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Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills is your guide for riding better, faster and more confidently on all terrain. World champion racer Brian Lopes and renowned coach Lee McCormack provide you with all of the key techniques and skills you'll need to take your ride to the next level.
This new and improved edition of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills provides detailed, technical instruction for every mountain biking discipline:
Trail
Downhill
Cross-Country
Racing
and more
The high-quality photo sequences and demonstrations combined with race stories from Brian Lopes will give you the tools you need, whether you're a recreational rider looking to rock the trails with friends or a rider looking to beat the competition. Let Mastering Mountain Bike Skills help you ride with more confidence and have more fun.
author: Lopes, Brian Pages: 264
This new and improved edition of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills provides detailed, technical instruction for every mountain biking discipline:
Trail
Downhill
Cross-Country
Racing
and more
The high-quality photo sequences and demonstrations combined with race stories from Brian Lopes will give you the tools you need, whether you're a recreational rider looking to rock the trails with friends or a rider looking to beat the competition. Let Mastering Mountain Bike Skills help you ride with more confidence and have more fun.
author: Lopes, Brian Pages: 264
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2005
93 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 4, 2020
After 10 years I read this book. I live in Washington. Nowadays in a mountain bike is very popular among young guys. I want to learn how to ride a mountain bike. So that's the reason I read this book. After 100 pages of I read, this book is inspired me to get a mountain bike. It also realizes me what benefit of having a mountain bike. I purchase a mountain bike & I ride it on the trails. But I am an amateur rider. Gradually i will learn to control & ride a mountain bike perfectly. Thanks to the respectable author to write this book for us. I am learning a lot of things about mountain biking from these books. Thanks to the author again.
January 14, 2016
Good stuff...written technically but with a lighthearted, informal style. There's plenty here for both beginners and folks with more than a few dirty, sweat soaked miles on the tread. That said, most of the book is presented in a concise, "Cliff's Notes" way...so much of the information probably will need to be supplemented after reading...but there's no question that there's lots here for all levels.
There is probably no more important thing for new riders to learn about mountain biking than just a very few, very basic riding techniques...and this book covers them well. With just a few easy changes to your body position and mental approach you'll find yourself with gobs more confidence, much better performance on trail and a way bigger smile at the end of the day.
Definitely worth the read. I'll be visiting Lee's website from here...
There is probably no more important thing for new riders to learn about mountain biking than just a very few, very basic riding techniques...and this book covers them well. With just a few easy changes to your body position and mental approach you'll find yourself with gobs more confidence, much better performance on trail and a way bigger smile at the end of the day.
Definitely worth the read. I'll be visiting Lee's website from here...
August 31, 2017
This is a FANTASTIC look at mountain bike skills. I'm rusty from a long layoff, and in addition to getting out and just *riding*, this book has been very inspirational and educational to me. There's a ton of useful information in here that I just didn't learn by osmosis when I was riding super regularly, as well as some details that have just changed as bikes and trails change.
This will be on my bookshelf for a long time to come, and I'll recommend it broadly to anybody I know who's a mountain biker.
This will be on my bookshelf for a long time to come, and I'll recommend it broadly to anybody I know who's a mountain biker.
July 17, 2017
Everything you need to know
I found this to be an excellent introduction into mountain biking. I have been riding road bikes for the past 25 years and this book is written in a language and style I can understand as someone familiar with cycling, but not this discipline.
I found this to be an excellent introduction into mountain biking. I have been riding road bikes for the past 25 years and this book is written in a language and style I can understand as someone familiar with cycling, but not this discipline.
July 30, 2013
Very well written and good technical information about how to ride your bike properly.
(Just pedal, if you ask me - but nobody does ;)
(Just pedal, if you ask me - but nobody does ;)
October 14, 2013
If only every sport & hobby had a guide this in-depth, well-written, and informative.
February 17, 2016
Great book with lots of excellent tips. After reading this book I improved my riding style and fun factor.
June 9, 2020
An old book (in 2020), but most (or all?) of the advice still applies. The bikes and riding styles have changed over time, but this book covers the fundamentals, and with good illustrations. I'm not a fan of the jock-talk style which pops out occasionally, but I still consider this book a good source of information, and therefore would recommend it.
March 22, 2011
The winner: this book, bar none, is the best I've seen. From the comprehensive breadth to the superb photos to the insight and energy emanating the authors; all this adds up to a thrill ride.
