Bicycling Science

Bicycling Science
by David Gordon Wilson

Bicycling Science
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Book Summary Information

Author: David Gordon Wilson
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-03-19
ISBN: 0262731541
Number of pages: 485
Publisher: The MIT Press

Book Reviews of Bicycling Science

Book Review: Bicycling Science 3rd Edition
Summary: 5 Stars



Reviewed by Dr. Andreas Fuchs, Berne, Switzerland, August 2004

Long-awaited for Bicycling Science 3 is finally here: 22 years after the second edition was originally published! A main question for the reviewer was therefore: Will the 3rd edition of Bicycling Science consider the key-developments that happened in this field during the full age of the desktop computer in a wisely weighted manner? This question is a fair one since Bicycling Science ranks among the most important books in the field of cycling!

The new, third edition of Bicycling Science (BS) contains main chapters about: History, human power generation, thermal effects on power production, power and speed, bicycle aerodynamics, rolling (tires and bearings), braking, steering and balancing, mechanics and mechanisms (power transmission), materials and stresses, unusual human-powered machines, and human-powered vehicles in the future.
Compared with BS2, BS3 has relatively more content in the chapters "human power generation" and "steering and balancing". BS3 discusses relevant results of work physiology in much more detail than BS2. Since bicycling science is a wide field it is a wise decision to involve co-authors; in the "steering and balancing"-chapter Jim Papadopolous vast experience with this main topic shines up and is, at least by the reviewer, very much appreciated!

After reading BS3, the question put up by the reviewer at the beginning of this review receives an overall positive answer: D.G. Wilson lists many new references; as a very serious observer of the field of bicycling science Wilson identified the important developments and discusses them accordingly. The main omission detected by the reviewer is the absence of the topic "suspension" high up in the hierarchy of the chapters of the book. Also, the hydraulic actuation of brakes would have deserved a more prominent position.
Apart from that, the book covers bicycling science as what it is today very well! BS, if it was an academic discipline, was defined by engineers and physicists; one focus that is therefore still missing too much is the one of human factors and ergonomics. By saying that the reviewer does not at all negatively criticize BS3... he just likes to point out a weakness in the bicycle research area for which neither D.G. Wilson nor J. Papadopoulous are responsible, of course!

Conclusion: The 3rd edition of Bicycling Science is a noble successor of BS2 and assures that The MTI Press's Bicycling Science remains in the top ranks in cycle literature!

The reviewer is physicist and is since many years actively involved in the study, development and promotion of modern forms of cycles. He could therefore be called "an expert" in the field of bicycling science. Main fields of interest are velomobiles, power-assist drives and human powered vehicles dynamics, especially aerodynamics.



Summary of Bicycling Science

The bicycle is almost unique among human-powered machines in that it uses human muscles in a near-optimum way. This new edition of the bible of bicycle builders and bicyclists provides just about everything you could want to know about the history of bicycles, how human beings propel them, what makes them go faster, and what keeps them from going even faster. The scientific and engineering information is of interest not only to designers and builders of bicycles and other human-powered vehicles but also to competitive cyclists, bicycle commuters, and recreational cyclists.The third edition begins with a brief history of bicycles and bicycling that demolishes many widespread myths. This edition includes information on recent experiments and achievements in human-powered transportation, including the "ultimate human- powered vehicle," in which a supine rider in a streamlined enclosure steers by looking at a television screen connected to a small camera in the nose, reaching speeds of around 80 miles per hour. It contains completely new chapters on aerodynamics, unusual human-powered machines for use on land and in water and air, human physiology, and the future of bicycling. This edition also provides updated information on rolling drag, transmission of power from rider to wheels, braking, heat management, steering and stability, power and speed, and materials. It contains many new illustrations.

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