Mountain Bike!: A Manual of Beginning to Advanced Technique (The William Nealy Collection)

This book was given to me as a gift after I had been riding about a year. I read it from cover to cover with great interest. It has helped me improve my riding skills greatly. I can now ride over logs, do the bunny hop, climb rock steps, and ride stuff that I would have walked a year ago. Now I am re-reading it again and ordering some copies for friends who will also benefit from it. Try it as a gift for a beginner or intermediate rider.

If you're like me, listening to someone explain the proper way to do a wheelie hop or shift your weight during hill climbing, is about as exciting as watching old people eat, and about as gratifying. If you need something visual to clue you in, then check out Mr. Nealy's fine illustrations. Once you finish laughing your guts out, you'll realize that this guy really knows what he's talking about when it comes to biking. Studying this book can shave years off your learning curve. I absolutely HATE the fact that what I had to learn through 8 years of experimentation and pain, my buddies picked up in 3 months by pouring over this book on every trip to the john. Buy it. Read it. Use it. Then ride like a bat outta hell.

As a novice scrambling for info, I have found Nealy's book to be extremely useful. Though initially put off by the cartoons (sensitive novice ego at work), after a few minutes with the book I was pleased to find it full of information. The illustrations actually illustrated the author's points quite well, in addition to their humorous value. I enjoyed reading it and am industriously trying to turn the information gained into actual skills.

Loved the book. From the 1st time I picked it up I learned skills that I could master within a very short time. Now - one season later, I'm discovering that by rereading the same information, I am refining my skills and learning even more. A great book for everyone. I dare not put it down or my partner, a much more advanced rider than I , picks up the book and is lost in it. As a female rider just past 50, it's great to find a book that is geared to all ages and genders and will help me improve. This book's focus is on success, not failure - a great attitude. Everyone will learn something from it. Thank you William Nealy!

Whether you are an experienced mountain biker, a beginner, or just someone interested in the sport, if you only buy one book - this is it. It's very informative and funny. The information helped me quite a bit years ago when I was a beginner...now I just reread it every year or so for the entertainment.