Mountain Biking: Over the Edge (Paperback)

by Bill Strickland (Author) "I don't know if his words are a request or a promise, don't know if they're about the beer or the biking (or the combination),..." (more)
Key Phrases: ballistic ballet, outside pedal, suspension fork, Getting Honed, Higher Studies, Crested Butte (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Hit the trail with the assurance and daring of a pro biker. Get the adrenaline rush of flying under your own power. And take Mountain biking along. It's packed with all the nuts and bolts of mountain biking: Equipment ("Homemade," "Beware," "Must Have"); Techniques--with real-life examples. Strickland writes from his own experience--and he takes you along.

From the Back Cover
Mountain biking is wild, thrilling, brutal, beautiful, and over the edge--the ride of your life--The Ultimate Ride.

It has the fringe feel of extreme sports, but just about anyone can do it, just about anywhere. (You don't even need a mountain--honest.)

Strickland writes from his own experience--and he takes you along. He's become the mountain biker he would've wanted to ride with as a novice. Could've saved him a lot of troubles, he says. And skin.

It's skill-intensive: You'll need plenty of techniques and tricks--stuff that's simple to understand and enact, but not so easy to discover on your own. Bill Strickland can show you what you don't even know you're missing.

This book is packed with all the nuts and bolts of equipment and techniques, with real-life examples. It's like the best mountain bike ride: loose, expert, and a little in love with the unexpected.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070387036
• ISBN-13: 978-0070387034
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #547,745 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, Marvelously Instructive, June 20, 1999

By A Customer

Strickland's book is perfectly constructed. It is just the right combination of step-by-step instructions, personal anecdotes, illustrations, and mountain biking philosophy. Rather than writing as a Cycling God, Strickland writes as a person who has Been There, and amuses the reader with many references to his most graceful face-plants and other humiliating experiences. He writes wittily and with a casual style without insulting the reader's intelligence. Truly the Ultimate Guide to the Ultimate Ride.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short , Sweet, Informative, July 27, 2002

By	TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

My complaint with most mountain bike "how-to" guides is that they gear the reader toward being a professional rider. That's because they are most often written by professional riders. Seldom has a book been written that just covers the basic questions like "How do I jump a small dirt mound?" or "What is the difference between the different types of rear-suspensions that are available?" This book answers those basic questions without getting into so much detail that the average rider will be bored. The text and illustrations are clear, concise, and entertaining. The outline of the book brings the reader from shopping for their first bike, right up through explaining some of the most basic "expert" techniques. But, again, the book is very much geared toward first time or beginner riders and is intended to gradually step them up through the ranks of bad, to better, to good.

In short, this book covers most all of the basic techniques you will need to be a good novice mountain bike rider. And that's exactly what I want to be.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really is the ultimate guide, April 25, 2000

By	Colin D. Bennett (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An excellent book! Strickland's style is casual, funny, and fun to read, while still being packed with information. I recommend this book to all fat-tire enthusiasts out there.