Customer Reviews

Mountain Biking North Carolina, 2nd (State Mountain Biking Series)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is sweet. Plain and simple. I have read the other 2 books available on mtb in our state. One of them gives decent trail directions but has about as much personality as the paper in which it was written. It is basically a compilation of maps. The other book consists of a series of cheesy pictures, accompanied by bad trail descriptions and waaay too much fireroad riding for my taste.Probably written by a roadie -no offense here, my leg shaving friends. This book comes as a very welcome relief to those of us who love MTB and most of all, love singletrack. The directions are extremely detailed -which is a good thing when you are in Pisgah, believe me- the pictures are "Bike Magazine" quality and the writting style makes you want to pack your bags/bikes, pop an Allman Brothers CD in and hit the road. It just makes you want to ride! Whether you are new to N.C, a longtime resident or just someone who wants to see what soul riding is all about, get this book.

This is one of the best mountain biking guides I have found. The author does a great job of describing all the trails while keeping the reading entertaining. There are a ton of NC trails here with well made maps and trail information that includes distance, aerobic level, technical difficulty, highlights and more. Some nice pictures too, shame they are not in color. There is like 70 different trails in here, and you'll learn all you need to know about these trails from this guide. I really liked the last page where the author describes the "price of putting this book together" complete with a bloodied photo of himself. This is not your typical mountain biking book, I'd like to see this author do more guides for the East Coast area. I highly recommend this book

This is the best mountain biking trail book I have read, period. Nice maps with the excellent addition of elevation gain and loss graph for the ride. Thorough trail descriptions allow one to gain a flavor for the ride while mentally preparing you for the challenges ahead. As an added bonus, Timm's writing style is enjoyable reading that will have one's imagination out on the trail regardless of where you are sitting with the book. He has obviously ridden many miles with a crazed biking grin while writing this book and it shows. Rides throughout the state are covered from gentle suburban greenways for casual riders to the knurliest of Pisgah descents for the hardcore addict. Anyone who has any off road biking interest in North Carolina should have this book. It makes you abandon thoughts of work and long to just get outside and ride.

If you are going mountain biking in NC, you need this book. The information is excellent, with a lot of the book devoted to the awesome Pisgah National Forest. But almost as important, it is written with a passion for the ride like no other guide I've seen. This isn't a dry list of turns & mileage, but a colorful and helpful description of the entire trail. It's the kind of book that makes you want to ride.

I'll admit that I'm biased, just like an earlier reviewer, because I've ridden with and consider Timm a friend. However, I've got to take issue with a reviewer who lightly criticized this book as being lacking for a "newbie flatlander."

In his Introduction, Timm makes no bones about the fact that "This book is about singletrack: twisty hardpack, slaloming through trees and roots and rocks, rising through heartbreaking climbs, and descending in sometimes frightening fashion."

I applaud the newbie flatlander for taking a mountain biking vacation. Really, I do. I think it's the coolest thing, and I hope he takes more of them. But most people who take mountain biking vacations ARE people who are looking for trails like the ones in this book. And we can't change the landscape here in western NC...the fact of the matter is we have a lot of up and down, a lot of rocks and roots, and we usually get a lot of rain. If we want easier riding, we either stick to the fire roads or we travel somewhere in the eastern half of the state.

This book has what so many guidebooks lack: personality. The reason it's a great book is because Timm makes the trails seem, on paper, almost as much fun as they are on your bike. I've owned this book for a few years, and it never fails to snap me out of my doldrums when I can't decide where to ride. Just open a page, read the description, and I'm ready to go! I may even go ride Kitsuma today...

Although it is dated, and trails have changed since 2003 this book remains a must for NC bikers for its range of trails, readability, elevations. Sets a high standard for mountain biking books. Trails range from easy to hard. If I were to buy one book for NC trails this would be the one hands down.

I found this book to be a real comfort to my coming vacation.

The trail discriptions are right on, along with the Elevations made my selections easy. I can't wait to spend a week in the mountians of Northern Carolina..

If you're going to mountain bike N.C. you need to own this book. It's easily the best one I own. The maps, directions, and charts are great and easy to follow. The rides are varied with all skill levels included. And this guy Muth has a great writing style, loaded with pesonality. My only suggestion is that he includes Dupont when he revises. Thanks Timm!

This is a biased review: I rode some of these trails with Timm while he was putting together the book. The book does a great job of communicating the care and enthusiasm he brought to the project (well, care in trail mapping - there were some impressive biffs). This book not only has a great selection of trails, but it's a fun read. By far the best guide to trails in North Carolina.

Now only if I could find a fishing guide this detailed in NC!
This book is very detailed and organized. Tells you the ins' and outs' including basics on what to have for repairs or accidents and such. The maps are a good guide so if you are taking on a trail as a beginner and do not feel comfortable with say crossing a 1 foot wide log bridge over a creek, with this book you will now it's coming before it happens. The only thing I might add when reading this book do not let some of the tek 2 and 3 roots and down hills scare you as much as it sounds. So don't let it discourage you as a beginner rider after all you do see ahead of what is coming and you can make a judgment call before you take the stretch. Overall this is an amazing guide and I would be going into a lot a trails blind without it. (Some cases would have made the 2 hour drive to be sent back by some tek 4-5 logging, or disappointing in the easy smooth tek 1 all way single track).

I will make a quick highlight list for you.
1. Small enough to take out on the trail for references
2. Maps let you know what to expect when and where
3. Detailed info on each trail including, location, distance, estimated time, difficulty, highlights the author thinks is worth mentioning( and they are!), type of trail, how to find trail head, who own land, and any fees that are required.
4. Well organized by area (all Raleigh trails are together etc...
5. Includeds trails most may ignore like smith lake or Wilminton (which I greatly appreciate being a near by local.