It’s beginning to warm up outside. That means more people bicycling for fun or to commute. My bike is the main way I get to work, and I love going on longer rides when I can. I’m always looking to expand my understanding of cycling, from the upkeep of my bike to the culture surrounding it. There are a variety of books about cycling at the Iowa City Public Library to either inspire or increase your skills.

Bike maintenance is tricky, but we have a lot of resources to help. I’ve progressed from not knowing how to fix a flat to being comfortable doing minor adjustments. Books like the “Bicycle Repair Manual” by Chris Sidwells cover just about everything you’d need to keep your bike going. It even has a handy maintenance timetable that lists which page in the book to read about how to perform the maintenance. We have many other titles that will help you out with maintaining your bike.

Commuting and urban cycling can be scary if you’ve never done it before. Luckily, there are books about navigating the roads. “The Urban Cycling Survival Guide” by Yvonne Bambrick is indispensable if you are biking on the street alongside cars. Bambrick gives advice such as riding predictably and communicating to drivers clearly. She also goes into signaling, turning in traffic and staying out of cars’ blind spots. It’s a great read for someone thinking about starting to commute with their bike.