LA Author in Town With New Book on Urban Biking

What do you know about keeping your bicycle fit for the urban jungle? Author Charles Haine will be in Peabody on Saturday at the ArcWorks Community Art Center to share some pointers, techniques and tips from his latest work, "The Urban Biking Handbook."

The book, a do-it-yourself guide, is published by Quarry Books of Beverly and covers everything from constructing to repairing your bicycle for city living. The same guidelines apply from coast to coast.

Haine, who is himself a bicycle mechanic and lives in Los Angeles, will be at the art center at 22 Foster St. at 2 p.m., signing books. He also has another reason for heading east, to pay a visit to at least one relative in particular.

"[He] will be...visiting family (me!) and we thought this would be a great way to introduce his book to our local audience," says Merritt Kirkpatrick, who also happens to be the new director of the art center.

To read up on the handbook, you can find it on the publisher's website here. Haine is also part of a full-service production and post-production company based out of LA called "Dirty Robber."