The Biography of the Modern Bike by Chris Boardman

The Biography of the Modern Bike investigates and documents the important developments in cycling and bike technology, from the safety bike to what we might see from cycling in the future. It brings together Chris Boardman's encyclopedic knowledge of cycling technology with some great imagery, all in a beautifully laid out book.

There are few people as qualified as Boardman to discuss such development. He is known as the godfather of modern cycling, given the impact he has had on new cycling technology, and with his Boardman Bikes brand has stayed up to date with all the latest technologies.

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It's a beautifully laid out book, featuring some great shots of modern and historical bikes, and images to demonstrate why certain concepts work and why others don't. The heavy use of pictures gives it the impression of a coffee-table book, but it goes much further than simply gawping at nice looking bikes.

Throughout, the writing is concise and understandable, meaning that those who do not have intimate knowledge of the difference between an Italian and British thread or the different grades of carbon fibre can still easily understand the concepts. But it doesn't gloss over the more complex subjects, instead it makes them accessible to almost anybody.

Having gone cover-to-cover through the book, as far as I can tell there are no obvious elements of the modern bike missing. Everything from the different types of early drivetrains used through to the benefits of specific body positions while time trialling are discussed.

The only downside is that with innovations within the cycling industry moving so quickly, a book like this is likely to miss some kind of major development within the next three years. Its historical story and research are timeless, though, concisely documenting technological development.

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Despite his career being spent mainly on road racing or track bikes, Boardman's book doesn't just concentrate on these. He looks at a wide variety of bikes, from BMXs and mountain bikes through to electric and cargo bikes. It is tilted slightly towards the evolution of the road bike, which is only to be expected given Boardman's history, but it certainly can't be accused of ignoring any kind of bike – even recumbents have a place.

Overall, as something to flick through to learn about the history of bike technology, I reckon this book is an ideal partner.

Verdict

A really interesting, beautifully laid out and thoroughly researched book