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 enlarge | Author: David Gordon Wilson
Publisher: The MIT Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $16.77
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Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 89934
Media: Paperback
Edition: 3
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 485
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.2
ISBN: 0262731541
Dewey Decimal Number: 629.2272015313
EAN: 9780262731546
ASIN: 0262731541
Publication Date: April 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
good basic bicycle history and information January 12, 2007
This book is just what I hoped it would be with a lot of good information for anyone interesed in the bicycle world. It goes into every detail of the reasons for the development of the design of the modern bicycle.
thank you,
Robert W Logsdon
 The Bible ! December 21, 2006
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Awsome book - into bikes ? ... YOU need this.
Cuts out the mythology often pedalled about bikes !!
 Bicycling Science March 17, 2006
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
Through history of Bicycles. Lots of details, too many for most readers interest. Many, many pages of small print could probably be condensed down to less than 200 pages of a larger font. Worth reading for a complete bicylce geek other wise time would probably be better spent reading other bicycle books. However, does provide some interesting trivia such as a person could pedal a 100 miles on a gallon of milk and gave a distance for a gallon of petrol, though I forgot the distance.
 Unpardonable Error November 27, 2005
5 out of 37 found this review helpful
Unfortunately, my copy of edition 3 fell open to page 81, in which the author compares forces from a piston engine to forces generated by living tissue. Unfortunately, this type of comparison is often completely invalid, particularly when the force is accompanied by zero motion in the direction of the force. For example, if the combustion force is replaced by a highly compressed spring, and if the crank is balanced exactly at top dead center, the spring will never "get tired" of exerting its force. In contrast, a human leg WILL get tired, even though no motion occurs. This is because chemical energy is consumed to exert the force even in the absence of motion.
Unfortunately, with this single unreasoned comparison that drives to the core of bicycling science, the author has shot himself in the credibility foot, leaving all else he has to say in question.
Empirical Bicycle Science, not Theoretical Bicycle Engineering October 19, 2005
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
Prof. Wilson is well-respected in the engineering community, and this book is the best we have on the topic. Alas, even though Americans can land a man on the moon, we don't currently have a comprehensive, accurate computer simulation of the bicycle, rider, terrain, and atmospheric condition suitable for design optimization. Bicycle science is still very empirical! Contrast this with automotive engineering, aerospace engineering, watercraft engineering, and rail travel engineering (although to be fair, there is no Defense Department money for bicycle advancements). As a systems and mechanical engineer in industry (but not the bicycle industry) I've written numerous computer simulations for all kinds of machines and processes; my engineering doctoral dissertation was on the detailed computer simulation of a modified gas turbine engine (published as Theory and Design of the New Rational Combustion Engine)--so it rather amazes me that we don't have something comparable for bicycle design. Prof. Wilson candidly states on p. 365 that "...expert application of engineering methods has played very little part in bicycle design." and on p. 282 contributing author Papadopoulos states that "...most [dynamic] analyses are incorrect, either because of faulty methods or because of errors in algebra" (and this at a time when theoretical physicists are promolgating theories to the thirteenth decimal place).
The authors present some of the simple equations, but don't number them, and there are some symbol mistakes (e.g., on p. 242 an equation is missing a couple of divisor signs and lacks a negative sign at the beginning). Symbols are defined at the end of the book, rather than at the beginning or end of each chapter. For most scientists and engineers, there are far too many words, and far too few equations in this book (but that's more the fault of the low level of development of this discipline, 120 years after the Starley safety bicycles were introduced).
End-of-chapter references and notes are excellent, as are the diagrams and figures (except that Fig. 11.30 is apparently mis-labeled). There is a history timeline at the back of the book, but it stops at 1934. Useful Web-site addresses are given. However, no comparative design information is given for tire tread, frame structure, handlebar type, and suspension layout. What's better: a seat suspension post or rear wheel suspension?--Not answered. Saddle height is discussed, but not reach to the handlebars. The chapter on Materials and Stresses discusses only unsprung bicycles. Wilson states correctly (on p. 381) that "triangulation" prevents frame collapse (unlike quadrilateral designs) and many new mountain bikes feature such a design (just look at Specialized's current catalog).
Highlights of the book include the discussion of many alternative styles of human-powered vehicles, including recumbent bikes (Wilson's preferred design), aircraft, and watercraft. I especially like the idea of rail bicycles--this has got to be the most efficient form of transportation (with the possible exception of the Lewis-Adkins Regenerative Spiral-Drive Train, which is not discussed).
All-in-all this book is a good read, but if you're a bicycle engineer, the book won't help you much. A Google search on the Web finds only one link for "Bicycle Computer Simulation"--to a Taiwanese paper "The Construction of a Bicycle Computer Simulation Model for Riding Comfort"--let's hope that the fourth edition of Bicycling Science will be much more comprehensive and much more computer-oriented.
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