A Bicycle Lovers Must Have

If you love bike, old and new, and you have an iPad then Cyclepedia is an essential app. From itunes: "fully interactive collection of 100 bicycles that changed cycling history – and not always for the better! From the suitcase-sized Skoot to the Olympic Gold medal-winning Lotus Sport 110, every bicycle is displayed in stunning clarity and technical detail. 360º spins and 20 times magnification of each component allows you to compare and appreciate all the elements of this rich celebration of cycling culture, innovation and design."

And no bike book would be complete without a couple of old Raleigh Tourists, complete with rod brakes!!

This app is awesome and I was using it for a good while last night. You can find it here http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cyclepedia-iconic-bicycle/id487250899?mt=8

The pictures are beautiful and being on a touch screen device like the iPad makes image manipulation such a winner in my opinion (sorry for the Apple suck-up). The app was developed from a hardback book, so all is not lost if you're not drinkin' the Apple kool-aid. The book can be bought here http://www.thamesandhudson.com/9780500515587.html or probably on Amazon.

I really liked how the app has a really good glossary of terms with corresponding pictures so if you're new to bikes you can get a functional lesson along with a history lesson. My favorite two bikes are the BSA Paratrooper, which was an early folding bike used during WWII, and the Bianchi C-4, which is beautifully aerodynamic and has no seat tube, which I think put this bike about 6 years ahead of Kestrel before they became known for doing the same (although Kestrel was the first major producer of carbon bikes). The Bianchi looks fast just sitting there.

Check it out, there are worse things you can spend $10 on.