Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle (2024)

The editor must have thought it wasn't worth the battle.

This is not "the history and mystery of the bicycle,", it's a random collection of essays that each mention a bicycle.

I like essay collections, but this author's style is tiresome. So many unnecessary words.

The two stars are for the author's curatorial skills in the Bicycle Mania section.

My recommendation? Read Bike Snob and/or just go ride a bicycle and you'll have spent your time more wisely.

Readers of my reviews may be unaware of it, but I have been a life-long bicyclist, including commuting to my job over the entire 40-year span of my working career (in the Milwaukee and St. Louis metro areas). Today, even at the retired age of 67, I still log a couple of thousand miles per year, with recreational rides, the running of chores around town and even pulling a trailer full of groceries home from the store every week. So, I was intrigued by Jody Rosen’s recently released history of the bicycle. It is not structured as a history, but more of a series of New Yorker Magazine-style essays, that draw on the history and culture of bicycling. For example, there is an essay on Bhutan and it’s Gross National Happiness index, tied in to the book’s theme through the slim thread of Bhutan's King’s fascination with bicycling. I found it to be very enjoyable reading, once I adjusted my expectations to follow the wide-ranging tangents. The proper way to read this, is one essay at a time.

His topics range the world, romanticizing all things bicycle or bicycle-like. While not all about New York, Rosen’s perspective is very New York-centric. It seems he did attend college at UW-Madison, but his awareness of midwestern cycling seems limited to the environs of that campus. In almost all ways, this writing is more about the culture of bicycling than the science. One of his recurring themes is to draw parallels between modern urban bicycling culture and origins in late 19th to early 20th century golden years of American and European bicycling. I appreciated his ability to draw me in to topics I had never really considered, such as where all our bikes go after they are discarded, or how police now use them as tools of crowd control. For the right reader, this is highly recommended.

Some of this I knew (sections about suffrage), some things were new to me and interesting (for example, the stuff about Dunlop Tires), but for the most part it was simply pleasant reading, like reading a series of magazine articles. Not bland enough for a beach read. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to, as I'm not sure even most bike riders would find it compelling.

I do not recall how this book came into my radar.

I’d give it somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. A collection of essays vaguely about the history of biking. Some are better than others.

Highlights would be the chapter of old newspaper excerpts, the Bikecentennial Chapter, the chapter about Dhaka rickshaws, the author’s autobiographical chapter, and the part about learning to ride a fixie in China.

I could imagine a great trivia question in a pub quiz to be “What was the profession of the Wright brothers?” One’s guesses might temptingly be drawn to things associated with heavier-than-air flight, but in fact, Orville and Wilbur Wright were bicycle mechanics. That’s just one of the many wonderful tidbits that Jody Rosen has packed into his engrossing book, Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle. And the fact that there is more history than mystery suits me fine!

Having said that, Rosen does debunk a couple of myths early in his book. Take, for example, “the bicycle window” in St. Giles’s Church in a little English village called Stoke Poges, whose construction dates back to the 11th century and the Norman Conquest. The stained-glass window in question features a man mounted on what looks like part horse, part bicycle. One wheel is visible, but no pedals, so one assumes that forward motion is effected by one’s feet in a walking or running action. As plausible as that might seem, there is no further evidence that this contraption is anywhere in the bicycle’s lineage.

Rosen also debunks the creation of the bicycle in the 18th century, citing enough facts to declare that “the bicycle is definitely a nineteenth-century thing.” First in the ancestral line of the bicycle is a machine called the Laufmaschine, which translates into “running machine,” because the rider straddles the machine and pushes off with alternate feet, thereby appearing to run. This was created by Baron Karl von Drais in June of 1817, but the addition of pedals has multiple later claimants.

The pedal-less bicycle was called “dandy horse” and “dandy charger” and became a thing of fascination and a toy for the rich, and even royalty. “Dandy horse racing” was an amusement at one of Prince George’s birthday parties in the early 1800s. The bicycle even made its way into the royalty of Bhutan and China. Indeed, the king of Bhutan gave up the throne to indulge his passion for bicycling. Only when it transcended toy-hood did the bicycle develop more practical uses, primarily transportation. In time, it became an attractive alternative to a horse (no feeding, grooming, or stabling required, permanently saddled and ready to go).

Since it was easy to copy, it wasn’t long before the bicycle became a global phenomenon that touched every aspect of human life, and Rosen has amassed innumerable examples of such instances, from amusement to transportation, from farming to fighting wars, from adventuring in Arctic climes to equalizing social classes, and everything in between. Whereas for men, bicycles could be weaponized politically, for women, it was one means of emancipation. And though its demise was speculated with the invention of the (four-wheeled) automobile, in the 21st century, one can see the bicycle going on forever, continuously improving and adapting…even, heaven forbid, in a post-apocalyptic world!

