Bicycling Books for Adults and Kids

In this wide-ranging memoir, artist/musician and co-founder of Talking Heads David Byrne--who has relied on a bike to get around New York City since the early 1980s--relates his adventures as he pedals through and engages with some of the world's major cities. From Buenos Aires to Berlin, he meets a range of people both famous and ordinary, shares his thoughts on art, fashion, music, globalization, and the ways that many places are becoming more bike-friendly.

Cyclettes began as a list of every bicycle author and designer Tree Abraham has ever known--from her first childhood bike to the second-hand purchases and loaners that have propelled her into adulthood and around the world. It grew to include other forms of both literal and conceptual cycling, spanning histories and cultures, all encircled by brief memories and observations from an author compelled to move.

When Brian meets Rachel, a woman who daydreams of bicycling across the States, he decides to follow her wherever she'll take him. Brian and Rachel soon embark on a ride from northern Wisconsin to Somewhere West, infatuated with the promise of adventure and each other. But as the pair progress from the Northwoods into the bleak western plains, they begin to discover the messy realities of life on the road.

Explorers Kristen and Ville Jokinen met and fell in love while scuba diving in Vietnam. Ville then left his native Finland to join Kristen in Oregon and together they embarked on a life-changing two-year cycling adventure covering 18,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. 

In between studying at Oxford and MIT, Harris set off by bicycle down the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel. Pedaling mile upon mile in some of the remotest places on earth, she realized that an explorer, in any day and age, is the kind of person who refuses to live between the lines. The farther she traveled, the closer she came to a world as wild as she felt within. 

Juliana Buhring had been mired in a dark hole of depression after the death of a man she loved, and when an acquaintance suggested they honor his memory by biking across Canada, she thought, "Canada? Why not the world?" And why not alone. She departed from Naples, Italy, in July 2012 aiming to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. She set out believing she might not ever return, but that she had nothing to lose. Over 152 days, Juliana's ride spanned four continents and 18,060 miles. When she crossed the finish line before the end of the year, she officially became the fastest woman to cycle the world.

Get your pedals turning with this ultimate guide to the 100 greatest bike routes around the world. Beautifully illustrated with National Geographic photography and divided by region, this will take you across six continents to the most epic bike rides on the planet.

Wisconsin is one of cycling's best kept secrets.  Jane and Scott Hall have selected 28 of their favorite daylong cycling adventures, as well as a bonus chapter recommending their favorite rail-trails. The tours cover varied terrain and feature places of historic and cultural interest and areas of natural beauty.

Discover 200 of the best places to ride a bike fom family-friendly, urban rides to epic adventures off the beaten track. These journeys will inspire, whether you are an experienced cyclist or just getting started.

Balf brings to life the fascinating story of cyclist Major Taylor, America's first African-American sports mega-celebrity and his quest to beat out his white, racist rival for the title of the Fastest Man in the World at the turn of the century. 

Journalist and critic Jody Rosen reshapes our understanding of this ubiquitous machine, an ever-present force in humanity's life and dream life--and a flash point in culture wars--for more than two hundred years. Combining history, reportage, travelogue, and memoir, Rosen's book sweeps across centuries and around the globe, unfolding the bicycle's saga from its invention in 1817 to its present-day renaissance as a "green machine," an emblem of sustainability in a world afflicted by pandemic and climate change.

Bicycle! written by a long-time bicycle mechanic, covers everything you need to know to feed and care for your ride. This book cuts through the obtuse techno-speak and delivers maintenance clarity with a touch of humor and radicalism, while categorically denying mechanistry's supposed dreariness.

A charmingly illustrated, practical guide for every kind of cyclist: learn (almost) everything about the world's most economical, ecological, practical, and invigorating machine! 

Lennard Zinn is the world's leading expert on bike maintenance and repair. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, his illustrated, step-by-step guide explains the tools you'll need and how to know you've done the job right.

Deeply committed to science, progress, and creativity, Moreno presents an essential and timely resource that will prove invaluable to anyone with an interest in modern and innovative approaches to consistently challenging urban issues that have bedeviled policy makers and city residents since the invention of the car.

