The Enlightened Cyclist: Commuter Angst, Dangerous Drivers, and Other Obstacles on the Path to Two-Wheeled Trancendence Hardcover – Illustrated, March 21, 2012

Manages to make strong points and evoke actual thought, while at the same time maintaining a lightheartedness about the whole mess…Thoroughly entertaining!

The Bike Snob’s concern in this book is that stretch of time between work and play which seems the least Zen inducing: the time we spend trying to get from one to the other. The Bike Snob’s transcendence comes from his convincing demonstration that it doesn’t have to be this way, and that the right type of vehicle with the right type of attitude can transform the NYC commute (and from which we may be able to extrapolate any commute) into an activity that we can look forward to and, indeed, relish. Nominally a book about bicycles and cars and the struggles between the two, it is ultimately a book about a road to mental health. Meanwhile, the writing gets its edge from the fact that it’s generally not pretty out there, as our commuting encounters are often quite pathological. Over the course of years of riding, trying in general to show good behavior, I’ve always wondered what would trigger the occasional driver to sidle up next to me as I spin along on the shoulder of the road in my rather modest bike gear and induce his friend sitting on the passenger side to roll down his window and scream into my ear, trying to spook me into a roadside ditch, or, in one case, off the side of a cliff—just for laughs, it seems. This book helps to explain the roots of such encounters, and points the way to come to terms with them. If we cannot, in the end, attain the realm of sweetness and light, we are at least given the palliative of laughter, spread widely enough to dilute its derisiveness. As other reviewers, both of the positive and negative ilk, have already noted, this may not be a book for everyone. But I think it should find a sizable audience, not just cyclists, and that speaks well of our potential for humanity.

The terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 affected all of us in different ways, but it certainly affected the NYC Bike Snob. This book shows a mellow side that his first book did not, and certainly could go a long way in breaching the communication gap between motorists and cyclists as well as the huge gap that often exists between cyclists and cyclists, motorists and motorists, and between any two human beings. While written with humor, this book explores the serious issue of road rage, unnecessary anger, and blatant disregard for the humanity of one another. While some folks think anything by Eben Weiss is a joke, the underlying theme of this book is a serious one. That we need to lighten up and consider one another in our day to day living. I find this to be his best work, and if you dismiss it out of hand, you need to read it again, slowly and thoughtfully. For the cyclists who love to cut into and out of traffic, scare pedestrians, ignore traffic signals and taunt automobile drives, this book will be a joke at best and a betrayal at the worst, but to me, and I live in both worlds, it is a manifesto. I believe this author's metamorphosis as a writer was triggered by the horror of being a New Yorker on 9/11. I read this book quickly once and then slowly for a better grasp, and came away very impressed with this young man's writing and his world view.

I bought this because I thought this would be a funny and satirical work about bicycles However the author’s consistent and endless degradation of the Bible makes it too disrespectful to be entertaining for me. Irregardless of his “God indifference”, I wish he would’ve stuck to bicycles and kept is personal irreligious opinions to himself.I can take a joke, but after a while being bathed in his contempt felt just masochistic. Deny your culture Eben, but please respect mine or expect me to throw your work out. You can keep my $16.95, but I’ll not spend another cent or moment on your wounded diatribes

What I like most about this book is the stance that he takes.... riding a bike is cool and has a lot of advantages, but owning a car does not make you an evil person. I was afraid that he was going to take a "bike-only" approach, but instead he takes the opposite side, that each vehicle has certain advantages to it and that we need to learn how to co-exist.BikeSnobNYC takes his experiences a bike commuter in NYC and piles them into this entertaining book. The way he describes everyday events makes this book worth more than the low price on Amazon. I found myself laughing out loud at many of his descriptions and analogies.Overall it is a very quick and entertaining read and is good for anyone, even if you are not a hardcore bicyclist.

Anyone who's chosen a bicycle as their primary source of transportation needs to read this book! A great look at the bicycle community using common sense, a great sense of humor and a lack of self-importance! If you ride for the sake of riding, and consider the benefits to your body and the environment just an added plus, you will get the message. If you are a self-righteous dweeb who thinks everyone needs to ride and that cars are just inherently evil you definately NEED to read this book if for nothing else to bring you back to some sense of reality!I laughed, I cried...it's Moby Dick on two wheels!

I took up biking a few years after starting zazen, and i have long found them to be equally effective at showing me how i obstruct the beautiful flow of living. sitting on the saddle is a wonderful way to achieve peace and pleasure and Bike Snob shares the gentle wisdom of embracing the nightmare we fear in the quotidian marathon of daily commuting. bike and try not to get angry. practice this and all is given to the rider, and those around the rider.

This is a seminal work on peace. So when a guy tries to hit you with his car, then gets out and chases you, what do you do? I put a u-lock through his windshield, which did end the confrontation, but got me ten weeks of anger management. Had I read this first, I dont think the whole incided would have happened because I would have eaten my pile of s*** up front, saving his windshield and me the anger management. Its that good of a book and an important message.

A very entertaining review of cycling, cyclists and their environment by a cyclistWho admits he also has feet of clay, uses other types of vehicles and his attitudeChanges accordingly. This book is as funny as his Bike Snob.

Fortunately this was not a rehash of the first book, it is more fluid and feels more mature. I am looking forward to reading the third instalment

Brilliant book, essential reading for all cyclists even though it is an american book. I would definately recommend it. Enjoy!

I bought this book as a birthday present for a cycling friend. He thought it was a brilliant read and very funny.

Cyclists - Read this book to get educated so you can defend yourself against the onslaught of salesmen telling you what you 'need' in order to use a bicycle. Let common sense prevail and don't allow yourself to be brainwashed.