Rosen’s personal love for bicycles and bicycling shines throughout Two Wheels Good, and will infect readers and riders alike. It is the greatest of human foibles to take many aspects of contemporary life for granted, when knowing more history would increase our appreciation and respect for our world. For the humble—and astounding!—bicycle, Rosen’s book does an admirable job of connecting the relevant historical dots over the last couple of centuries.

If you consider cycling part of your identity then you will assuredly find something of interest in this book.

It’s hard to describe it, but close enough to call it a collection of wide-ranging essays about the bicycle’s history and role in modern day societies. It was well-researched and investigated for covering so much ground, and I learned a lot more than I expected to. I especially enjoyed the essays about bicycle mania in the 1890s, the famous trick cyclist Danny MacAskill, the rickshaws in Dhaka, and the 1976 ride across America.

The author’s language can be a bit flowery and tiresome at times, but as a fellow bike and language enthusiast I felt I could excuse it. Especially after one of the later memoir essays about the author I felt like I came to know him and appreciate his style even more.

This book is the best love letter to cycling I’ve ever read, and informative to boot! I will recommend it to all my bikey friends.

Expansive, meandering, quirky, and passionate--just what I love about cycling.

I just love a whacky history and boy oh boy is the history of the bike whacky! Chapters 1-5 are focused on the development of the modern bicycle & growth in popularity of cycling. Chapters 6+ cover specific niches from winter cycling to bicycle smut to rickshaws in Bangladesh! Could maybe have done without chapter 13 (the author’s personal history with biking)

Świetna książka nie tylko dla fanów dwóch kółek! Rosen przyjrzał się rowerowi z każdej strony: społecznej, technologicznej, ekonomicznej, estetycznej. Bardzo fajna rzecz.

“Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle,” by Jody Rosen (ISBN: 9780804141499), publication date: 24 May 2022, earns four stars.

This book is quite the ride, guiding the reader through two centuries of the bicycle’s evolution—from its earliest days of a walking machine to the velocipede and on to the most modern range of bicycle types and derivatives today. Along the way, we traverse two centuries of history, visit a plethora of countries, and learn about the continually evolving uses for the bicycle and its derivatives. In our reading, we also learn the bicycle is far more than a mere conveyance. It is an object of prejudice, an expression of brilliance and unending renewal, a form of freedom, of exploration, a political statement, an instrument of war, a symbol of peace, and a hope for a greener future.

The history of the bicycle is a personal account as well, filled with the anecdotes of various cyclists, the author included, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, from the most common man to a King. In the process, we find bicycles inside the Titanic deep in the Atlantic Ocean or floating inside the International Space Station.

Whatever you thought you knew about the bicycle, once you finish reading this labor of love, you will realize how little you know and how great the impact of the bicycle is throughout the world. It is a compelling history.

Thanks to the publisher, Crown Publishing, for granting this reviewer the opportunity to read this Advance Reader Copy (ARC), and thanks to NetGalley for helping to make that possible.

in honor of buying a new bike 🤠

this combination of history and paean to the bicycle couldn't have come to me at a better time since Jane and I just put $1500 into replacing our 35 year old bikes which had not been used much for about a decade before last year. I had forgotten how much In enjoy riding, and reading about riding was also fascinating. The author tells about the development of the bike and of the roles it plays in contemporary cultures. He also makes you want to go for a ride.

I found this book to be an enjoyable overview of the bicycle as a fixture in the lives of humans all around the world.

I tend to agree with some other reviewers that the book flows more like a collection of essays, as opposed to something more linear, but I find that format helped. It allowed the author to dig into a given topic without necessarily needing to force any overarching themes, chapter-to-chapter, that I don't really think would have been necessary.

I found it particularly interesting just how much the flavor of a cycling culture changes depending on where one is in the world, and yet all those cultures being built upon that rather simple nature of the bike.

I'd certainly recommend this book to any lovers of bicycles.