Cycling expert Daniel Piatkowski argues that the bicycle is the best tool that we have to improve our cities. The car-free urban future--where cities are vibrant, with access to everything we need close by--may be less bike-centric than we think but bikes are a crucial first step to getting Americans out of cars. Piatkowski offers pragmatic lessons drawn from the latest research along with interviews, anecdotes, and case studies from around the world.

Bicycle / Race paints an unforgettable picture of Los Angeles--and the United States--from the perspective of two wheels. This is a book of borderlands and intersections, a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting infrastructure before culture, and a coming-of-age story about power and identity. 

Walker takes readers on a tour of cities like Copenhagen and Utrecht, where everyday cycling has taken root, demonstrating cycling's proven effect on reducing smog and obesity, and improving quality of life and mental health. 

As New York City's transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan managed the seemingly impossible and transformed the streets of one of the world's greatest, toughest cities into dynamic spaces safe for pedestrians and bikers. This book is an empowering road map for rethinking, reinvigorating, and redesigning our cities, from a pioneer in the movement for safer, more livable streets.

This fun and colorful board book features different types of bikes and the diverse people, young and old, who enjoy riding them. 

A charming cast of different animals approach the same simple bike, in a story that celebrates how circumstances can change perspective and how far one's perspective--and one bike--can take someone. 

On her first day on the job, Bike, a community city bike, navigates the city of Seattle as she meets new passengers, visits exciting landmarks, and experiences all kinds of weather. 

Children watch in amazement as the bicycle food deliverers of Tokyo stack their noodle bowls like architects, zip through the city like acrobats, and deliver delicious food to students, office workers, and families. A Caldecott Honor Book. 

A child living in a mud house in a village on the edge of a forbidding desert teams up with her brothers to build a creative bicycle from everyday items and embarks on an adventure filled with laughter and bumpy rides over sand.

Told in rhyming text, a young girl learns to ride a bike, with the help of her father. 

When Poppy is determined to win competitive cycling championship, her best friend, Cornbread, agrees to train by her side. Cornbread has fun just spending time with his friend, but Poppy's goal is scoring the Winner's Cup. Is a finish line all these mice will discover at the end of their race?

Learning to ride a bike is hard. But Elena can do it. She just has to try, try again. With this reassuring story of childlike persistence this series introduces Elena, a plucky elephant, and the little red bird who is Elena's faithful cheerleader. 

A girl tries and tries again to learn to ride a bicycle and all her friends provide words of encouragement.

Marisol and her best friend Jada love to ride their bikes, except when they have to ride past a dangerous beast they call Daggers, but when Daggers gets loose, Marisol unexpectedly rescues him, conquering one of her biggest fears. 

Introduces the history, design, care, uses, and safety rules of the bicyle to young readers.

For generations, Mevan and her family lived in their beloved Kurdistan. But when they are forced to flee by the Iraqi government, Mevan must leave everything behind. Her family travels from country to country in search of safety; and with each stop, Mevan feels more and more alone. Until...a stranger's gift changes everything.

Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people--but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability.

Annie Londonderry proves women can do anything they set their minds to--even cycle around the world--in this nonfiction picture book for cycling enthusiasts, budding travelers, and anyone who dreams of reaching a difficult goal.

Inspired by the real events of 1815-1817, this powerful story of how resilience in the face of adversity can lead to something wondrous follows a young forester who, during the year without a summer, came up with a bright idea to help people get around. 

Henry wins fifty dollars worth of beauty shop services and finds an ingenious way to convert it into cash for a bicycle. 

Jazzy, a young witch not interested in magic or flying, discovers her passion for cycling, but her newfound interest may cause trouble with her best friend and her struggle to fit in. A graphic novel.

One summer during the Financial Crisis, fourteen-year-old Karthik Raghavan makes deliveries for his father's ailing Indian grocery, but he is secretly cast in a play about the young Leonard Bernstein.

On the night of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, when townsfolk float paper lanterns down the river, Ben and his classmates make a pact to find out where the lanterns end up. Soon the pact is broken by all except for Ben and Nathaniel, who travel down a winding road full of magic, wonder, and unexpected friendship. A graphic novel.

To earn money for a new bike, Zara creates a roving garage sale that sells knickknacks from her family's basement and makes money all at once, until a mix-up may cost her everything she's earned.