Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs [ハードカバー]

While there have been a slew of visually exceptional books on bikes, the present one by Michael Embacher stands out. Based on his bike collection of some of the more unusual bike designs, both the photography and the text do ample justice to their subject. It is also very well printed.
A very nice touch is the thumbnail compendium of all the bikes in a few pages at the end of the book. A must have addition to the library of anyone interested in bikes and certain to become an important reference work in the field.

This is basically the best photo overview of bike design. The diversity depicted is inspiring. I just love a big bike book.

Chronicle Books knows what they're doing -- they consistently pick great topics and execute them well. Whenever you see the "spectacles on a spine" you know you're in for a treat.

(Say, I just heard there's now a "Cyclepedia App" available offering zoomable and 360-degree views of all the bikes! ...Plus extra historic footage. [...]

This book is very satisfying. Still, it has a couple aspects that make me hunger for the next big bike book... I suppose no bike book is exhaustive, and there's always room for more -- but a couple came close in their day (Richard's and Durry/Wadley's). This book has a couple aspects that might baffle a reader. First, the book is a presentation of one architect's amazing collection. This is mentioned nowhere. Michael Embacher's collection is world famous in a few ways, including because it has been touring on its own as an art exhibit with bikes displayed on an amazing S-track near the ceiling of galleries. It's been quite an attraction. This exhibit is shown in a tiny sidebar pic in the book but not explained.

Next, Embacher is not a bike buff per se, but a Viennese designer. He picked bikes that seemed quirky and cool to him. He was even accepting of failure. He went for audacity. If a laugh resulted, that was fine.

Now, many of the bikes depicted are enduring classics. But there are so many amazing bike designs that both astonish and succeed which don't appear. I miss them! Goofy false-start bikes might be more satisfying if successes along similar lines are included. (For instance, it only brushes the ultra-creative world of recumbents.) Oh, to have seen a dozen more 'just right' bikes! But I don't hold a grudge -- it's one guy's collection, and it's amazing! I agree that bike design can have a sense of humor, but more of today's important bikes would've made me happier.

Next, Embacher's text occasionally sparkles, but often seems to be riffing a bit too much. A highlight or two is noted then the subject might wander. Light is OK, but you might notice the lightness in this case. Also, it's German translated to English, which is also usually fine here, but is noticeable fairly often.

This basic book first came out as a German book called "Smart Move." That book included a few pages about the famous touring exhibit and the rationale of the collection -- helpful! It was also candid about the quirky nature of the collection (which still didn't really help it as a bike book, in my view). Thankfully, this new "Cyclepedia" doesn't have as much of the quirky bent and includes more pages, which extra coverage is used on bikes which are classic or useful -- good!

Whew, what complication for a pretty book! Now, just enjoy the photos...

(As a disclaimer, I publish a book, sold here, of pretty bike design called "The Recumbent Bicycle," and a website/magazine of indie outdoor culture which has an anthology, sold here, called "Out Your Backdoor.")

I purchased the app, that is basically a very, very smart interface with all of the bikes in the book. I found it greatly interesting - specially the timeline feature - and enjoyed the possibility of playing around with the image of each bycicle.

But then i saw some of the typical icons where not included ... Then had to google the author. I found he is a very talented collector and designer. This shows very well indeed in this compendium of bikes. But theni found this is his collection, not the world's iconic bicycles.

That may - for anyone wanting to learn more about how bicycles evolved through history - be a major drawback. It is for me. Seminal introductions by giants as Raleigh, BSA, Campagnolo are not included, and if you don't bear in mind this is just one (huge) collector's collection, you might miss out how important they were in history.

Having said this, the book will make a great passtime to discuss some bike models and innovations with your friends. I recommend buying it ... Together with another, more comprehensive, publication out there.