Mountain Bike!: A Manual of Beginning to Advanced Technique

by William Nealy

If you’re looking for the ultimate mountain bike guide for the totally honed, welcome to William (Not Bill) Nealy’s world. Nealy’s expertise (acquired through years of crash and burn) enables him to translate hard-learned reflexes and instinctive responses into easy-to-understand drawings: drawings that will make you a much better rider. Nealy’s cartoon illustrations combine insight with humor and knowledge with humiliation. So, if you are ready to shorten the learning curve and master the advanced techniques of mountain biking, get ready to have some laughs and log a few miles with William Nealy.

Genres: Reference, Bicycles, Comics, Travel, Nonfiction

172 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 1992

About the author

A world-famous cartoonist, William Nealy is best-known for his groundbreaking book Kayak, which combined expert paddling instruction as well as artful caricatures and parodies of the whitewater enthusiasts themselves. The quality of his work transcends its subject; this book, and the others which followed, spawned a host of imitators, and made William a cult figure in the world of outdoor sports. Born on February 4th, 1953, Nealy grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Never comfortable in a highly structured environment, he left high school before graduating, and then attended St. Johns College, eventually graduating from Birmingham-Southern. He brought a thorough and rigorous intelligence to his interests and avocations, all of which, in his hands, became arts.

Reviews

[John Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This hilarious, improbable book was more significant for me that I ever expected. I was leant a ring-bound, ratty copy of it by a bike shop in maybe 2003. It was a transformative experience. William doesn't just provide an accessible intro to learning to ride vastly better. He communicates some underlying truths about learning:

1. You can get really good at almost anything provided you come understand this and let yourself develop a gentle confidence in it.
2. The process of learning something complicated is really about understanding your mind and body and some basic truths about how they interact with reality.
3. Enthusiasm for the idea of getting better is important, as is confidence in yourself. But learning also requires a level of humbleness: the facts and the reality are what matters, not your ego and the ideas you bring to the deal.

Because of this book, in my mid 20s I learned to ride a bike in ways I hadn't imagined. Then it helped me to learn to fly airplanes and a heap of other things. There is some really good wisdom in this strange little book.

[David02139 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quick read on how to mountain bike with hand drawn pictures and lettering. Some what dated but still a lot of good advice for the beginning mountain biker.

[Peterthelibrarian Thelibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bar none, the most entertaining how-to book I've read. In addition to information specific to mountain biking, Nealy includes great tips about having fun while learning any physical skill. The drawings are illustrative of the skills involved and many are quite funny. Worth taking a look at even if you're not a biker type.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This predates suspension bikes. Good for hardcore basics

[Michael Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!