Rating: 
Summary: This book should be on every cyclist's bookshelf!
Review: Whatever your involvement in cycling, you'll want to read
*Effective Cycling*. You'll learn about every aspect of
riding, from selecting equipment to touring to riding in traffic. Find out what kind of accidents really happen
to cyclists, so you can learn how to avoid that sort of
accident, and stop worrying about accidents that almost never happen. (Like being hit from behind.)
Forester is one of the world's foremost experts in traffic
cycling, and he designed the *Effective Cycling* program
which is taught by the League of American Bicyclists. A similar program is the Can-Bike Skills program of the Canadian Cycling Association. Both courses teach traffic
cycling skills and use *Effective Cycling* as the text.
I consider the "riding in traffic" chapters to be most important. You'll learn where to be on the road (which lane?
how far from the curb?) and where to be within your lane (right?
middle? left?) - all of which depends on what sort of road
you're riding on. You'll learn how to change lanes properly in any traffic condition, how to gain cooperation from motorists,
how to prevent acccidents from happening to you, and how to avoid an accident that's coming your way by using emergency
maneuvers.
If you are going to buy only one cycling book, *Effective Cycling* should certainly be the one. While you're at it, buy a gift copy for every cyclist you love.
Forester's *Effective Cycling* techniques work. I ride in busy city traffic every day and it's easy and fun. This I owe in large part to *Effective Cycling*.
Rating:
Summary: This book should be on every cyclist's bookshelf!
Review: Whatever your involvement in cycling, you'll want to read*Effective Cycling*. You'll learn about every aspect ofriding, from selecting equipment to touring to riding in traffic. Find out what kind of accidents really happen to cyclists, so you can learn how to avoid that sort of accident, and stop worrying about accidents that almost never happen. (Like being hit from behind.) Forester is one of the world's foremost experts in traffic cycling, and he designed the *Effective Cycling* program which is taught by the League of American Bicyclists. A similar program is the Can-Bike Skills program of the Canadian Cycling Association. Both courses teach traffic cycling skills and use *Effective Cycling* as the text. I consider the "riding in traffic" chapters to be most important. You'll learn where to be on the road (which lane? how far from the curb?) and where to be within your lane (right? middle? left?) - all of which depends on what sort of road you're riding on. You'll learn how to change lanes properly in any traffic condition, how to gain cooperation from motorists, how to prevent acccidents from happening to you, and how to avoid an accident that's coming your way by using emergency maneuvers. If you are going to buy only one cycling book, *Effective Cycling* should certainly be the one. While you're at it, buy a gift copy for every cyclist you love. Forester's *Effective Cycling* techniques work. I ride in busy city traffic every day and it's easy and fun. This I owe in large part to *Effective Cycling*.
Rating: 
Summary: Opinionated but useful
Review: Forester does have his predjudices, and not many experienced cyclints would agree with all his opinions. Still, this is a very useful and helpful book for any bicyclist, and especially so for the commuting and urban cyclist.
Rating:
Summary: A 'must-read' for any cyclist!
Review: I found the chapters on riding in traffic to be invaluable. I commute to work every day, and ride recreationally on weekends. The lessons in these chapters will save you literally thousands of miles of trial and error, and could save your life. It is a 'must read' for anyone who wants to expand beyond being a casual cyclist, and wants to use their bicycle as an effective means of personal transportation
Rating:
Summary: A godsend: how to ENJOY cycling safely in traffic!
Review: I found this book to be nothing short of a godsend. With over 30 years of cycling experience, I felt comfortable and competent cycling in traffic, at least in most circumstances. But this book was recommended so many times, I decided to read it anyway. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. It all made sense, and seemed to describe how I already rode, perhaps with a few subtle differences.
But as I began to incorporate these subtle changes in my own riding the results were amazing. My relationship with car drivers completely changed. Instead of interacting with them once in a while -- only when necessary -- I became an integrated participant with the rest of traffic.
It is impossible to explain in words how just subtle lane positioning changes, and a new attitude, can make such a radical difference in one's cycling experience in traffic. But consider what Forester conveys in this simple statement: "Between intersections, position yourself according to speed; at intersections, position yourself according to destination". You may think you do this already, but based on the fact that I almost never see any cyclists do this consistently, I can almost assure you that you don't. And I'm not talking about kids and "recreational cyclists". I'm talking about experienced commuters, and experienced club riders and racers. Only a very small percentages of cyclists actually behave like a (slow) vehicle driver consistently. Much of the time on the road is spent in space "left over" by motorists, riding too far to the right, not positioning at intersections according to destination (THINK about what that means), etc. etc.
"Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles" - John Forester
This book is for you if any of the following is true:
* You want to learn to LOVE to ride your bike in traffic, not just tolerate it.
* You're tired of motorists passing you and then cutting you off when they turn in front of you, or motorists coming from the other direction cutting you off when they turn in front of you (believe it or not, if you read this book you will learn how to stop them from ever doing this to you again!).
