I enjoy bicycling, but sometimes I get bored riding on the same trails and roads over and over again. When that happens I head to the bookstore and look for some ideas on bike trails in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. That's where I found Twin Cities Bicycling by Fred Arey. This book has great suggestions for cycling enthusiasts in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.

The book opens with a brief history on bicycling including some landmark moments in Minnesota, such as the opening of the first bike paths around the lakes in Minneapolis. They are also some old-time photographs, which include a picture of a woman riding a bike wearing a full, ankle-length dress. The year was 1897!

The author also includes some tips on biking safety and a list of things you should do or items you should bring with you while cycling. These are all great ideas and provide a lot of "food for thought" for cyclists. One suggestion is to always bring plenty of water and sunscreen. I can vouch for the usefulness this suggestion, since I have regretted going on bike rides without either.

The bulk of the book contains description and maps of sixty-five suggested bike routes in the Twin Cities area. The first fifty are called "Recreational Bike Trails" and are numbered 1 through 50. The remaining routes are geared toured "Mountain Bikes and BMX". For some reason the second group of bike routes is lettered A through L.

Each bike route has a collection of information on one page and a map on the facing page. They each have a name too, such as "West Side Winder" and "Gandy Dancer". The information given is as follows: Bike route length, Rating (difficulty), Cautions, and written instructions that describe the bike route, which include mileage points.

I think the author did a good job of arranging the information in a logical order. Virtually every time I have gone cycling with others, the first question about the route is "How far are we going? " and the second questions is "Are there any hills? " There is also a nice mixture of bike routes, which includes rides around lakes, through the urban core, rides in the nearby rural areas, and rides on established bike trails.

The "Cautions" listed are also very helpful. They include pointing out busy intersections, narrow shoulders on roadways, and areas that are especially hilly. The final pages of Twin Cities Bicycling have a list of cycling clubs, annually scheduled bike rides, and some information on established bike trails.

One drawback of this book is its 8-½" X 11" size, which makes it impractical to carry with you. The publisher must have realized this since a blurb on the back cover suggests that the buyer of the book can photocopy the maps inside and use them for his or her own personal use. I guess that is a good suggestion, but not everyone has ready access to a photocopier.

I wasn't real crazy about the design of the maps either. They are hand-drawn in black and white with hand written wording and a lot of arrows, shaded areas, little dots denoting the suggested bike route, and occasional icons signifying ice cream parlors, bars, sailboats, etc… The overall appearance of most of the maps is a maze of clutter instead of a clean, easy to read guide.

Arey has put a lot of thought into the bike routes and the accompanying information in this book. He has ridden every bike route listed so has first hand knowledge of each one's qualities. I have ridden on some of the routes and believe that his descriptions are accurate. But the book's large size is a definite drawback, and the cluttered-looking maps detract from the guide's attractiveness.

I do recommend the book for people that are interested in cycling in the Twin Cities area. However, be prepared to photocopy the maps you are using since carrying the book while biking will be awkward.

© trailhound. 2004.

This review is an entry for Lean and Mean III sponsored by sleeper54.

Please see here for details on Lean and Mean:
http://www.epinions.com/content_4149256324

Recommended: Yes