|
Road Biking Illinois : a guide to the state's best bike rides
by Ted Villaire
Illinois greets cyclists with a warm and varied embrace, from its small towns and urban historic areas to its scenic parklands replete with lakes and hills. Road Biking Illinois provides a personal tour of forty-three memorable rides that explore all the beauty and diversity the Prairie State has to offer. Soak in local history relating to the state’s most famous son, Abe Lincoln. Go back in time in old Mississippi River towns and in Amish country. Discover the sculptures and architecture of Peoria. Or combine a tour of wineries with the stunning scenery of the Shawnee National Forest. And then there are Chicago-area rides, including a visit to President Barak Obama’s neighborhood of Hyde Park.
|
|
|
Hiking & biking in DuPage County, Illinois by Jim HochgesangHochgesang outlines the best features and reach of the Illinois Prairie Path, a 55+ mile network of almost paved paths within the forest preserves. It has the kind of information you'd find in pamphlets. The differences are that he writes well and it is all in one book. No need to fumble through a satchel of flyers when you've got this book. The Illinois Prairie Path is a biker's dream, and many people use it to commute, circumventing traffic and enjoying the gorgeous northern Illinois outdoors. The forks and branches can take a traveler through some beautiful scenery and within blocks of many important western suburban locales. He details the history of the paths, and the landmarks worth seeing. He gives us the gray tree frog in Waterfall Glen, Graue Mill at Fullersburg Woods, and Salt Creek in the Northeast Forest Preserve. He takes us mile-by-mile down wooded lanes, and tells us the mileage for each link of the route.
|
|
|
Unbored adventure : 70 seriously fun activities for kids & their families by Joshua GlennUNBORED Adventure has all the smarts, innovation, and free-wheeling spirit of the original UNBORED and its 2014 spinoff, UNBORED Games, but with a fresh focus on encouraging kids to break out of their techno-passivity and explore the world around them--whether that's a backyard, a downtown, or a forest. Combining old-fashioned favorites with today's high-tech possibilities, the book offers a goldmine of creative, constructive activities that kids can do on their own or with their families. From camouflage techniques, survival skills, and cloudspotting advice to instructions on how to build an upcycled kite or raft, to using apps to navigate and explore, it's all here--along with comics that dive into the secret history of everything from bicycling to women explorers. A fun corrective to our over-anxious parenting culture, UNBORED Adventure encourages kids to become more independent and resilient, to solve problems and ask questions, and to engage with both their community and natural environment.
|
|
|
The urban biking handbook : the DIY guide to building, rebuilding, tinkering with, and repairing your bicycle for city living
by Charles Haine
"Cyclists are everywhere, the cautionary bumper stickers tell you. More than ever before, bicycle culture is everywhere, too: from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, city planners are making big changes to city infrastructure for the increasing numbers of people who are leaving their cars at home (or deep-sixing them altogether) and upgrading to two wheels. Biking in the city is no longer just for bike messengers with a death wish. Biking's benefits are myriad: better fitness, smaller environmental footprint, quiet and low profile, cheaper, greater accessibility. For each new, non-competitive cyclist in the consumer marketplace, there is at least one bicycle that needs to be fixed, maintained, and customized. Cyclists are looking for communities of like-minded people to learn the basics of repair and maintenance, the tricks of the trade, and get some super inspiring ideas for making their bike reflect their lifestyle choices. Quarry's The Urban Biking Handbook: The DIY Guide to Building, Rebuilding,Tinkering, and Repairing Your Bicycle for City Living is a hardworking, illustrated guide to the cycling lifestyle. Not only does it teach tons of repair and maintenance techniques, it shows such popular skills as converting a multiple-gear bike into a fixed-gear bike (or fixie), building your own wheels, and how to build a Frankenbike from parts scavenged from several bikes. All the techniques and projects are framed by spotlights on urban bike culture worldwide: profiles of bike mechanics, bike builders, bike artists, and more"
|
|
|
The ultimate bicycle owner's manual : the universal guide to bikes, riding, and everything for beginner and seasoned cyclists
by Eben Weiss
"Everything you need to know to purchase, maintain, and ride a bike for recreation, commuting, competition, travel, and beyond! From the bike world's most beloved and trusted advocate. Eben Weiss, aka Bike Snob, is the voice of cyclists everywhere. Through his popular blog he has been informing, entertaining, and critiquing the bike-riding community since 2007. With his latest book, The Ultimate Bicycle Owner's Manual, Weiss makes his vast experience and practical advice available to bike "newbies" and veterans alike. Chapters cover Obtaining a Bike, Understanding Your Bike, Maintaining Your Bike, Operating Your Bike, Off-Road Riding, Coexisting with Drivers, Competitive Cycling, Bike Travel, Cycling with Kids, and What the Future Holds for Bikes in ourCommunities. Weiss's humorous, down-to-earth style takes all the mystery and intimidation out of cycling and will inspire even the most hesitant couch potato to get out and ride! Eben Weiss is the blogger behind bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com and the author ofBike Snob, Bike Snob Abroad, and The Enlightened Cyclist. He also writes for Bicycling magazine and lives in New York"
|
|
|
Best Bike Rides Chicago : the greatest recreational rides in the metro area
by Ted Villaire
"More than 35 great rides in and around the Windy City Written for the cyclists of all stripes, Best Bikes Rides Near Chicago marks the debut of a new series that offers a diverse array of scenic tours in some of America's largest urban destinations-from easy excursions for the Sunday cyclist to challenging treks for the veteran. Here, veteran author and cyclist Ted Villaire presents 35 diverse rides in and around the Windy City. As amply demonstrated by this guide, Chicago's heritage as a transportation hub has reaped huge rewards for local cyclists. Twenty miles of lakeshore parkland and an elaborate system of leafy boulevards connect a series of mega-parks throughout the city. Coupled with this is an ever-expanding cycling infrastructure featuring more than 100 miles of bikes lanes. The Illinois Prairie Path, which runs between the Des Plaines River and Wheaton, was one of the first linear trails in the nation converted from a railroad line-and today it is part of the most extensive collection of rail trails in the Midwest, perhaps the nation".
|
|
|