Review of 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

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
Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 13
More Information

Mediocre

On: 2009-12-09

This book is a collection of articles from Mountain Bike Magazine dating from the early to mid 1990s. As such, the illustrations depict the ridiculous bikes and outfits that were high fashion at that time (A painful memory for me personally). This gripe aside, the instructional quality of this book is just lackluster. The topics are not organized in a logical manner. The reader must wade through the banal prose of magazine filler to get to any useful tips. There is a dearth of practical illustrations and the instruction is just generally unhelpful. A novice rider might make some use of this book, but for all abilities there are much better instructional resources out there. I would strongly recommend Brian Lopess book, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills, over this one.

Tidbits of useful information only

On: 2009-11-09

I bought this book as kind of a manual of how to handle a mountain bike. As such it is not a good book. What you do get is a number of short chapters convering everything from beginners to to racers. Read a chapter and you will pick up some ideas of how to handle your bike. I wish the book was more structured. Ive given it three stars because I have not found anything better, but this is really a two star book if that better book is published.

I also bought Mountain Bike Like a Champion and Im giving that book exactly the same review. The coverage is the same.

If you know a better book PLEASE leave a comment.

great general introduction

On: 2008-12-12

This book presents a great way to learn and master the tricky skills that must become instinctive for any good mountain bike rider. It also has plenty of helpful advice on practically everything from how to find the right bike to how to bike through snow. The only drawback is its age. It seems to be written before the time of the internet and decent rear shock designs.

Good for a quick read.

On: 2007-01-13

The book is a bit outdated by todays standards but still presents a few good tips aimed squarely at the beginner. An updated version with a greater emphasis on current trends (the plethora of clipless pedals and the proliferation of full-suspension rigs, as well as the concept of cyclocross) would probably help to advance the level of content just enough to entice beginners and those in the first year or two of their riding development.

Boring and dry

On: 2006-03-24

I wish there was a more helpful review from this website before I purchased the book, the only reason i am looking at the book on amazon right now is to check how much money i wasted. 10 dollars which is alright iwth me. ill still read it, thru the course of the yeaer maybe.

honestly, this book cant be applied to me. It is written by a road biker gone mountain biking and maybe it will be more suitable for the same type of ppl. He starts off really dry and comparing everything to the feel and how its done in the flip side of road biking.

the book contains this ridiculous 3 month day by day guideline of how you should approach the mountain biking and the sectoin about choosing ur mountain bike and etc is just plain ambiguous and unhelpful.

i dont mean to bag on this book but after reading other books (like lee/lopezs mtb skills) i was blown away at literary style along with EXCELlent application to beginners and pros. and its downright fun to read. makes me not wanna go back to this purple book but i will after i finsih lees.

i know this wasnt a helpful review either but please consider reading INSIDE the book before purchasing. i learned my lesson.

flat

On: 2006-01-08

uninspiring, superficial, low level. Better to get Zinn or Nealy.

Book is okay!

On: 2005-01-01

The book is okay. However, the illustrations could have been a bit better. In addition, the book kinda drags towards the end when the pros give their own tips.

Great Learner Book and Intermediate SKill Honer

On: 2004-03-11

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. Its broken up as such to keep it interesting and allow you to skip the sections youre not interested in without missing anything that might be important. I cant wait to give it to my fiance to see what she thinks. Highly recommended!!!

Expert? It's written by bozos like us!

On: 2002-01-26

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 its 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 Im 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.

Great for beginners

On: 2001-01-02

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 its worth re-reading after you gain more skill, as everything will make more sense.

Given that youve read the book youll learn way faster on the bike than poring over the book. In fact, its probably a good idea to take this book and some 2x4s out to a grass field with some rolling hills and go for it. And remember: if youre not falling you could be learning much faster.

On: 1999-01-25

I was suprised to see that this was the book that matches the title - I already own it! Since Im here, Ill give you the scoop: its great for beginners, and some of the techniques are solid. However, the anecdotal section is completely boring, and absolutely useless for technical info.

I give it a "6", so its back to searching for me...

Want to begin creating or refining your skills?

On: 1998-05-17

This book is not for the absolute begginer mountain biker. This book has helped me refine my skills. Maybe every other night Ill plop down in bed and reach past the Mists of Avalon to a slightly lighter piece of paper. Within two minuets I am pumped to go try to pop a wheelie or climb a hill. This book is filled with wit, insperation, and great little tips that we dont all do naturally.

Worth reading!!!

On: 1998-01-09

The author combines humorous anecdotes and informative directions. It gives every reader the sense of the author relating to his audience. I found the tips to be very useful and makes the most complicated sound easy. I give it 8 out of 10.