Go By Bike (and Book!)

Celebrate Spring Go By Bike Week (May 31st - June 6th) with some cycling themed reads to fix your ride and inspire your next.

Updated May 28, 2025
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Bicycle
Maskit, Jonathan
Paper Book
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. These days the bicycle often appears as an interloper in a world constructed for cars. An almost miraculous 19th-century contraption, the bicycle promises to transform our lives...
Bicycle repair manual
Sidwells, Chris
Paper Book
From regular maintenance for optimum performance to emergency repairs, this illustrated guide is the perfect handbook for beginners and experienced cyclists alike. The Bike Repair Manual is packed with insightful information on the anatomy and functioning of all...
Along a long road
Viva, Frank.
Paper Book
Follow that road! Speed off on an eventful bicycle ride along the bold yellow road that cuts through town, by the sea, and through the country. Ride up and around, along and through, out and down. Frank's striking graphic style is executed in just five joyous...
Two wheels good : the history and mystery of the bicycle
Rosen, Jody
Paper Book
A panoramic revisionist portrait of the nineteenth-century invention that is transforming the twenty-first-century world "Excellent . . . calls to mind Bill Bryson, John McPhee, Rebecca Solnit."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) ONE...
The history of cycling in fifty bikes
Ambrose, Tom.
Paper Book
The invention of the bicycle changed history by democratizing travel for the first time. The common man--and importantly the common woman--could now afford to travel at reasonable speed without the need of a horse. Instead of walking just 10 miles a day on foot, a healthy individual could now ride...
Practical cycling : equip, maintain and repair your bicycle
Belando, Laurent
Paper Book
Here is a book that will answer (almost) all of a beginning and experienced bicyclist's questions about how to get the most out of the activity, while protecting yourself and saving money where possible. How? First there is professional advice on helmets and techniques for safe...
The bike to work guide : save gas, go green, get fit
Sarig, Roni
Paper Book
Biking to work can save someone loads of money and lots of calories - all the while, the earth, too. But bike-commuting isn't always easy - there are many things a rider needs to know to get to work on time, safely, and happily. Expert bikers Roni Sarig and Paul Dorn teach potential...
Re: cyclists : 200 years on two wheels
Hutchinson, Michael
Paper Book
Somewhere in a German forest 200 years ago, during the darkest, wettest summer for centuries, the story of cycling began. The calls to ban it were more or less immediate. Re:Cyclists is the tale of the following two centuries. It tells how cycling became a kinky vaudeville act...
Muscle on wheels : Louise Armaindo and the high-wheel racers of nineteenth-century America
Hall, M. Ann
Paper Book
The majestic high-wheel bicycle, with its spider wheels and rubber tires, emerged in the mid-1870s as the standard bicycle. A common misconception is that, bound by Victorian dress and decorum, women were unable to ride it, only taking up cycling in the 1880s with the advent of the chain-driven...
The young cyclist's companion
Drinkell, Pete
Paper Book
A brisk guide for the aspirant bike rider all the way from choosing a first bike to techniques for wheelies and bunny hops and the finer points of riding in a group. This multi-layering of information makes this an inspirational read on many levels. Praise for Young...
Wheels of change : how women rode the bicycle to freedom (with a few flat tires along the way)
Macy, Sue.
Paper Book
Take a lively look at women's history from aboard a bicycle, which granted females the freedom of mobility and helped empower women's liberation. Through vintage photographs, advertisements, cartoons, and songs, Wheels of Change transports young readers to bygone eras to see how...
Bikes and bloomers : Victorian women inventors and their extraordinary cycle wear
Jungnickel, Katrina
Paper Book
An illustrated history of the evolution of British women's cycle wear. The bicycle in Victorian Britain is often celebrated as a vehicle of women's liberation. Less noted is another critical technology with which women forged new and mobile public lives--cycle wear. This illustrated...
Riding into battle : Canadian cyclists in the Great War
Glenn, Ted
Paper Book
The untold story of how Canadian Cyclists came into their own during the Hundred Days campaign of the Great War. Canada's Cyclists spent most of the First World War digging trenches, patrolling roads, and delivering dispatches. But during the Hundred Days campaign...
Speed read : Tour de France : the history, strategies, and intrigue behind the world's greatest bicycle race
Wilcockson, John
Paper Book
The Tour de France is the worlds most gruelling and exciting cycling race. Tour de France (Speed Read) breaks down its history and complexities to make anyone an instant expert.
Sprinting through no man's land : endurance, tragedy, and rebirth in the 1919 Tour de France
Dobkin, Adin
Paper Book
The inspiring, heart-pumping true story of soldiers turned cyclists and the historic 1919 Tour de France that helped to restore a war-torn country and its people. On June 29, 1919, one day after the Treaty of Versailles brought about the end of World War I, nearly seventy cyclists embarked...
Six highways to home : a cycling journey from Whitehorse to Victoria
Crouch, John
Paper Book
Escape by bike : adventure cycling, bikepacking and touring off-road
Cunningham, Joshua
Paper Book
