[CR]Bicyling Science: a review.

(Example: Framebuilding:Paint)

Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 19:49:19 -0400
From: "HM & SS Sachs" <sachs@erols.com>
To: BobHoveyGa@aol.com, smwillis@verizon.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org, bikengr@netnet.net
cc: dgwilson@mit.edu
cc: dgwilson@mit.edu
Subject: [CR]Bicyling Science: a review.

Steve Willis, Bob Hovey, and I had a bit of on-list conversation about bearings a week or so ago, which led to mention of the new third edition of Bicyling Science. It was published by the MIT Press in April, by David Gordon Wilson, "with contributions by Jim Papadopoulos." So, it's time to review it. Bicycling Science is clearly on-topic for this forum, as it deals with how bikes and their riders work - including a bit of history. Just like The Data Book and Dancing Chain.

This book has many virtues, starting with enormous amounts of data and an incredible collection of references. These fellows have done their homework. The book is well organized, and the writing is generally clear (if the graphs sometimes too crowded).

Who will want to own it and read Bicycling Science III? (1) bike enthusiasts with a quantitative bent, whether undergrad engineers looking for a research project of middle-aged riders looking for a bit of intellectual meat outside their daily work. Some passing memory of a college-level physics course is helpful. (2) Design professionals. Wilson and Papadopoulos don't (and can't) give neat solutions for messy problems like "stiffness" and steering response. Instead they point out blind alleys and the need for careful work. So designers will mostly find the book useful for pointers, next steps, and references. They show how to treat elegant little problems, like how to figure out the optimum number of gears; forces uphill, into the wind, limits to human power, etc. How much is it worth in speed to lose that spare tire around the middle, that sign of middle age? Passionate amateurs like me will find enormous pleasure in reading a book that asks for concentration and thought in places, but rewards the reader with greatly improved understanding.

I think the book suffers a bit from trying to serve too many audiences. To me, this shows up first in depth v. breadth. The authors drill down right smartly into some topics (steering, wheels), but limit themselves to pretty superficial discussions of others (other human powered vehicles). Another problem is Primary v. Secondary. In some areas the authors are original scholars and leading contributors to bicycle science (e.g., wheels and steering). In other areas the authors have a more removed expertise based on secondary sources (e.g., physiology). This variation in the authors\u2019 knowledge tends to make the treatment a bit uneven \u2013 but still far beyond my own knowledge or understanding.

However, I would mention one reservation, about authorship. Papadopoulos has been a friend of mine for more than 30 years, but I don't know Wilson. I do appreciate Wilson's decades of effort to support bicycle science. Still, I believe that at least four of the nine analytical chapters are largely Jim's, as well as important concepts in others. Wilson did a lot of writing, too, and a lot of heavy lifting, with all the work required to actually convert manuscript to book (illustrations, getting references right, etc.). Wilson put up with long delays when Papadopoulos, for whom this was an enormous volunteer effort on top of his professional and family life, hit delays.

I believe that this new edition could not have been completed without Wilson, but it would not have been worthwhile without Papadopoulos' insights and the chapters for which he was principal contributor. Thus, I will always consider this to be "Wilson and Papadopoulos," as the prior edition was by "Whitt and Wilson." Prof. Wilson gives his perspective on the issue in the book\u2019s preface; I won't speak for him. However, he does not state the chapters for which Jim was the lead, except steering.

Despite my feelings about this issue, the book is a uniquely rich resource, so I highly recommend it.

Harvey Sachs McLean VA

(For fairness, I am copying both Dr. Papadopoulos and Prof. Wilson, but hope that discussion in our forum will focus on issues like steering v. steering geometry relevant to classic bikes rather than the peripheral issues of authorship, responsibilitiy, and credit.)