Trail centres are an ideal way to start mountain biking and this is the ideal guide to them...
We know that quite a few OUTDOORSmagic users ride mountain bikes as
well as walking and climbing, so here's a quick heads up on an
interesting new
mountain
biking guide book from the guys at Vertebrate Publishing.
Mountain Biking Trail
Centres, like it says on the box, is a guide specifically
to the growing number of dedicated trail centres that are springing up
across the UK. They're an ideal place to ride if you're starting off -
there are no route-finding difficulties, line choice on the trail is
straightforward and the predictable surfaces make it easy to learn and
practice new skills.
The new guide covers no fewer than 67 different centres and in the
process of compiling it, author Tom Fenton racked up almost 2000 miles
of riding along with an impressive list of broken and worn-out
components.
The book kicks off with some general trail centre advice about
etiquette, grading and what to wear and carry before getting into the
nitty gritty of the individual centres. Each of them is rated for
suitability for different levels of riders - the notoriously tricky
Stainburn routes for example get 0/3 for beginners, but 3/3 for
advanced riders - there are details of facilities, how many routes
there are and what length and a neat, helpful list of centre pros and
cons.
All in all, it seems thoroughly researched and based on centres we do
know, pretty fair. Trail centre riding isn't for everyone, some find it
artificial and limiting compared to riding more natural trails and
bridleways, but like we said, they're a good environment to start off
in and if that's your plan, then this is a great companion.
The 216-page guide with full colour photographs retails for
£17.95. You can find more details at
www.v-outdoor.co.uk
where you also browse through the rest of Vertebrate's impressive
selection of mountain biking, walking and climbing guides.
And of course, it's just in time for Christmas :-)
Vetebrate