From wilderness treks to weekends spent following local coastal paths, adventure cycling combines cycle touring, mountain biking, and camping to open up new and exciting possibilities for adventure on two wheels. Cycling writer and photographer Joshua Cunningham spent eleven months cycling...
Cycling for sustainable cities
Buehler, Ralph
Paper Book
How to make city cycling--the most sustainable form of urban transportation--safe, practical, and convenient for all cyclists. Cycling is the most sustainable mode of urban transportation, practical for most short- and medium-distance trips--commuting to and from work or school,...
You & a bike & a road
Davis, Eleanor
Paper Book
In 2016, acclaimed cartoonist and illustrator Eleanor Davis documented her cross-country bike tour as it happened. The immediacy of Davis' comics journal makes for an incredible chronicle of human experience on the most efficient and humane form of human transportation. Eleanor...
The slow road to Tehran : a revelatory bike ride through Europe and the Middle East
Lowe, Rebecca
Paper Book
ONE WOMAN, ONE BIKE AND ONE RICHLY ENTERTAINING, PERCEPTION-ALTERING JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. In 2015, as the Syrian War raged and the refugee crisis reached its peak, Rebecca Lowe set off on her bicycle across the Middle East. Driven by a desire to learn more about this troubled...
Coffee first, then the world
Graham, Jenny
Paper Book
SELECTED FOR THE BBC AND READING AGENCY'S BIG SPORTING READ 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2024 - CYCLING BOOK OF THE YEAR A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 - SPORT 'An amazing adventure... I was left in total awe' - Lorraine...
With you by bike : one couple's life-changing journey around the world
Rosen, Katrina
Paper Book
After many years together Katrina and Mike's marriage has unravelled. In a quest to mend their relationship they embark on a year long, 13,000 kilometre cycling tour with the hope of strengthening their commitment to one another. Katrina is an adventure athlete who craves the wild; her...
Lands of lost borders : out of bounds on the Silk Road
Harris, Kate
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE RBC TAYLOR PRIZE WINNER OF THE EDNA STAEBLER AWARD FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION "Every day on a bike trip is like the one before--but it is also completely different, or perhaps you are different, woken up in new ways by...
Bike snob abroad : strange customs, incredible fiets, and the quest for cycling paradise
Weiss, Eben.
Paper Book
In his new book, BikeSnobNYC reaches the final frontier of cycling: riding with the family. As his choice to take to the road with his toddler son in tow is met with bewilderment and disapproval from onlookers and the occasional motorist, he ponders why it's such a taboo. And what does it really...
100 bike rides of a lifetime : the world's ultimate cycling experiences
Smith, Roff Martin
Paper Book
This inspiring illustrated guide from National Geographic reveals the ultimate bucket list destinations for cyclists, from the vineyards of New Zealand to the peaks of Patagonia. Get your pedals turning with this ultimate guide to the 100 greatest bike routes around the world....
Wheeling Through Toronto: A History of the Bicycle and Its Riders
Koehl, Albert
Paper Book
Highlighting an important yet often ignored part of Toronto's transportation story, Wheeling through Toronto chronicles the history of the bicycle and reveals a way forward for a world in climate crisis.  Throughout its history in Toronto, the bicycle's place on the roads and in...
Copenhagenize : the definitive guide to global bicycle urbanism
Colville-Andersen
Paper Book
The bicycle enjoyed a starring role in urban history over a century ago, but now it is back, stronger than ever. It is the single most important tool for improving our cities. Designing around it is the most efficient way to make our cities life-sized--to scale cities for humans. It is...
Cycling Vancouver Island
Crouch, John
Paper Book
The latest guidebook from renowned cyclist John Crouch highlights 45 tours throughout Southern and Northern Vancouver Island, including single day and multi-day trips. Featuring over 40 routes, each trip includes a map, information on local history, topography, aesthetics, places of interest,...
Turkiye : cycling through a country's first centuryJulian Emre Sayarer
Sayarer, Julian
Paper Book
"A deeply thoughtful, gripping and scrupulous book told in Sayarer's trademark style from the saddle and the roadside" CAROLINE EDEN By a winner of the Stanford Dolman Award for Travel Writing "The best travelogues should make you question your...
The wind at my back : a cycling life
Maunder, Paul (Cycle racer)
Paper Book
A beautifully written exploration of the links between cycling, creativity and the landscape. In this deeply personal and lyrical exploration of what it means to ride a bicycle, Paul Maunder explores how our memories have a dialogue with landscape and how cycling and...
Potholes and pavements : a bumpy ride on Britain's National Cycle Network
Laker, Laura
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE VICKI ORVICE AWARD FOR WOMEN'S SPORTS WRITING 2025 'Just wonderful - two wheels good, Laura Laker brilliant. Part travel diary, part love poem to Britain's cycle network ... it's difficult not to be inspired by this fabulous book.' Jeremy Vine ...
The midlife cyclist : the road map for the +40 rider who wants to train hard, ride fast and stay healthy
Cavell, Phil
Paper Book
'The Midlife Cyclist is a triumph' - Cycling Plus 'Phil is eminently qualified to write The Midlife Cyclist. Well, he is certainly old enough.' - Fabian Cancellara, Tour de France rider and two-time Olympic champion ---- ...

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