The Epicurean Cyclist

I was handed a copy of Bicycle Times magazine last night after our local bike advocacy’s meeting. I put it away in the Carradice until this morning. What a great read! As you all know, there’s pretty slim pickings in terms of bicycling magazines that don’t cater to roadies or mountain biking.

With the subheading of “Your Everyday Cycling Adventure”, Bicycle Times magazine is meant to appeal to commuters and utilitarian cyclists. The faceless, lycraless mass of cyclist that have no voice on the new stand.

This particular issue (I believe its the 2nd issue) has a review of some of the most popular blinkys on the market and how to give your bike a makeover into a “Useful Bike.” Probably much to the chagrin of Bicycling magazine, it suggests that “all you need for a good Useful Bike are fenders, a slightly upright position, front and rear lights, and a bag, rack or basket.” Amazing and revolutionary stuff! Not a strand of carbon in sight!

There is also an interesting piece titled “Cyclists Find No Safety in Numbers” that questions how safe bike lanes really are. They interview the controversial Forester who opines that “bike lanes were not devised to keep cyclists safe, but rather to keep them from interfering with car traffic.”

As you can see, it’s not the useless drivel of Cosmo -for-men-on-bicycles that Bicycling often disintegrates into. (Yes there are occasional good articles like the one on the DIY bike lanes, the crash victims, etc., but they seem too few and far between).

It’s nice to see another magazine join the ranks of Momentum, Bicycle Quarterly and the Rivendell Reader. Check out their website for more!