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

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

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

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

and

Betty Ballantine Betty Ballantine (born Elizabeth Jones; September 25, 1919 – February 12, 2019) was an American publisher, editor, and writer. She was born during the Raj to a British colonial family. After her marriage to Ian Ballantine in 1939, she moved ...

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

, and educated at the

Browning School The Browning School is an independent school for boys in New York City. It was founded in 1888 by John A. Browning. It offers instruction in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The school is a member of the New York Interschool consortium. ...

in New York and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, he principally resided in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. He is most famous for his 1972 ''Richard's Bicycle Book'' and its subsequent editions. He was also 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'', first published in 1972, appeared at a time when cycling was experiencing a resurgence in popularity due 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 not only 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 differing bicycle designs and types and various bicycle accessories, guides to basic bicycle maintenance and fitting among others, but was heavily laced with the author's own views and humour to boot. The ''Bicycle Book'' also 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 Cycling advocacy consists of activities that call for, promote or enable increased adoption and support for cycling and improved safety and convenience for cyclists, usually within urbanized areas or semi-urban regions. Issues of concern typically ...

. 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 " 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).

Ballantine and the HPV movement

Ballantine was prominent in the

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

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 th
World Human Powered Vehicle Association

Personal

He 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