Menu-icon
You have no items in your shopping cart.
Close

      Wheel Fever: How Wisconsin Became a Great Bicycling State

      $24.95
      Paperback: $24.95
      256 pages, 190 color and b&w photos
      ISBN: 9780870206139

      Published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

      Ordering for retail, wholesale, school, library, or other tax-exempt organization?
      SKU: 9780870206139
      - +

      By Jesse J. Grant & Nicholas J. Hoffman
      Foreword by David Herlihy


      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 in depth. Meticulously researched through periodicals and newspapers, Wheel Fever traces the story 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.

      Many early riders embraced the bicycle as a solution to the age-old problem of how to get from here to there quickly and easily. Yet for every supporter of the "poor man’s horse,” there were others who wanted to keep the rights and privileges of riding to an elite set. Women, the working class, and people of color were often left behind as middle- and upper-class white men benefited from the "masculine” sport and all-male clubs and racing events began to shape the scene. Even as bikes became more affordable and accessible, a culture defined by inequality helped create bicycling in its own image.

      Wheel Fever is about the origins of bicycling in Wisconsin and why those origins still matter, but it is also about our continuing fascination with all things bicycle. From "boneshakers” to highwheels, standard models to racing bikes, tandems to tricycles, the book is lushly illustrated with never-before-seen images of early cycling and the people who rode them: bloomer girls, bicycle jockeys, young urbanites, and unionized workers. Laying the foundations for a much-beloved sport, Wheel Fever challenges us to imagine anew the democratic possibilities that animated cycling’s early debates.

      By Jesse J. Grant & Nicholas J. Hoffman
      Foreword by David Herlihy


      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 in depth. Meticulously researched through periodicals and newspapers, Wheel Fever traces the story 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.

      Many early riders embraced the bicycle as a solution to the age-old problem of how to get from here to there quickly and easily. Yet for every supporter of the "poor man’s horse,” there were others who wanted to keep the rights and privileges of riding to an elite set. Women, the working class, and people of color were often left behind as middle- and upper-class white men benefited from the "masculine” sport and all-male clubs and racing events began to shape the scene. Even as bikes became more affordable and accessible, a culture defined by inequality helped create bicycling in its own image.

      Wheel Fever is about the origins of bicycling in Wisconsin and why those origins still matter, but it is also about our continuing fascination with all things bicycle. From "boneshakers” to highwheels, standard models to racing bikes, tandems to tricycles, the book is lushly illustrated with never-before-seen images of early cycling and the people who rode them: bloomer girls, bicycle jockeys, young urbanites, and unionized workers. Laying the foundations for a much-beloved sport, Wheel Fever challenges us to imagine anew the democratic possibilities that animated cycling’s early debates.

      Products specifications
      Details
      PublisherWisconsin Historical Society Press
      ISBN Number

      978-0-87020-613-9

      Publication Year2013
      Page Count256
      Illustrations
      Format/BindingPaperback
      Trim Size8 x 9 inches

      Tax-exempt orders cannot be placed in the WHS online store, shop.wisconsinhistory.org, at this time. Tax-exempt organizations can order Society Press books through the Chicago Distribution Center. Please contact them directly to create a tax exempt account and place orders:

      Wisconsin Historical Society Press
      c/o Chicago Distribution Center
      11030 South Langley Avenue
      Chicago, IL 60628-3830

      (800) 621-2736
      custserv@press.uchicago.edu
      fax: (800) 621-8476 or (800) 702-7212

      Find more information about ordering WHS Press books, for schools, libraries, and retail/wholesale. Ordering WHS Press Books

      Wisconsin Historical Society Press books ship from the Chicago Distribution Center. (800) 621-2736, custserv@press.uchicago.edu.

      When ordered with gifts, apparel, historic images, and other items in the online store, WHS Press books ship separately. Additional shipping is charged when orders contain items that ship from multiple locations.

      Write your own review
      • Product can be reviewed only after purchasing it
      *
      *
      • Bad
      • Excellent
      *
      *
      *
      *
      Products specifications
      Details
      PublisherWisconsin Historical Society Press
      ISBN Number

      978-0-87020-613-9

      Publication Year2013
      Page Count256
      Illustrations
      Format/BindingPaperback
      Trim Size8 x 9 inches
      Product tags
      Customers who bought this item also bought
      Picture of Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal (Revised 2nd Edition)

      Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal (Revised 2nd Edition)

      9780870205033
      From origin stories to contemporary struggles over treaty rights and sovereignty issues, this best-seller is indispensable to anyone interested in the region’s history and its Native peoples. Lavishly illustrated.
      $26.95
      Picture of Poles In Wisconsin

      Poles In Wisconsin

      9780870204227
      In this addition to the People of Wisconsin series, author Susan Gibson Mikos traces the history of Polish immigrants as they settled in America’s northern heartland.
      $12.95
      Borchert Field featuring old black and white images of baseball players and fans

      Borchert Field: Stories from Milwaukee’s Legendary Ballpark

      9780870207884
      Paperback: $26.95
      392 pages, 72 b&w photos, 5 ½ x 8 ½
      ISBN: 9780870207884

      Published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

      Ordering for retail, wholesale, school, library, or other tax-exempt organization?
      $26.95
      Hmong in Wisconsin

      Hmong in Wisconsin

      9780870209420
      Told with a blend of scholarly research, interviews, and personal experience of the author, this latest addition to the popular "People of Wisconsin" series shares the Hmong’s varied stories of survival and hope as they have joined Wisconsin communities.

      Published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press

      Ordering for retail, wholesale, school, library, or other tax-exempt organization?
      $12.95