Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
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Mastering Mountain Bike Skills Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Good but could be better
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I think this is a great book for a visual perspective.
Things that are hard to describe in words are often given good visual treatment. I especially liked it when they showed multiple frames to illustrate a technique that might have changes across time.
For example, they illustrate performing a jump by showing you various frames including hen the rider enters the jump (showing body position, etc), while he's in the jump, and what he looks like when exiting.
This alone puts this book above others I have read on the same topic.
I also liked the treatment of many different topics. There's a really good cross-section of useful information covered, so it seems like just about anyone in the sport would benefit from the content.
There are a couple of things that I think need to be improved on to make this book better.
First and foremost, the book either needs to dispense with all the flowery, colorful jargon, and stick closer to simple English, or it needs to provide a glossary up front.
I am a beginning rider (supposedly one of the people this book is aimed at) and there were many times I did not understand a section perfectly clearly because of the specialized language they used.
Here's an example, taken from early on in the book:
"Pump backsides. Any time the trail turns downward, press down for some free speed".
That probably makes perfect sense to someone who understands these terms, but it did not help be as a beginner.
What does "pump" mean? Does it mean to "pedal hard"? Does it mean to quickly raise and then lower your body on the bike to "pump it"? And how about "press down" - press down on what? The pedals? The handlebars? The saddle?
I've read the whole book and I'm still not 100% sure if "pump" means "pedal", or something else.
This problem occurs throughout the book, in some places worse than others. There were spots where the language was so flowery that I actually laughed out loud.
I remember one paragraph talking about pimping and nailing and lips and rhino horns. I wasn't sure if somehow a chapter from Alice in Wonderland had ended up in this book about Mountain Biking.
The other thing I found confusing about the book was some of the conflicting advice given.
I found this especially true in areas related to braking. If one just listed all the sentences related to braking you might see something like this: "Stay off the brakes, speed is the key to smoothness", "Use the brakes to remain in control", "Only brake when you really mean to", "Braking is one of the most important skills", "People rely too much on the brakes", and so on.
This all reminds me of an out-take from the movie Poltergeist in which the main characters are giving Carol-Ann advice about how to come home: "Go into the light!", "Get away from the light!", "The light is your salvation!", "The light is the enemy!".
I'm afraid that after reading this book I am as confused about braking as poor Carol-Ann is about whether or not she should go into the light.
Apart from these gripes, I have spent many hours with this book and feel that I will become a better rider for it.
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Mastering Mountain Bike Skills Used Books New.