Mountain Bike Magazine's Complete Guide To Mountain Biking Skills: Expert Tips On Conquering Curves, Corners, Dips, Descents, Hills, Water Hazards, And Other All-Terrain Challenges (Paperback)

by Mountain Bike Magazine Editors (Author), Bicycling Magazine Editors (Author) "Being comfortable and confident on the trail is essential to becoming a better mountain biker..." (more)
Key Phrases: pro mountain bike racer, nose wheelie, outside pedal, Ned Overend, World Cup, John Tomac (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If road riding is the arrogant godfather of the cycling world, mountain biking is the fun-loving, black-sheep stepson. The Mountain Bike magazine editors reflect this spirit, tuning their highly accessible guide to both those with dreams of widowmaker descents as well as others just looking for a pleasant Sunday spin on scenic dirt roads. Breaking the sport down into lively yet informative chapters--complete with cartoons and amusing anecdotes--they cover the basics and then some. All technical skills are addressed, including bunny hopping, high-speed cornering, and the terribly elegant nose wheelie. The guide also includes a comprehensive section on cycling fitness and customizing a training program for would-be racers. No one is alienated here, but if you fancy yourself an expert rider, you might want to look elsewhere. This guide is geared more toward the novice whose journey has only just begun. --Ben Tiffany

Product Description
Expert tips on conquering curves, corners, dips, descents, hills, water hazards and other all-terrain challenges.

Hit the dirt!

From breaking to bunny hopping, speed jumping to switchbacks-- here are the skills you need to catch big air and experience the best of off-road riding.

* Selecting the right rig for you and your budget.
* Step-by-step drills for clearing obstacles, popping wheelies and more.
* How to hammer it and ride faster than you ever thought possible.
* Seven ways to stay alive by avoiding face plants, biffs and other crash landings.
* All-weather strategies for plowing through mud, rain and snow.
* Pro advice on entering your first off-road race.
* Riding responsibly to save the trails.
* Planning the perfect tour and enjoying a fat-tire vacation.
* Tons more practical info for aspiring and die-hard dirtheads.

You also get skill-building techniques and strategies from world-class mountain bikers, including

* Ned Overend, six-time NORBA national champion
* John Tomac, 1994 NORBA downhill champion
* Juli Furtado, 1995 World Cup champion
* Missy Giove, 1994 world downhill champion
* Tinker Juarez, 1994 NORBA national champion
* Mike King, 1993 world downhill champion


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Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875963005
• ISBN-13: 978-2909793023
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #262,354 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, January 1, 2001

By	Matt Harvey "[e-mail]" (El Cerrito, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Buy it before you buy your bike. The book begins with a bunch of info on how to pick a good bike and more importantly, how to pick a good bike shop. If you stick with the sport you will quickly outgrouw this book, but it covers the most important basic skills and even includes advice on racing. A quick read. I finished it on the first day, but it's worth re-reading after you gain more skill, as everything will make more sense.

Given that you've read the book you'll learn way faster on the bike than poring over the book. In fact, it's probably a good idea to take this book and some 2x4's out to a grass field with some rolling hills and go for it. And remember: if you're not falling you could be learning much faster.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Expert? It's written by bozos like us!, January 26, 2002

By	Charles Brewer (Westcott, Surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is great fun.

It manages to avoid the patronising 10 page filler on why Mummy thinks you really should wear a helmet, and the incomprehensible comparison of the crank end twistor setting downplate angle of 1.72 degrees versus 1.83 degrees (a major controversy at the 1984 Boot Hill Lower Upper Mid South Dakota championship eliminator resulting in several fatalities after a discussion in the bar got out of hand). And it has very amusing cartoons. These (inter alia) explain to newbies that going headfirst over the handlebars can result in 'Pain and misery', while not doing so results in 'Happiness and success', oh yes, this cartoon also explains about hopping over logs, but since my preferred style leans more to 'Pain and misery' it's nice to see this perfectly legitimate method of riding recognised in print (even though it is labelled 'Wrong').

Despite its 'Expert' label in the title, most of the chapters are written by people at least remembering what it was like NOT to be able to do things, and so the explanations really resonate with the new-and-not-so-good. The opening of Chapter 10 about Wheelies as basketball players is, in my view, a classic of gonzo sporting humour, and deserves to be read widely. (But I'm not going to quote it!)

I should say that this is probably the most enjoyable book I have yet read on mountain biking, and recommend it to anyone who likes doing inappropriate things on expensive, delcate pieces of metal which usually involve the removal of bits of skin and limping for a week or two.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Learner Book and Intermediate SKill Honer, March 10, 2004

By	Rob Campbell (Canada) - See all my reviews

I initially bought this book for my fiance who says I sound condescending when I try to teach her something and ended up enjoying it myself. I would describe myself as an intermediate(Only because my conditioning sucks) to expert rider. I found the book to be entertaining and it helped point out some things I was doing wrong, such as ride preparation, and some things I want to do better such as long climbs and how to pace them and keeping motivation. I find the book is pointed towards experienced trail riders who might be just a beginner to slightly more extreme conditions such as climbs, descents, drops, corners, logs, etc. or want to learn proper form for traversing said conditions to become more of a finesse rider(Of which I am not).

I find the caption on the cover is a little misleading. It might make one thing the book is specifically aimed at experts, which it is not. Insted of saying "Expert Tips...", I think it should say "Tips From Experts...".

In my opinion this is a book most riders right from beginner to expert should be able to learn something from. They try to keep the tone light and even comedical times. This makes it enjoyable to read. It's broken up as such to keep it interesting and allow you to skip the sections you're not interested in without missing anything that might be important. I can't wait to give it to my fiance to see what she thinks. Highly recommended!!!