Boston's twentieth-century bicycling renaissance : cultural change on two wheels / Lorenz J. Finison.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finison, Lorenz J. (Lorenz John), 1941- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cycling--Massachusetts--Boston--History--20th century.

Boston (Mass.)--Social conditions--20th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (308 pages)

Place of Publication:

Amherst ; Boston : Bright Leaf, [2019]

Summary:

At the end of the nineteenth century, cycling's popularity surged in the Boston area, but by 1900, the trend faded. Within the next few decades, automobiles became commonplace and roads were refashioned to serve them. Lorenz J. Finison argues that bicycling witnessed a renaissance in the 1970s as concerns over physical and environmental health coalesced. Whether cyclists hit the roads on their way to work or to work out, went off-road in the mountains or to race via cyclocross and BMX, or took part in charity rides, biking was back in a major way.Finison traces the city's cycling history, chronicling the activities of environmental and social justice activists, stories of women breaking into male-dominated professions by becoming bike messengers and mechanics, and challenges faced by African American cyclists. Making use of newspaper archives, newly discovered records of local biking organizations, and interviews with Boston-area bicyclists and bike builders, Boston's Twentieth­-Century Bicycling Renaissance brings these voices and battles back to life.

Contents:

The bicycle craze ends, 1895-1900

Bicycle struggles and hopes for recovery, 1900-1945

Bicycling on the cusp of the renaissance, 1945-1970

Activists in the bicycle renaissance, 1970-2000

Where do bikes belong?

Politics and the bike business

Riding for recreation, charity, and work

Boombox, bulldogs, and backwards cyclists on Blue Hill Avenue

Bicycle racing and building in the renaissance

Looking back and looking forward.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781625344090

1625344090

9781613766583

1613766580