* You are comfortable riding in bike lanes passing stopped or slow car traffic on their right.
* You think that you should assume that you're invisible to motorists, and ride accordingly.
* You don't think you should position yourself away from the edge of the road, often in the path of motorists coming from behind, in order to be more visible and predictable.
* You don't feel safe riding in traffic.
* Your greatest fear is that you will be hit from the rear.
* You don't know that almost all bike-car collisions are caused by, or could have been prevented, by the cyclist.
* You feel safer riding on shoulders and in bike lanes than "out" in the regular traffic lanes.
* You're rusty on what the laws are regarding cycling.
* You believe the best thing that can be done for cycling is building more bike lanes and bike paths.
* You've never taken any courses on cycling in traffic (like LAB's Road 1 course - see bikeleague.org).
* You don't believe cyclists have the same rights on the road as do motor vehicle drivers.
* You ride on the side of the road opposing traffic (like a pedestrian should walk).
* You ride on sidewalks.
* You value your life and want to ride your bike accordingly.
This is not the perfect book. Forester does tend to ramble, and some of the advice I don't agree with (like you don't really need a rear light at night, just a rear red reflector and a good front light). Also, some of the material, like on equipment and racing, is dated. But the chapters on riding in traffic are timeless and priceless, and so TRANSFORMATIONAL that they alone make this a 5-star book.
Don't take my word for it. Do you see any negative reviews here? Read it. Apply the changes to your own riding, even if they seem subtle. You too will be amazed at how much safer you will feel and be, and how much more you will enjoy, cycling in traffic.
Rating:
Summary: John Forester opened my eyes
Review: I knew instinctively that the road belongs to me just as much as it does to any other vehicle operator. I knew the rules of the road apply to me as a bicyclist. John Forester showed me HOW these bits of knowledge apply in the real world. More importantly, he showed me how to apply them safely and (yes, I'll say it) effectively. Riding a bicycle in traffic is a matter of negotiation with all other users of the road. If a rider inspires confidence in those other users, s/he will be safe; if the rider is erratic or hugging the last inch of pavement along the shoulder, s/he will be treated as illegitimate. John reinforces my sense of a rider's right to be, even though he is thoroughly opinionated. He sometimes diverges to side topics to the point of silliness. But "Effective Cycling," a book designed to be used as a text for safe cycling courses, is a complete treatise on normalizing the bicycle (and its operator) for the real world. If you ride in that world, or would like to, this book is worth your time and consideration.
Rating:
Summary: If you only get one book about cycling, this should be it.
Review: I used to think I knew how to bicycle. Right. After reading this book (over 8 years ago) my eyes were truly opened as to how a truly competent cyclist should operate. Even fifteen years of regular cycling for transportation and fun did not teach my half what a single reading of Effective Cycling did about using my bicycle effectively as part of traffic flow. This book cuts through the preconceptions and misconceptions about bicycle riding. After understanding and practicing the techniques Forester gives in the book, your experience of riding will be totally transformed in a way you cannot imagine. You will feel confident about handling just about any situation on a bike--rotaries, making left turns on multilane divided roads, passing through major intersections--not because you are being foolhardy but because for the first time you truly understand how to negotiate them properly and more safely than you ever did in the past, using the same traffic principles that govern the behavior of all other vehicles on the road. I can't think of many traffic situations I didn't feel confident riding in in the 8 years since I read and began applying Effective Cycling to my riding. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have book for cyclists
Review: If you ride a bike, you must read this book! As a born-again cyclist, this was the first book I read - the information it contains on cycling in traffic will save you years of trial and error.
The book also contains sections on selecting a bike, equipment, physiology, and about every topic you could think of.
Well worth the price - and well worth the time spent in reading.
Rating:
Summary: This book probably saved my life
Review: John Forester is the patron saint of bike commuters and VC types. I have been cycle commuting for 24 years now and still need to pull my copy of Effective Cycling from the shelf. It is a tonic and elixer that will get you going on your bike. Anytime I get discouraged or get stuck on a fine traffic safety point (or any cycling matter) I get out my copy of Forester. John's book is the ultimate. I had his earlier homemade editions of this book from the start. Without them I would have floudered. This current edition is a joy to pick up, to hold, and to read. If you do not have this book, you have missed the boat! So what if John happens to irritate you at some point in his book, get over it! This is the book that will save your bacon!
Rating:
Summary: The Bible For Vehicular Cyclists!
Review: John Forester is the patron saint of bike commuters and VC types. I have been cycle commuting for 24 years now and still need to pull my copy of Effective Cycling from the shelf. It is a tonic and elixer that will get you going on your bike. Anytime I get discouraged or get stuck on a fine traffic safety point (or any cycling matter) I get out my copy of Forester. John's book is the ultimate. I had his earlier homemade editions of this book from the start. Without them I would have floudered. This current edition is a joy to pick up, to hold, and to read. If you do not have this book, you have missed the boat! So what if John happens to irritate you at some point in his book, get over it! This is the book that will save your bacon!
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