Mountain Biking Tricks and Techniques [Paperback]

Of all the books and DVDs available that explain MTB and trials techniques, this is possibly the best at actually TEACHING them to the average guy on a bike. What is unusual is how the author starts with the very basics and encourages you to learn these well by very simple exercises that you can do in the local parking lot. He then builds upon these and joins them up so you can master the more complex tricks. Unlike other resources, the book is not just a collection of tricks and their explanations - it's a course taking you from zero to (hopefully) hero. It seems that even this master of the sport has done this sort of training rather than just magically picking up complex moves overnight which is kind of how you think of these guys. Obviously he has immense physical talent but I'm guessing that he also has a talent for breaking things down and working out how to crack the hard moves.

Martyn's writing is a bit of a mixed bag. He comes over very well indeed IMO - like he really wants you to take the same joy of mastering physical movements and skills that he obviously does. He's not trying too hard to write in some slick, annoying men's magazine style but is lightly humorous and encouraging. What is not so good is the punctuation and grammar. This might seem like a pedantic thing to pick up on but more than once I've had to read and re-read lines out loud in order to work out what he's actually saying because ill-placed commas and badly constructed sentences have mislead me as to the true meaning of the words. It's very noticeable. Some words are even spelled wrong entirely. He might be a wicked bike rider and not a master of English grammar - fair enough. But I would have thought any editor worth his or her salt would have picked up on this.

Obviously no book or video can make you a great rider but this is a very good effort and I cannot believe that any rider out there looking to gain skills for MTB, BMX or trials riding would not benefit from reading this book. All you need is a car-park, stick and some dedication!

P.S. I was going to give this 4 stars because of the punctuation but I don't want to take away from the value of the book as a whole.

A Good Read but doesn't have enough way's too help me learn Mountain Bike Trial's so cover's too big a spectrum in Mountain biking