THIS SCIENTIST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT CYCLING
Bicycling|Issue 03, 2022
Is it rational to ride a bike? This question came to mind as Steven Pinker, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard University, published his latest book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters.
THEO KAHLER
THIS SCIENTIST CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT CYCLING

“Given the value you put on your life and the fact that there's even a very small probability of getting killed,” Pinker asks, "does it outweigh the pleasure and health benefits from continuing to ride?"

Pinker has been thinking deeply about bikes for as long as he's been riding them. When he was a kid, for example, he couldn't comprehend how people remained upright while cycling. Credit your brain's relationship with Newton's first law of motion: “With the right feedback loop involving the brain and the bike, any tendency to fall over can be compensated by steering the bike in the same direction as the bike is falling," he says.

Denne historien er fra Issue 03, 2022-utgaven av Bicycling.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue 03, 2022-utgaven av Bicycling.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BICYCLINGSe alt
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Bicycling US

ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats

Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
Bicycling US

WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE

A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
Bicycling US

THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY

It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.

time-read
10 mins  |
Fall 2024
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
Bicycling US

YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST

I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Bicycling US

THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2024
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
Bicycling US

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE

CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.

time-read
4 mins  |
Fall 2024
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
Bicycling US

BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE

LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.

time-read
2 mins  |
Fall 2024
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
Bicycling US

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?

I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2024
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
Bicycling US

CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E

EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.

time-read
3 mins  |
Fall 2024
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Bicycling US

WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE

Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Fall 2024