Review by jeminah28 -- Let’s Mountain Bike!

[Jeremie Mondejar]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Let’s Mountain Bike!" by Paul Molenberg.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If bike riding is extremely difficult for you, Let's Mountain Bike! written by Paul Molenberg, a compact guide to any cyclist around the world will help you. Paul practices almost two decades of Mountain Biking in different terrains either in slopes, cross-country or coastal areas. He seems expert in this enjoyable sport, and why not learn new techniques from a professional cyclist? Let's say, you upgraded your bike with good suspension, quality brakes and expensive tires, but without enough knowledge about Mountain Biking is fatal.

Let's Mountain Bike! has five parts and is divided into twenty chapters. Part One is identifying every segment of your bike: the frame, the best deals and the trails. Did you know that your weight played an important role in purchasing the right frame and tires? Before riding, preparation is a must. Mountain Biking is like cooking your favorite food; preparing all the ingredients, plus your creativity will have a delicious meal. This is the Part Two. A cyclist needs to have a proper bike set-up as well as suitable accessories for the ride. Part Three is the climax. Guess what? Your dexterity is the clue in each unique trails. The remaining parts are not limited to Mountain Biking alone. Other sports activities such as, boxing, wrestling, weight-lifting or mountain climbing will find the latter parts valuable.

All I know, riding a bike is just merely balancing my weight and it's final. Until I read this book, my point of view in this sport has been changed. In fact, I tried to apply Paul's concept. Confidence is highly needed in this activity, the vital skill of every cyclist. Apart from Mountain Biking, I learned new things like poison ivies and animal attacks. I am happy because this plant doesn't exist in our country nor poison oak. Animal attacks are rarely reported, too. What if the attack is coming from humans? Bandits are real.

When it comes to the writing style, Paul's explanation is quite straightforward embedded with attractive pictures. Weaving a nonfiction book is very challenging, but Paul exactly knows his topic. Thus, revealing coherence and symmetry in the flow of this book. For the first time, I know the right name of some spare parts. Each bike component is well-explained (which is my favorite part besides the beautiful photos). He also compares several bike brands, their pros and cons and unique uses in different trails. Honestly speaking, this book is well-written, well-organized and well-researched (footnotes are noted). It is professionally edited. I didn't notice any typos. The graphs, the bullet type exposition and the visuals are well-formatted, but the epigraph needs proper indention in PDF format. The epigraph is a bit distracting sometimes, I can't read the quotes in its entirety because of some missing words.

Paul elaborates every piece of the bike, which is deserving of four out of four stars. By knowing their functions, I learn new techniques in purchasing a bike item. I got corrected in using the right apparels, too. Furthermore, the muscular activities in this book are quite entertaining, as well. I will recommend this book to any cyclist, both beginners and professionals.

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Let’s Mountain Bike!
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[Melisa Jane]

This sounds like a great book for those who are interested in mountain biking. However, this isn't my topic of interest. I'll pass it. Nice review.

[Jeremie Mondejar]

This sounds like a great book for those who are interested in mountain biking. However, this isn't my topic of interest. I'll pass it. Nice review.

Thank you JM for your time.

[Amynwankwo_]

This sounds like a very informative book and would be of great help to cyclists. This is not my area of interest so I would have to pass on this one. Thank you for your review.

[Sarah Sonbol]

I used to cycling as a kid, but not anymore. Knowing that your weight should affect the bicycle you're purchasing is interesting. I think reading this book would be interesting for me as I like to gain knowledge in different and diverse topics. This will also be useful when I buy bicycles for my kids.