Richard Ballantine (25 July 1940 – 29 May 2013) was a

cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

writer, journalist and cycling advocate. Born in America, the son of Ian and Betty Ballantine of

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

, and educated at the

Browning School The Browning School is a college preparatory school for boys located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Founded in 1888 by John A. Browning, the school is a member of the New York Interschool. History The school was founded in 1888 by John A ...

in New York and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, he principally resided in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England. He wrote the popular ''Richard's Bicycle Book'' (1972) and its subsequent editions. He was an editor at Rufus Publications (founded by his parents) and founded several magazines including ''Bicycle'' magazine.

''Richard's Bicycle Book''

Ballantine's ''Richard's Bicycle Book'', published in 1972, appeared at a time when cycling was experiencing a resurgence in popularity, in part to the oil shortages of the world oil crisis and the appearance of lightweight road bicycles. The book was a cornucopia of cycling-related information. It contained an overview of the

history of the bicycle Vehicles that have two wheels and require balancing by the rider date back to the early 19th century. The first means of transport making use of two wheels arranged consecutively, and thus the archetype of the bicycle, was the German ''draisine' ...

, explanations of different bicycle designs and types, various bicycle accessories, guides to basic bicycle maintenance and fitting, and was heavily laced with the author's own views and humor. The ''Bicycle Book'' introduced many new cyclists to the world of commuting and

bicycle touring Bicycle touring is the taking of self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure or autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Bicycle touring can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Tours may be ...

and was also an early example of bicycle advocacy. In a section on road cycling, commuting, and etiquette, Ballantine firmly stated his view that cyclists, as lawful road users, had an absolute right to share existing roads, and that the safe travel of all users should take precedence in designing new streets and thoroughfares. The book was dedicated to convicted bomber " Samuel Joseph Melville, hero". Over the years, ''Richard's Bicycle Book'' has been through several incarnations such as ''Richard's New Bicycle Book'' (1987) and ''Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book'' (2000).

Human powered vehicle movement

Ballantine was prominent in the

human powered vehicle Human-powered transport is the transport of person(s) and/or goods (freight) using human muscle power. Unlike animal-powered transport, human-powered transport has existed since time immemorial in the form of walking, running and swimming, as ...

(HPV) movement from its inception in the 1980s and active in the HPV racing movement. He was chairman of th
British Human Power Club
and of the

World Human Powered Vehicle Association The World Human Powered Vehicle Association is dedicated to promoting the design and development of human-powered vehicles. Its main focus is coordinating between national HPV clubs with regard to competitions and records. The WHPVA also supports th ...

Personal

Ballantine was married and had three children.

Bibliography

* ''City Cycling'' (2007) * ''Living Ultimate Bicycle Book'', DK Living, with Richard Grant (2000) * ''Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book'' (2000) * ''Ultimate Bicycle Book'', with Richard Grant (1998) * ''Bicycle Repair Manual'' (1994) * ''Cyclist's Britain'' (1989) * ''Richard's New Bicycle Book'' (1987) * ''Richard's Bicycle Book'' (1972)

References

External links

Richard Ballantine articles on ''BikeReader''Interview: Richard Ballantine , Bicycle business , Interviews by BikeBiz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballantine, Richard 1940 births 2013 deaths American expatriate sportspeople in England American information and reference writers Columbia University alumni Cycling journalists Cycling advocates Cycling writers Ballantine family Browning School alumni