Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
by Brian Lopes, Lee McCormack
List Price:
Our Price: $4.05
You Save: $18.90 (82%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Brian Lopes, Lee McCormackEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-02-16
ISBN: 0736056246
Number of pages: 216
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Book Reviews of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
Book Review: Masterful Indeed!
Summary: 5 Stars
Bicycle training includes physical, psychological, and skills training. Although riders often ignore the latter, without skills training mountain bikers limit their potential enjoyment and development as competent cyclists.
This is one of the best books ever published on acquiring mountain biking skills, a book whose principles broadly apply to other forms of bicycling, including road cycling.
The book is well-organized and the topics flow well. The book begins with general bike set-up and pedaling, transitions to braking, cornering, hopping, dropping, and jumping, and puts the basics together in chapters about flowing, crazy (miscellaneous) conditions, and racing.
The book has more than 100 color photos and diagrams, which overall illustrate its points well. Diagrams, such as those on pages 64, 66, and 67 depicting zero, negative, and positive camber help the reader learn the meaning of familiar yet uncertain terms. Time-sequence photography, such as images on pages 106 and 107 illustrating the difference in jumping techniques of a dirt-jumper and cross-country racer are superb.
The book attempts to detail principles for beginners and experts alike, and overall does a great job.
As excellent as the book is, it could be improved.
A glossary would help. Authors and editors often forget that not everyone knows the meaning of the jargon words-such as rail and carve. Even if explained at first usage, a glossary of mountain biking terms would improve the book.
The language is hip, sometimes crude. Although attractive to many who practice downhill mountain biking, the lingo might not appeal to all. For example, in describing pedaling style at the bottom of the pedal stroke on page 34, the authors write: "Pretend you're scraping dog crap off the bottom of your shoe."
The book includes descriptions and illustrations that are inconsistent. For example, in describing a series of turns on page 59, the text describes a left then right series of turns, but the illustration is right then left. In describing how to carve flat turns, on page 66, the text says lean your bike more than your body, but the rider is leaning his body more than the bike. On page 69, in describing skidding into loose corners, the text describes the method of dealing with a skid turning left, but the time-sequence photos are of a rider turning right. Such inconstancies make it more difficult for the reader to follow the authors' points.
Sage advice has its exceptions. When exceptions are not qualified as such, readers may be confused. For example, throughout the book, the problems associated with needless, overzealous, panicked, or overly cautious braking are reiterated. The novice mountain biker may think: "Always stay off the brakes!" Yet in describing how to conquer switch backs, page 68, the first item of advice is "Slow WAY down....you want to reach a happy speed, not scare yourself..." which, of course, is what novice riders think in every situation they consider braking. If the authors had said: "This is an exception to letting-the-brakes-go-to-ride-more-effectively rule," they'd clarify their thinking for the reader and gain credibility.
These minor quibbles aside, this book has great information about mountain biking skills, from one of the most skilled riders who has every lived. If you are a mountain biker, get this book-even if only to look at the pictures.
Reviewer's note/disclaimer: The publisher sent me a review copy. I was not paid for this review.
Summary of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
Increase your speed, control, and versatility on the bike. Mastering Mountain Bike Skills provides detailed technical instruction for all mountain biking disciplines:
Cross-country
Downhill
Mountain cross
Free riding
Dirt jumping
Urban terrain
With top pro mountain biker Brian Lopes as your teacher, you'll learn how to handle the bike better than ever, in any conditions, across all types of terrain. Key tips and special photo sequences throughout the book add insight to Lopes' world-class instruction.
Mountain Biking Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Mountain Biking Books
Mountain Bike! Atlantic Canada: A Guide to the Classic Trails (America By Mountain Bike Series.)by Sarah L. Hale, Jodi Bishop
Menasha Ridge Pr; Published: 1999-06; Paperback; Book
Mountain Bike! The Southeastby Lori Finley
Menasha Ridge Press; Published: 1994-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.90
Price in other shops:
Mountain Bike! The Great Lakes States, 2nd (America by Mountain Bike - Menasha Ridge)by Phil Van Valkenberg
Menasha Ridge Press; Published: 1998-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.94
Price in other shops:
Backroad Bicycling in the Finger Lakes Region: 30 Tours for Road and Mountain Bikes, Fourth Editionby Mark Roth, Sally Walters, TNMC Bike Club
W.w. Norton & Co; Countryman Press; Published: 2004-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.27
Price in other shops:
Mountain Biking (Extreme Sports)by K. C. Kelley
Gareth Stevens Publishing; Published: 2003-08; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $5.25
Price in other shops:
Mountain Biking!: Get on the Trail (Extreme Sports Collection)by Chris Hayhurst
Rosen Central; Published: 1999-12; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $5.97
Price in other shops:
30 Great Mountain Bike Tours in Central Pennsylvaniaby James F. Davis, William Ingle
Stackpole Books; Published: 1994-06-01; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Mountain Bike Maintenanceby Guy Andrews
Globe; Falcon; Published: 2006-03-01; Ring-bound; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
Mountain Biking (Extreme Sports)by Ian Osborne
San Val; Published: 2004-01; School & Library Binding; Book
Price in other shops:
Mountain Bike Maintenanceby Paul Vincent
Octopus Publishing Group; Published: 2002-11-15; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
The Cyclist's Training Bibleby Joe Friel
VELO; Velo Press; Published: 2009-03-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.23
Price in other shops:
Teaching Mountain Bike Skills: The Skills Training Manual for NICA Coachesby Lee McCormack
Race Line Publishing; Published: 2011-10-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.95
Fundamentals Mountain Bike Technique DVDVas Entertainment; Release date: 2009-05-13; DVD
Best price: $24.94
Price in other shops:
Topeak Alien II 26-Function Bicycle ToolTopeak; Topeak; Sports
Best price: $24.00
Price in other shops:
Park Tool BBB-2 The Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair - 2nd Editionby Calvin Jones
Park Tool; Park Tool; Published: 2008; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.99
Price in other shops:
Performance Mountain BikingPerformance; Release date: 2004-05-01; DVD
Best price: $23.44
Price in other shops:
The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance & Repair: For Road & Mountain Bikesby Todd Downs
Rodale Books; Published: 2010-09-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops:
The Mountain Biker's Training Bibleby Joe Friel
VELO; VeloPress; Published: 2000-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.42
Price in other shops:
Mountain Bike!: A Manual of Beginning to Advanced Techniqueby William Nealy
Menasha Ridge Press; Menasha Ridge Press; Published: 1992-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenanceby Lennard Zinn
Velopress; Velo Press; Published: 2010-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.27
Price in other shops: