Mountain Biking

As he does in the pages of bike magazine, Rob writes to those that really ride. This book could be a vacation planner for the adventurous. If you own a mountain bike and love to take it places...this book is a must have. I can't finish a chapter without wanting to get out and ride.

As an avid mountain biker, I found this book to be inspiring and motivating, even if I will probably never ride half of the featured destinations (although I'm determined to try!). The writing is excellent, blending vivid descriptions of the terrain with a little history and geography, giving the reader a complete and appealing picture of each region. The pictures are beautiful and plentiful, and there are many resources listed for each trip including prices, difficulty ratings, bike shops, lodging, and additional information. Overall, an awesome book I'll probably read and refer to many, many times in the future.

Now I know what happened to BIKE magazine's soul. It has been reincarnated into something Da Vinci would be proud of. Okay, maybe I'm getting a little carried away with the hyperbole, but calling this a guide book certainly doesn't do it justice. In fact, if you are looking for just a guide book don't waste your money. Everybody and his brother makes a guide book, but no one has ever come closer to expressing what it means to ride than Rob Story has within these pages. Like the early years of BIKE magazine, this just makes you want to go out and explore the unpaved world.While not a guide book, it has everything else to get you started on your own epic adventure. It lists the "must do" rides in any given area. In addition to rating the physical difficulties of the rides, a clever addition is rating the mental stress factors involved with the trips. Also appreciated is the non-bike related recommended reading of the area, along with trail guide books, and outfitting services. Again like the magazine, the photos are some of the best you'll see anywhere, regardless of the subject matter. One of the great features is the diversity of the ride locations. There are a life times worth within, and they make you dream, drool, and connive of the ultimate exotic mountain biking vacation. While this may put some people off, the best part is that the majority of the rides are totally doable by anyone with a serious mountain biking habit.....

Very well written and set out. While the material on US rides, ie Moab, can be found in much more detail elsewhere, the material on third world mountain bike treks is wonderful. Bhutan is a must for anyone's list of dream rides. The book is great starting point for great rides. You will of course need more detailed information, but this book shows you in a no nonsense way that mtb across the world is very doable, the costs and suggested tour companies and if you can do it on your own. A must get for mtb explorers.