Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle
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- Create Date：2022-06-14 09:51:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jody Rosen
- ISBN：0804141495
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Summary
A panoramic revisionist portrait of the nineteenth-century invention that is transforming the twenty-first century world。
The bicycle is a vestige of the Victorian era， seemingly out of pace with our age of smartphones and ridesharing apps and driverless cars。 Yet we live on a bicycle planet。 Across the world， more people travel by bicycle than by any other form of transportation。 Almost anyone can learn to ride a bike--and nearly everyone does。
In Two Wheels Good， writer and critic Jody Rosen reshapes our understanding of this ubiquitous machine， an ever-present force in humanity's life and dreamlife--and a flashpoint in culture wars--for more for than two hundred years。 Combining history， reportage， travelogue， and memoir， Rosen 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。 Readers meet unforgettable characters: feminist rebels who steered bikes to the barricades in the 1890s， a prospector who pedaled across the frozen Yukon to join the Klondike gold rush， a Bhutanese king who races mountain bikes in the Himalayas， a cycle rickshaw driver who navigates the seething streets of the world's fastest-growing megacity， astronauts who ride a floating bicycle in zero gravity aboard the International Space Station。
Two Wheels Good examines the bicycle's past and peers into its future， challenging myths and clich�s， while uncovering cycling's connection to colonial conquest and the gentrification of cities。 But the book is also a love letter: a reflection on the sensual and spiritual pleasures of bike riding and an ode to an engineering marvel--a wondrous vehicle whose passenger is also its engine。
The bicycle is a vestige of the Victorian era， seemingly out of pace with our age of smartphones and ridesharing apps and driverless cars。 Yet we live on a bicycle planet。 Across the world， more people travel by bicycle than by any other form of transportation。 Almost anyone can learn to ride a bike--and nearly everyone does。
In Two Wheels Good， writer and critic Jody Rosen reshapes our understanding of this ubiquitous machine， an ever-present force in humanity's life and dreamlife--and a flashpoint in culture wars--for more for than two hundred years。 Combining history， reportage， travelogue， and memoir， Rosen 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。 Readers meet unforgettable characters: feminist rebels who steered bikes to the barricades in the 1890s， a prospector who pedaled across the frozen Yukon to join the Klondike gold rush， a Bhutanese king who races mountain bikes in the Himalayas， a cycle rickshaw driver who navigates the seething streets of the world's fastest-growing megacity， astronauts who ride a floating bicycle in zero gravity aboard the International Space Station。
Two Wheels Good examines the bicycle's past and peers into its future， challenging myths and clich�s， while uncovering cycling's connection to colonial conquest and the gentrification of cities。 But the book is also a love letter: a reflection on the sensual and spiritual pleasures of bike riding and an ode to an engineering marvel--a wondrous vehicle whose passenger is also its engine。
Reviews
Paul
，
A good book on cycling， its history， the role it has played （and can play） in cities， and various stories and life events that surround the bicycle。 Some sections were quite beautiful。However， I can't rate it five stars because the book was rather unfocused and longer than it needed to be。 One chapter in particular， about a couple that met on a long distance bike riding event， was nice and all， but it should have been cut since it didn't fit in this book。 Another round of editing would have serv A good book on cycling， its history， the role it has played （and can play） in cities， and various stories and life events that surround the bicycle。 Some sections were quite beautiful。However， I can't rate it five stars because the book was rather unfocused and longer than it needed to be。 One chapter in particular， about a couple that met on a long distance bike riding event， was nice and all， but it should have been cut since it didn't fit in this book。 Another round of editing would have served this book well。 。。。more
The Atlantic
，
"'Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle' takes readers time-traveling and globe-trotting to build up an alternate narrative about a simple machine that becomes harder to categorize the more you learn about it。 Through history and across cultures， bicycles are a human denominator。 Their past and future concern us all—even if you don’t think they have anything to do with you。" "'Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle' takes readers time-traveling and globe-trotting to build up an alternate narrative about a simple machine that becomes harder to categorize the more you learn about it。 Through history and across cultures， bicycles are a human denominator。 Their past and future concern us all—even if you don’t think they have anything to do with you。" 。。。more
Maggie Mattmiller
，
Would probably give three not four， as I liked it but didn't love it， but I need to factor in that I'm probably not the intended audience。 There were some chapters I was definitely way more into than others。 Research was clearly done here， and some of it was pretty interesting。 Would probably give three not four， as I liked it but didn't love it， but I need to factor in that I'm probably not the intended audience。 There were some chapters I was definitely way more into than others。 Research was clearly done here， and some of it was pretty interesting。 。。。more
Sanford Chee
，
Economist reviewhttps://www。economist。com/culture/202。。。 Economist reviewhttps://www。economist。com/culture/202。。。 。。。more
David
，
A paean to bike riding。 Rosen clearly loves bikes。 He looks at them through their history and their place in cultures around the world。
Yusei158
，
7。5/10
Thomas
，
This history of bicycling had several really interesting chapters。 I knew next to nothing about 19th century cycling， but it’s fascinating that cyclists have run into many of the same obstacles regardless of which century they find themselves in。 I wish there had been some attention on racing， and more analysis of technical innovations in the 20th century， but this books’s focus is really a political and social account， and in that respect it is well written。 The chapter on cycling in China was This history of bicycling had several really interesting chapters。 I knew next to nothing about 19th century cycling， but it’s fascinating that cyclists have run into many of the same obstacles regardless of which century they find themselves in。 I wish there had been some attention on racing， and more analysis of technical innovations in the 20th century， but this books’s focus is really a political and social account， and in that respect it is well written。 The chapter on cycling in China was especially eye opening （and disheartening）。 Humans often deeply misjudge what progress looks like。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Interesting non fiction book : testimonies about love of bicycle from known and unknown users。 First part about the history of bicycle starting XIX century until today is surprising。 I was able to discover this book thanks to Goodreads Giveaways。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book。
Arthur Bradford Morrill III
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