Wheel Fever, How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State

Jesse J. Gant & Nicholas J. Hoffman

From back cover:

On rails-to-trails bike paths, city streets, and winding country roads, the bicycle seems ubiquitous in the Badger State. Yet there’s a complex and fascinating history behind the popularity of biking in Wisconsin—one that until now has never been told. Meticulously researched and lushly illustrated with photographs of boneshakers, high-wheels, and standard models, Wheel Fever traces the history of Wisconsin’s first “bicycling boom,” from the velocipede craze of 1869 through the “wheel fever” of the 1890s. From the start it has been defined by a rich and often impassioned debate over who should be allowed to ride, where they could ride, and even what they could wear. Laying the foundations for a much-beloved sport, Wheel Fever challenges us to imagine anew the democratic possibilities that animate cycling’s early debates.

Paperback, 255 pages, ©2013