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I've been riding for 15 years, and I thought the only way I could get better or faster was either by taking bigger chances or upgrading to a burlier bike.On my first ride after reading a portion of this book, I noticed an immediate improvement in control and speed. Don't be fooled by the 90s cover, this is an up-to-date manual for doing.manuals. It is informative, descriptive, and unlike many books in this genre, entertaining to read. I was getting better front-end bite, and started working less on my skillset, and more on my mindset.Highly, highly recommended for those that learn as well by reading as by doing or seeing. The book was written by a rider that, with the help of Brian Lopes, transformed himself from an amateur to a semi-pro downhiller.
This book is great for improving skills in every point of mountain biking. Its a great book for improving skills for all riders, no matter what your skill level is. Nothing goes uncovered.
I'm a rider of intermediate skill and wanted to better understand some of the more intricate dynamics of mountain bike riding to further improve my riding techniques - this book does it in spade loads.The book is well laid out and gives good step by step instructions as well as the reasoning behind why things are done. If you were a straight beginner some of the terms may be a bit alien but I think the book is more aimed at people like myself who have done a bit of riding and have a basic understanding of the terminology being used.Go buy and enjoy. Tips I found particularly useful are the various weightings applied to wheels, pedals and handlebars to load tyres for better grip, etc in certain situations such as cornering climbing. A lot of these things you can pick up with experience but if you know why in the first place some of these things become self evident before you pick up bad habits.The language is a bit weird in places as some of the other reviewers have noted but this should not deter buyers looking for a good quality manual as the content is there and is really good.
I found all the information very constructive and useful and the instructions were easy to follow.
Both descriptions and terminology are lacking in definitive substance just where they are needed, and as good as the photos and sequencing might appear to someone flipping through, they too are often frustrating: when a very detailed, point-by-point explanation or diagram is needed, much is left to the imagination to finish. Similarly, "pump" might sound obvious to the writers, but 'pump' is what my father would yell when I was 4-years old, meaning pedal hard. Defining terms and actions accurately and precisely, in a scientific sense and in relationship to similar words, for the benefit of the reader-student, seems to have been rarely taken into consideration. Still, I would recommend purchasing it. Many sentences and paragraphs are left open-ended (& often filled with puns - not that there's not a place for humor at times, but it's often distracting and leaves me wondering what the hell are they talking about). 'Preload' should only be used to indicate a static shock, as in its position when the bike is at rest in order to adjust air pressure/inspect a fork/ measure, etc. I'm a former amateur road cyclist/USCF, etc., who hates cars & discovered serious mountain biking 7 years ago.
I did learn several things from this book, and reread parts just to renew my consciousness and allow key points to settle into my subconscious, and it does and has helped my riding, indeed, but nowhere near as much as I'd like. Just that I would love to sit down with Lopes and edit each sentence, each diagram and photo, detailing in very clear, understandable language as to what is really meant to be conveyed, so that a mostly self-taught enthusiast who is into mountain biking purely for the personal thrill, and doesn't care about the lingo or keeping track of the "stars" or racing, could more easily incorporate these skills into his/her passion. I'm addicted to agressive, technical, cross-country single-track & ride 10-20 hours/week. In addition to wanting to sit down with Lopes and help rewrite this book, which could be so much better than it is, an artist of the technical ability of say, the late illustrator Oscar Ratti (see _Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere_), could do a much better job than many of the photos. I have taught myself over the years by asking questions and observing, reading, etc. The book makes some good points, a lot of them in fact, but it's just not well-written, and is frequently bereft of true definition. As with any good first textbook, hopefully this one will evolve into a 2nd edition, and edited for clarity by someone outside of the "industry'.
One simple example, for example, lies in the use of words like "preload" and "load" in different places, when they mean the exact same thing: compress the fork and prepare to unload it.
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