Retrato do autor
1 Work 14 Membros 1 Review

Obras por Jesse J. Gant

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

There is no Common Knowledge data for this author yet. You can help.

Membros

Críticas

Most of us ride, or have ridden bicycles, but have you ever wondered how this machine evolved and became so popular? What models lead to the ones we ride today? What forces and heroes were instrumental in achieving their popularity? If you are looking for the answers to these questions, “Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State” is the place to begin.

This book takes the reader through the models of the past. The Velocipede, ridden by Velocipedestrians, made its advent shortly after the Civil War. It differed from the modern bikes primarily because it had no chain but just a pedal that turned the front wheel. Next came the High-Wheel. You know, those bikes with the huge front wheels that some exhibitionist brings to the rides and you wonder why anyone would ever chose that model and how they got on and off? At one time they were the dominant model, chosen for the high ratio between the pedals and the size of the wheel but, yes, a lot of injuries occurred when riders fell off. Something safer was needed if very many people were going to risk their lives on bicycles so next came, the Safety Model, which is the early version our modern bicycle with a chain and normal size wheels.

Wheel Fever is not just about equipment. Bicycling has played important social roles in our country in general and in Wisconsin in particular. In the late 19th Century roads were poor. They were rutted, got muddy and were filled with animal waste. Yuck! That was just fine for equestrians, but cyclists wanted something better. Cycling Clubs arose to act as social groups and to lobby for better roads and to defend the rights of cyclists. Not everyone was in favor of bicycles. They alarmed horses and ran pedestrians off the sidewalk! Cycling Clubs, most prominently LAW, the League of American Wheelmen, became significant political forces, helping to elect President William McKinley and Wisconsin Governor William Upham. LAW united its members of the West and East with Wisconsin being the largest Division of the West. We are reminded that, like the society from which they derived their members. Cycling Clubs were exclusive, often limiting themselves to white men. Bicycles became the “Poor Man’s Horse”. They gave women enhanced mobility and independence while enabling working men to get to work, politicians to meet more people and the middle classes to tour the countryside. They affected fashion and encouraged the publication of road maps. After the two main bicycle booms they became toys for children until in recent decades they have become instruments of recreation and means of transportation that can promote health and protect the environment. Wisconsin has provided an example for the nation by it conversion of rail line to trails and its enthusiastic embracement of the cycling sport.
Like any sport, bicycles were raced. Readers are introduced to the champions of both inside tracks and outside races who popularized their sport and made it one to be emulated by their fans.

I have gotten carried away with the story, but what about the book? Authors Jesse Gant and Nicholas Hoffman have done an excellent job of telling the story of Wisconsin cycling. The writing is engaging and the many pictures are reminders of a Wisconsin of the past: its people, its landscape and, of course, its bicycles. This is a book you will want to read and then keep it handy to page through again. Don’t be stingy, put it out on your coffee table for your guests to peruse while waiting or when the conversation slackens. If you like Wisconsin, cycling or just social history, “Wheel Fever” deserves a place in your library and on your table.

I did receive a free copy of this book for review.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
JmGallen | Aug 29, 2014 |

Estatísticas

Obras
1
Membros
14
Popularidade
#739,559
Avaliação
5.0
Críticas
1
ISBN
2