A review of Bike Snob, the new book by Bike Snob NYC (Comments: 0)

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Bike Snob NYC, the bicycling blogger who regularly skewers that which needs to be skewered and celebrates both the beauty and the absurdity of riding a bicycle.

In recent years, it’s become fairly common for bloggers to publish books, often just slightly modified collections of their blog posts, apparently under the assumption that folks would like to carry the World Wide Web around with them in physical form. Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling is something different. And much, much better.

First and foremost, the book tells us what we already suspected: At heart, BSNYC loves, loves, loves cycling. All his potshots and sideswipes and finger-bang-highlighting-posts are nothing more than a long love letter to the bicycle as a vehicle and to bicycling as an activity.

This is actually a book, not just a hard copy of BSNYC’s blog. It flows, it’s beautiful to look at, and every page sings with the joy of riding a bicycle. From a practical point of view, Bike Snob contains possibly the best commentary I’ve read on the perceived-versus-real danger of cycling, and it also contains one of the most intelligent sections on helmets that I’ve read.

Riding my bike reminds me why I love to ride my bike. Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling reminds me why it’s important to keep that love alive.

NOTE: I interviewed BSNYC a few years ago. You can listen to that interview here.