"In its most recent ranking, Bicycling Magazine named New York the number one American city for cycling. But long before the Citi Bike era, New York has stood out as an important city in the history and development of cycling--as a pastime and a mirror of the citys shifting social, economic, and structural developments. In Bicycles and the Boroughs, Evan Friss traces the storied history of bicycling in the Big Apple, from the bicycle-like "draisine" in 1818 adopted by a small number of enthusiasts; to New Yorks ascent to the capital of the cycling world in the 1890s, which among other things triggered increased female mobility and corresponding conversations about the propriety of women cyclists; to Mayor Kochs bike ban of 1987 after the stock markets collapse, which shed light on the ways bankers, lawyers, and other professionals relied on this labor force and the immediacy of the information they delivered. Finally, the history shifts to Michael Bloombergs Citi Bike initiative, the largest bike sharing system in the country, in an effort to make New York a "greener" city. But even in the wake of the programs mass adoption, Friss brings to light ongoing public debates over the location of bike lanes, the dangers of biking in certain areas, whether the programs financial model is sustainable, and the ways in which cycling will continue to shape and be shaped by the city"--.