Somehow the authors seem to alight on every possible topic there is in mountain biking...which clearly is the direct effect of their experience in the field (and the woods, and on ramps, in streams and on pump tracks). The benefits of a second edition probably helped a great deal too as the frame was there upon which to attach all this premium hard-won wisdom gained in this world of hard knocks.
As the title lends, this is a masterwork...but it may not well be appreciated fully in this format as mountain bike riders and library patrons aren't often seen as one and the same. But beware before you assume...
Having been baptized in the ways of knobby tires and front shocks a couple years ago, finding my way to any stretch of single-track is almost a weekly obsession (which made the winter painfully long 'round these parts). To be away from the asphalt and the exhaust spew, bouncing up and down, trying to stay upright in switchbacks, and generally having more fun than is supposed to be legal has re-infused exercise with pure enjoyment.
To hail this as the best book on the sport is somewhat undiplomatic considering we published a book that we hoped would be the master skills book a few years ago. But weighing in at 2-3x the heft, and with four-color photos throughout, Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack blow away everything else on the market.
One can only hope that the book finds its way into bike stores as well as the few bookstores that show up when doing a search. To have this available alongside the new 29ers or other engineering two-wheeled marvels would be like having the Maserati owner's manual in your hand: take this and go, go, go!
The only reservation I have is whether it's the right book for the beginner -- that might still be William Nealy's "Mountain Bike" with the hand-drawn illustrations which highlight all the introductory need-to-know. Not a knock at all the "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills" except to note that two-thirds of the rich material might be lost on the newbie who worries more about crashes than catching air or bounding over logs.
Somehow the authors seem to alight on every possible topic there is in mountain biking...which clearly is the direct effect of their experience in the field (and the woods, and on ramps, in streams and on pump tracks). The benefits of a second edition probably helped a great deal too as the frame was there upon which to attach all this premium hard-won wisdom gained in this world of hard knocks.
As the title lends, this is a masterwork...but it may not well be appreciated fully in this format as mountain bike riders and library patrons aren't often seen as one and the same. But beware before you assume...
Having been baptized in the ways of knobby tires and front shocks a couple years ago, finding my way to any stretch of single-track is almost a weekly obsession (which made the winter painfully long 'round these parts). To be away from the asphalt and the exhaust spew, bouncing up and down, trying to stay upright in switchbacks, and generally having more fun than is supposed to be legal has re-infused exercise with pure enjoyment.
To hail this as the best book on the sport is somewhat undiplomatic considering we published a book that we hoped would be the master skills book a few years ago. But weighing in at 2-3x the heft, and with four-color photos throughout, Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack blow away everything else on the market.
One can only hope that the book finds its way into bike stores as well as the few bookstores that show up when doing a search. To have this available alongside the new 29ers or other engineering two-wheeled marvels would be like having the Maserati owner's manual in your hand: take this and go, go, go!
The only reservation I have is whether it's the right book for the beginner -- that might still be William Nealy's "Mountain Bike" with the hand-drawn illustrations which highlight all the introductory need-to-know. Not a knock at all the "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills" except to note that two-thirds of the rich material might be lost on the newbie who worries more about crashes than catching air or bounding over logs.
April 15, 2020
Heavy on the feet; light with the hands.
Sound advice, always.
Sound advice, always.
September 23, 2013
Mastering mountain bike skills
1) The main purpose of the book is to teach the reader how to develop better mountain bike skills. I know this is the main idea because the title is mastering mountain bike skills, and the book clearly describes how to ride your mountain bike like a pro on the trials.
2) The most interesting fact is how to pop a wheelie. I am working on this skill, but it is interesting to me because I learned that the back tire can roll over almost anything while the front wheel is harder to handle in harsh conditions. I need to develop this skill because I'm tired of popping my front tire and crashing. If I learn this I won't have to buy a lube very week and I won't earn no scars from the crashes.
3) This book helped me find my mountain bike category. I am a mix of down hill dirt jump and cross country based off the book. The book thought me how to customize my bike to me and how I bike. This book has helped me win races, jump further, etc... Because of this book my biking skills have developed positively. I still have work to be done and I can always rely on this book if I ever have trouble.
1) The main purpose of the book is to teach the reader how to develop better mountain bike skills. I know this is the main idea because the title is mastering mountain bike skills, and the book clearly describes how to ride your mountain bike like a pro on the trials.
