengas.
jacobinreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
This is a freewheeling (pun intended) and absorbing ride. Rosen takes the reader through a series of vignettes from the past, present, and possible future of the bicycle, and (like a bike ride) it's a deeply pleasurable experience. The prose is quick and grips you, and the alternating episodes keep your interest. The coda of the book, describing the politics and realities of cycling in the 2020s (especially the section on cycling during COVID and during climate events) is a sobering lens for viewing the present, and offers an interesting conclusion for the book. Really great stuff.
claremorg's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I bike, I love bikes, I too think bikes are paramount human transport. This book is a bit of a love letter interspersed with lots of great history, unique applications and influences from the bike, and the author's personal experience. While at times a little long-winded, I liked the organization of the book with a few loosely connected concepts in each chapter and enjoyed the personable, readable style of writing. Learned a lot, glowed in the shared appreciation, and felt hopeful about the future of bikes.