... ehkäpä mielemme tietokone onkin polkupyörä. Monet tietävät, että pyöräillessä aivot tuntuvat kirkkaammilta, näkö terävämmältä ja aistit valppaammilta. Pyöräily on paras tietämäni tapa saavuttaa tietoisuuden toinen taso - ei ylevöitynyt tai valaistunut, mutta varmasti eloisampi. Pyöräretki tuntuu paremmalta kuin jooga, viini tai pilvi. Kisa seksin ja kahvin kanssa on tiukka ja tasaveroinen. (s. 36)

Amerikkalaisen Jody Rosenin "Pyöräilyn lumo ja sen historia" (Aula, 2023) on kokoelma pyöräilyä käsitteleviä esseitä. Fillarista on vuosisatojen saatossa ollut moneksi, se käy hyvin kirjasta ilmi! Saksalaisen Karl von Draisin Laufmaschinesta (1817) on kuljettu pitkä matka tähän päivään.

Lukijaa kuljetetaan eri puolilla maailmaa ja hän nousee satulaan niin brittiläisen dandyn, skotlantilaisen temppupyöräilijän, bangladeshilaisen riksakuljettajan, bhutanilaisen kuninkaan kuin klondikelaisen kullankaivajan kanssa. Kuntopyörä löytyy niin Titanicin kuntosalilta meren syvyyksistä kuin kansainväliseltä avaruusasemalta.

Ei silti jotain niin hyvää, jos ei pahaakin. Polkupyörät ovat näytelleet roolia niin sodan kuin sorron välikappaleina, ja esimerkiksi 1890-luvun polkupyörähuumasta voidaan vetää suora linja Belgian Kongon kumiplantaaseilla toimeenpantuihin kolonialistisiin rikoksiin. Lisäksi pyöräilyä on ehditty syyttää terveyden, perhearvojen, seksuaalimoraalin ja jopa lukutottumuksen tuhoajiksi ("Entiseen verrattuna lukusalit ja kirjastot ovat autioita", kirjoitettiin montanalaisessa The Anaconda Standard -lehdessä vuonna 1897). Nykyautoilijoiden tuohtumus tuntuu aika kevyeltä tähän verrattuna!

Kokonaisuutena "Pyöräilyn lumo ja sen historia" on ihan kiinnostava ja monipuolinen lukupaketti kaikille pyöräilyn ystäville. Jos tykkäsit tästä, niin sekä J.P. Pulkkisen Täydellinen keksintö - Polkupyöräesseitä että Tiina Männistö-Funkin - jota Rosen muuten kiittää teoksensa jälkisanoissa - ja Tiitu Takalon sarjakuva Polkimilla - nyt, ennen ja tulevaisuudessa kannattaa nekin ottaa lukuun.

Esseemäisiä tekstejä pyöräilyn eri aspekteista, kuten sen historiasta, talvipyöräilystä, riksoista, kuntopyöristä, pyörämatkailusta, pyörälähettiydestä, pyöräilyaktivismista ja tietysti koronapandemian vaikutuksista pyöräilyyn. Ihan kiinnostavia tekstejä, vaikkakin pyöräilyyn vähänkään perehtyneelle varsinkin historiaosuus oli melko tuttua kauraa penny farthingeineen ja laufmaschineineen. Joidenkin tekstien yhteys pyöräilyyn oli myös hieman kaukaa haettu. Esimerkiksi yhdessä kappaleessa juteltiin ummet ja lammet Bhutanin onnellisuusindeksistä, jota yritettiin sitten puolivillaisesti yhdistää pyöräilyyn. Parasta kirjassa olivat yhteiskunnallisemmat osuudet, kuten polkupyörän rooli kolonialismissa tai autoilukulttuurin kehittymisen pohtiminen.

Luin tämän suomeksi, ja pakko kyllä puuttua pariinkin asiaan. Kirjan nimi, Pyöräilyn lumo ja sen historia, on todella outo. Eikö voisi olla vain pyöräilyn lumo ja historia? Vai onko kyse nimenomaan sen lumon historiasta? Lisäksi suomentaja oli tehnyt hämmentävän valinnan kääntää wheel-sana pyöränä eikä renkaana. Lukeminen oli kognitiivisesti tosi raskasta, kun jokaisen pyörä-sanan kohdalla piti miettiä, onko kyseessä nyt polkupyörä vai rengas.

Does “the bicycle come to us naked”? Is there “no telling what a woman will do after she has lost her womanliness”? What is a vélocipède, how does it differ from a laufmaschine or draisienne, and why don’t we see them on the streets today? To be enlightened, check out Two Wheels Good, a multidimensional portrait of the bicycle by journalist, critic and avid cyclist Jody Rosen. Read newspaper excerpts on the ways that bicycles created and reflected societal changes in the 1890s, follow the route of the 76-day, 3,000-mile Bikecentennial ride of 1976, inhabit the life of a modern-day rickshawala in traffic-choked Dhaka, Bangladesh, and let Rosen transform you into a “stranger to propriety” and a believer in the goodness of two wheels chained to a human with a heart.

