Cycling and Society
Edited by Dave Horton, Paul Rosen and Peter Cox. Contributions from Peter Cox, Ben Fincham, Dave Horton, Tim Jones, Phillip Gordon Mackintosh, Glen Norcliffe, John Parkin, Paul Rosen, Time Ryley, Clare S Simpson, David Skinner, Justin Spinney, Nicholas Oddy, Frederick Van De Walle.
Ashgate Publishing

Who were the original ‘boy racers’? When was sex and sport first used to sell a mass produced product? How does a product change from being a luxury item to something that has lost it’s status? Is the ‘safety industry’ a danger to people’s health?

Although sometimes academic in tone, much of ‘Cycling and Society’ is accessible to a broader readership. In fact the book is so diverse that even those that feel well versed in the history of one of the world’s most celebrated inventions will find lots to entertain and new information.

Consisting of an Introduction and nine chapters, the book looks back to when bikes were a sought after ‘aspirational’ item (19th century), through to becoming a useful means of transport for the mass market in the first two decades of last century. (Much of what happened with the bicycle could apply to it’s transport successors or even a modern invention like the mobile phone.) ‘Cycling and Society’ sets out to clarify where cycling has fitted into general mobility and aspirations, as part of everyday life.

Every reader will have favourite chapters but all give valuable insight to areas that are not generally known about. The book also presents a modest collection of black and white illustrations and diagrams, although I must emphasise that this is not a ‘coffee table’ book but one where content counts more than visual appeal. An excellent reference section at the end of each chapter will help those keen to research further. As the product of fourteen contributors, the style and content pulls on a vast selection of experiences and references.

Some chapters look back to the past and make parallels to how we view things today. ‘Women’s cycle racing in the 19th Century’ is one such ‘retro’ chapter. At this time cycling was still a ‘new sensation’. Most women that cycled did so on tricycles and in private. The spectacle of women in ‘bloomers’ racing in public against each other drew huge crowds. The era of commercial sponsorship was born with these liberated women earning more than their male counterparts.

The market for women’s racing was huge and had the tantallising contradiction of the fact that many in the audience were merely voyeurs with little interest in the activity. The true supporters came from the supporters of female social equality and ‘Rational Dress’.