Customer Reviews:
 MOUNTAINBIKE SCOTLAND - BRILLIANT August 20, 2006
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
Anything I've ridden in this book has been fantastic. I've heard similar comments from several riders on various internet forums about days I've still to try.I can't wait to get out and do them. Even without those comments , the pictures and descriptions just make you want to go out and tackle the routes. Another good thing is that is that the book is split into different areas with road maps that show where all the routes are in relation to one another.
The only other comparable book has nearly 50% of its content taken up by marked FC trails. While thats a great idea for anyone who has no knowledge of where they are , it's not really what I'm looking for in a guide book.All I need to do for that sort of stuff is to contact the FC or IMBA then turn up and follow the marker posts. The Mountainbike Scotland book has less than 10% of it's total given over to that kind of riding. Even then it seems to be there to make sure you've got somewhere to head for if the weather is rubbish.
If you're looking for a guide book to quality riding experiences through real Scottish countryside , this is THE one.
A great book for a great day out.
Indispensable August 18, 2006
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book is a superb resource for any mountain biker who rides in Scotland. The previous touchstone reference works; Ralph Storer's 'exploring country hill tracks'(1994) and Harry Henniker's '101 MTB routes in Scotland' (1998) are excellent works in their own right, but target a general cycling audience and could do with updating. Kenny Wilson does that and more with this book, which is packed with genuine epics that will test and inspire any rider. That said, the book is focussed more on the experienced rider who can look after their bike and can handle most types of terrain, there's slim pickings for the novice cyclist here. No problem with that, these books work better if the writer sets their stall out with regard to the target skill level of the audience.
The book itself is excellent value, nice photographs, and written with a pleasing brevity of prose. Its all about the information; where are the trails and what are they like? The writer does a good job of describing bad trail sections that might need to be hiked. Whilst I am sure that plenty of these trails are well-described on the web, or common knowledge amongst longtime Scottish riders, this is the first guidebook I have seen that really draws together the epics in a single reference work. Essential for any MTB rider who wants to do some serious riding in the Scottish hills.
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