Everything I love about a unique history. Short chapters featuring varying perspectives, myths, legends, and changes through time. Jody is a cyclist himself and as research traveled and joined other riders, sometimes embarrassing himself, just always sharing from an authentic voice, never putting himself on a pedestal. I enjoy his own biking memories tied in with cross-culture movements, styles of bikes, sports, and the economics of cycling. The pictures were extremely helpful in referencing more obscure styles unknown to myself.

I picked this up because I love biking. Or, maybe loved biking is more accurate. When I was younger and lived in a flatter place, I was a pretty avid biker. I commuted to work by bike for a couple of years and biked to the farmer's market each weekend. This book is a great deep dive into all different aspects of the history of the bicycle, coming at it from class, gender, and nationality. Some of the chapters are really interesting (and funny) and others I skimmed because they were not those things. I think if you're a person who understands the title, you'll love this.

Two Wheels Good defends the premise that "bicycles are great—but, but more to the point—bicycles are good" by weaving together bicycle and cycling history, contemporary experiences, and personal anecdotes. Because I could relate Jody Rosen's cycling in NYC and Boston (and because anything about bicycles warrants a ratings boost) I would recommend this book to myself and others who likewise can relate to: "The pangs of gratitude and affection I feel for my bike, and for bikes in general, are deeper than those I harbor for any other inanimate thing and, if I'm being honest, for all but a few animate ones." Not sure how those not as smitten would feel...

An very good book about epic history of a bicycle and it’s even more epic proliferation! I didn’t realize there is so much to know about this ubiquitous device.

The book is very well researched and many, often surprising aspects of a bicycle are reported on.

For me the book could be much shorter. I think editing it to half of its size would make it better.

4.5/5 rounded down to a 4

My favorite style of writing - a wordy brain dump of information with more metaphors than I can count

Probably my favorite prologue I’ve ever read

Can’t tell if the bicycle smut chapter makes it better or worse

Interesting points, but large chunks did not belong in this book such as elaborate discussion of the rickshaw and the in depth love story between two people who met on a cross country bike ride, for example.

Lovely little book about the history of the bike which attempts to chart social history through the lens of bikes. I'm not sure it totally nails it but I did really enjoy some of the quotes and stories - particularly the entire chapter dedicated to moral panic over bikes in the 1890s!

While I expected the history of the bicycle, I was intrigued by how many social situations the bicycle has played a part in cultures around the world.

This is a freewheeling (pun intended) and absorbing ride. Rosen takes the reader through a series of vignettes from the past, present, and possible future of the bicycle, and (like a bike ride) it's a deeply pleasurable experience. The prose is quick and grips you, and the alternating episodes keep your interest. The coda of the book, describing the politics and realities of cycling in the 2020s (especially the section on cycling during COVID and during climate events) is a sobering lens for viewing the present, and offers an interesting conclusion for the book. Really great stuff.

I loved this celebration of bicycles and biking!

This is a fun collection of essays on bicycling. Part of me wishes it was more critical or comprehensive in its approach, because I feel that there are all sorts of insights about economics or culture which the chapters of this book only introduced, but didn't fully explore. As it was though, the book taught me a huge amount the history of the bicycle, about rickshaw culture in Bangladesh, about the origins of the Critical Mass bicycling movement, about winter bicycling in Norway, and much more. Most of all, I appreciated that Rosen didn't write as champion bicycle racer, a trick rider, or someone who had accomplished some kind of massive, cross-country endurance ride; rather, he just loves bicycles, and doesn't claim to have any kind of technical expertise with them. His own personal story is a wonderful one, where he brings up the idea of the "cycleur," a riff, from the writings of Valeria Luiselli, on the idea of the urban walker or flaneur, as one who "possess a strange freedom that can only be compared with that of thinking or writing....Skimming along on two wheels, the rider finds just the right pace for observing the city and being at once its accomplice and its witness." As a life-long, NYC-based urban cyclist, it describes Rosen well; as a bike commuter who may never accomplish any really impressive physical goals, but loves getting on the bike all the same, I hope it describes me as well.

Collection of essays, all oriented around the bicycle. Some are better, some are worse, but all in all, I’m surprised in how many areas the bicycle influenced humanity.

Picked up from library and surprisingly good. It could’ve been better (cutting out a lot of fluff, being more chronological, focusing more on big picture instead of random things) also based on subtitle thought it would explore the role of the bike more in less affluent nations or for revolutions (famous story of smuggling bikes into east Germany). Some stories were fun. Good but could’ve been better

Bardzo nierówna.