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shorty_320's review
1.0
This book was not at all what I expected from the excerpt I read online. I wanted to read more about the cities Byrne biked through and less of his ramblings. After about 75 pages, I decided it wasn't worth it and shelved it.
tophat8855's review
3.0
It was fine. I liked reading some parts. Some already feel outdated. It’s cool that he’s really into biking and does that for his touring and shows.
jomasini's review against another edition
2.0
Improved towards the end. I think because it was less about cycling than I was expecting, and the last couple of chapters were more cycling focussed
duparker's review
4.0
This was a hard book to categorize. The author is a musician and this is a diary or sorts where he chronicles his love affair with using bikes as a means of transportation as he travels. It is part history as he overviews the communities he is in. It is part planning book, as he discusses the transportation networks of those communities and it is part autobiography as it is all his experience.
It is a fascinating book, and does not feel 10 years old. It is a tight read and has clear point to it. I enjoyed the cities he visits and the commentary on each. He is an intelligent person and that comes through with his writing style and flow.
BTW, the flip book cartoon of bikes on the bottom of the pages is fun.
It is a fascinating book, and does not feel 10 years old. It is a tight read and has clear point to it. I enjoyed the cities he visits and the commentary on each. He is an intelligent person and that comes through with his writing style and flow.
BTW, the flip book cartoon of bikes on the bottom of the pages is fun.
ocurtsinger's review
2.0
Meh. Not so much a book about cycling; rather Byrne uses the bicycle as a vehicle (zing!) for his random musings about cities and society. Byrne has a charming writing personality, and he's got some fairly interesting things to say about human behavior, but there were only a few sweet gems of writing in the book. Most of it was fairly disjointed or specific to various art scenes, of which I have no interest in.
dreamgalaxies's review
3.0
I have a booktube channel now! Subscribe here.
Almost meditative in quality via audiobook. I liked hearing Byrne's voice.
The best content was about city planning, what it says about our culture and our values. The rest was a bit too meandering for my taste and I thought it could use a better editor. I suppose for most, the writer is more important than the content. Reads more like an interesting blog than a book, but I enjoyed it for what it was.
Almost meditative in quality via audiobook. I liked hearing Byrne's voice.
The best content was about city planning, what it says about our culture and our values. The rest was a bit too meandering for my taste and I thought it could use a better editor. I suppose for most, the writer is more important than the content. Reads more like an interesting blog than a book, but I enjoyed it for what it was.