MOUNTAIN BIKING: THE MANUAL - Softcover

Ball, Chris

3.83

6 ratings by Goodreads

9780977556991: MOUNTAIN BIKING: THE MANUAL

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977556999 ISBN 13: 9780977556991

Publisher: Wavefinder Limited, 2015

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Top technical tips and insights from legends and icons of the mountain biking world. This comprehensive book starts with a run through the various MTB disciplines, gives guidance on equipment & set-up, fitness & nutrition, how to handle berms, drop offs & switchbacks and even covers survival techniques, coming back from injury and competitive strategies. Each chapter contains step by step guidance and is supported by unique insights from today's best riders, including Steve Peat, Sam Hill, Gee Atherton, Tracey Moseley, Christoph Sauser and Cam McCaul. Supported by quality photography and images featuring awesome action shots. Never before have so many top professional riders been featured in one book. Combining their tips with the author's inspirational coaching makes this a truly unique mountain biking skills book.

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About the Author:

Chris Ball: Competed in over 30 World Cup events and is now the UCI Technical Delegate for the DH & XC races, along with coaching the Scottish National team.

2.3 - Drop-Offs Drop-offs come in all shapes and sizes. To some riders, the only vertical drops to register on the scare-scale are those of biblical proportions seen in the Red Bull Rampage. Though to most mortals, the little 1m step in our regular ride poses enough problems. Here's the secret to drop-offs: there's actually very little difference in technique between your 1m step and those 10m monsters in the magazines. Technically, if you can nail the little ones, there's nothing to stop you dropping in from the top of your local quarry face. I did say technically. In reality, confidence and experience are the biggest issues when it comes to getting your bike off the ledge and onto the transition of a big drop safely and smoothly. Although drops can seem very intimidating, there's less to them than you probably think. If you're new to the game, start small. Find something flat or with a mellow down-slope and a drop that's still small enough to roll without snagging your chain-rings on. If it's sufficiently small, you'll have much more leeway if you bottle it at the last minute. It will also be more forgiving if you misjudge your entrance speed and come in too slow. And bear in mind that the better you get on the small stuff, the more adept you'll be when it comes to handling the nasty surprises that some trails hide. Not every drop-off will have a nice, friendly run-out. You might find one at the top of a steep chute or midway through a super-slow section littered with roots or rocks. By building your confidence gradually through progressive riding, it'll be far easier and more comfortable when you put yourself in the line up for a 10m behemoth. As one of the world's top all-round riders, Gee Atherton has ridden his fair share of drops, from the small rocky ledges of Val D'Sole where he earned his rainbow stripes in 2008 to the red dusty cliffs of Utah that he stamped out his big-mountain credentials on. "Drops are all the same basic technique and need to be broken down into smaller parts. For example, you need to consider the approach, making the drop, and the landing. Drops only really go wrong when your judgment is out, so if you come in too quick, its all bad news, or if you nose in too much to a flat landing, you're going to have an equally bad time."

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