2) The most interesting fact is how to pop a wheelie. I am working on this skill, but it is interesting to me because I learned that the back tire can roll over almost anything while the front wheel is harder to handle in harsh conditions. I need to develop this skill because I'm tired of popping my front tire and crashing. If I learn this I won't have to buy a lube very week and I won't earn no scars from the crashes.
3) This book helped me find my mountain bike category. I am a mix of down hill dirt jump and cross country based off the book. The book thought me how to customize my bike to me and how I bike. This book has helped me win races, jump further, etc... Because of this book my biking skills have developed positively. I still have work to be done and I can always rely on this book if I ever have trouble.
July 3, 2019
"Heavy feet, light hands" can transform your connection with the bike, and make it more fun and safe by giving you a tool for better traction control. But, that is the tip of the iceberg, and taken too literally, without all the other lessons in the book, that mantra can also get you into trouble, especially on modern bikes, where there is more weight bias toward the back wheel in flat terrain. The 3rd edition explains a little bit about putting power, not weight through your hands in certain circumstances.
August 6, 2019
Now I know everything! Highly recommended by me, as it came to me. You have to apply a filter to some bro-speak, and what comes out is sometimes a tad repetitive in parts, but true and from an infinite font of mtb knowledge. I have since bought a none e-book version, in hopes of applying the skills IRL with more success.
July 21, 2014
This book has very comprehensive information, but the language is aimed squarely at the young US male. It gives the feeling that the authors are trying too hard and in the process, skipping over what could be more clear or detailed explanations.
My girlfriend found the language very off-putting.
My girlfriend found the language very off-putting.
October 2, 2014
Amazing book with expert information!
This book has improved my riding big time. I am going to read it again soon to strengthen my skills more. this is the best book for enhancing your MTB skills.
This book has improved my riding big time. I am going to read it again soon to strengthen my skills more. this is the best book for enhancing your MTB skills.
Want to read
July 7, 2007umm.....hello - it's about mountain biking! =)
February 18, 2009
I think I learned more about mountain biking from reading this book than frm actually riding!!
July 7, 2009
Some good tips, but nothing earth shattering. The writing style is juvenile, but forgivable, considering the young audience that would typically read this book.
October 17, 2011
My Bike, Giant Boulder ;)
http://highlander12.deviantart.com/ar...
http://highlander12.deviantart.com/ar...
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December 17, 2012Link to Library Record:
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
Mastering Mountain Bike Skills
April 13, 2013
Very good book. Well written in a nice conversational style, full of useful technical tips, pictures and diagrams. Easy to understand and practice the tips out on the trails
September 9, 2013
Awesome
October 12, 2014
Best book on mountain biking I've read! "Heavy feet, light hands" to keep good balance fore/aft.
February 2, 2015
Great book !!
August 2, 2015
as usual pretty guy centric but some great riding tips
January 3, 2017
Excelente texto para iniciarse en MTB
March 1, 2017
Made me a winner!
January 29, 2025
This is a very technically detailed book about how to ride mountainbikes at a world-class level.
It goes deeply into the ergonomics of riding, the design of modern MTBs (well.. 2017's modern MTBs) and how to get the 'edge' on your competitive game.
It has an easy-going style although it is deep on the detail.
I would say it is a good book to read if you really like books and you really like MTB.
In terms of actually learning MTB skills.. I think this should be supplimented by some good YouTube videos as the subject is much clearer from watching a video than reading a book.
I also would like to to see a new edition as 2017 is (checks notes).. 8 years ago now, and there have been a lot of developments, including electric MTBs which I would love to see covered as I have one.
For its time though, I'm sure it was perfect, and it still has a lot of value to add for the price even today.
It goes deeply into the ergonomics of riding, the design of modern MTBs (well.. 2017's modern MTBs) and how to get the 'edge' on your competitive game.
It has an easy-going style although it is deep on the detail.
I would say it is a good book to read if you really like books and you really like MTB.
In terms of actually learning MTB skills.. I think this should be supplimented by some good YouTube videos as the subject is much clearer from watching a video than reading a book.
I also would like to to see a new edition as 2017 is (checks notes).. 8 years ago now, and there have been a lot of developments, including electric MTBs which I would love to see covered as I have one.
For its time though, I'm sure it was perfect, and it still has a lot of value to add for the price even today.
October 11, 2022
Very comprehensive! A must-read if you're interested in MTB stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews