Bike Easy is an ideal tool to help people take up cycling. The book contains 105 top tips and bite-size bits of advice. If you’re a transport professional it will help you engage and motivate your target audience and give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to give cycling a try. Bike Easy is …

Easy to read. So it gets read! Bike Easy has 105 tips. You can dip in and out, or read it cover to cover (feedback to date suggests that people do the latter). Cartoon-type illustrations by Susannah Kendall give it a welcoming, friendly feel.

Jargon free. So it’s easy to understand. Bike Easy doesn’t use jargon or techno-babble. Instead, it’s written in plain English with a refreshingly light-hearted style. One reader was kind enough to say that she found it “a joy to read”.

Comprehensive. Bike Easy covers all the topics likely to affect a new or a returning cyclist, from how to buy a bike and get comfortable riding it, through to simple adjustments and maintenance that a novice can do without tools.

Authoritative. Bike Easy is based on the author’s 13-years’ experience of helping people take up cycling. It’s published by Eco-Logic Books (see www.eco-logicbooks.co.uk) a specialist in publications that provide practical solutions to environmental problems.

Up to date. Published in the autumn of 2008, Bike Easy is modern, accurate and topical. Bikeability training, the National Cycle Network, Google mapping, even Boris (!) … they’re all in there.

Bike Easy is written by me – Peter Andrews! From 1996 to 2009 I was the Director of the cycling promotion charity Life Cycle UK. A great chunk of my working life has been spent helping people take up cycling and to enjoy the experience! Over the years I’ve met thousands of people and helped them to understand the benefits of cycling and to try it for themselves.

Bike Easy is based on my experiences and it answers the questions that I’ve been asked again and again over the years… What sort of bike should I buy? Where’s the best place to buy a bike? How do I get my kids cycling? How do I stop my bike being stolen? Where are the best places to cycle? How do I cope if the bike breaks down? Is cycling to work a realistic option for me? What help and support is available? Bike Easy covers all these topics and much more. It’s full of simple, practical advice.

You can make significant savings on the cover price for bulk purchases. Bike Easy can also be customised and overprinted with your logo and message on the front and back covers. I would be delighted to work with you to create an additional chapter all about cycling in your area. The result – a unique “how to” guide that will encourage and help even more people to take up cycling.

Why should you consider commissioning a custom edition of Bike Easy? Here’s why!

It’s unique to your area. Your edition would have a customised front cover and a special extra chapter that would showcase the area’s best cycle routes, local clubs and cycling organisations, places to visit, bike shops, bike hire, forums, Bike User Groups, and other sources of help, support and encouragement.

It complements the other publications that you have available. You already produce some great cycle maps but people need inspiration, support and encouragement too. That’s what Bike Easy is all about.

We do all the work! We visit the area and work with you to agree the content of the additional chapter. It is then written and submitted to you to be amended or signed off. Your special edition goes to press. The whole process takes about four weeks.

You can afford it! Custom editions of Bike Easy can be produced for as little as 99p per copy. (It retails for £6.50 per copy)

If you’re a Cycling Officer or a Travel Planner interested in either a bulk purchase of Bike Easy or in commissioning a special edition please get in touch. You’ll be sent a complimentary copy of the book to evaluate (completely free of charge!) together with our latest price list. You might also be interested in the services provided by ParkThatBike a company specialising in cycle parking solutions.

Reviews

“This neat little book is designed to introduce a novice to the basics of cycling, in bite-sized tips and accessible language. The author founded Life Cycle Uk in 1996, a charity aiming to inspire and help people get on their bikes, and his experience and enthusiasm is clearly what makes the book work.

Everything a beginner might need to know is covered, from buying a bike to road skills, from essential equipment to basic maintenance. The perspective is very much one of everyday cycling, with sections on commuting and load carrying, and one on leisure riding, delightfully referred to as “pootling.”

The level of detail is limited, which is only to be expected in such a slim volume, and probably wise in the context of appealing to beginners. There is no superfluous jargon, or off-putting complicated technical advice which might do more to confuse a beginner than encourage them.

… Bike Easy does the job alerting a novice to a range of choices, and the list of additional reading and the accompanying website provides the means to find out more.

All in all, even as an experienced cyclist, I enjoyed leafing through this book, with its light-hearted text and amusing illustrations. It’s very good starting point for the novice and one from which they can progress as far as they wish. A handy volume to recommend to anyone who shows an interest in getting on their bike.”

Reviewed by Velovision: The practical cycling magazine July 2009.

“Whether you’re a seasoned rider or new to the saddle, this slim book is a must for all. Packed with key advice for those starting out and tips for returning cyclists, topics range from pumping your tyres to ‘pootling’ (choosing routes that are scenic and enjoyable) with numbered paragraphs making the book easy to navigate.”

Reviewed by The Ecologist May 2009.