Rating: 
Summary: Great trails, excellent book!
Review: Cosmic Ray spills the beans about all the best trails in all the best mountain biking areas in Arizona . . . Sedona, Phoenix, Tucson, Grand Canyon, Prescott, Flagstaff, Payson and more. It is obvious that he is a local and has a keen interest in what he does. He includes his e-mail address in the book so you can quiz him on a particular ride whenever you want. I found this very helpful before I set off on the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stage Coach Route. Ray is real.Each ride is accompanied by a description and a map. The description includes time, distance, effort, skill, route find-ability and fear factor (puck-o-meter 1 to 10!) If you are short on time, premium rides are indicated with a special "premium ride" icon. Rating ride difficulty is a subjective science and Cosmic Ray makes it clear that he is an intermediate to advanced rider. He rates the trails for the average rider, not the racer nor the total weenie. Most trails lean toward the intermediate/advanced rider with a few severe trails thrown in to add some spice. There are a few easy trails as well. Cosmic Ray's maps are cartoony looking but he says they are adapted (traced) from topos. They are pretty much to scale and oriented north. The detailed descriptions and mileage log fill in where a map just can't do the job. I found the distances to be pretty close, but not 100% perfect. Any semi-experienced mountain biker can easily work around this. The best part of this book is Cosmic Ray's sense of humor. It makes for a good read with lots of laughs whether you ride or not.
Rating:
Summary: Great trails, great book.
Review: Cosmic Ray spills the beans about the best trails in all the best mountain biking areas in Arizona . . . Sedona, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Tucson, Prescott, Payson and more. It is obvious that he is a local and has a keen interest in what he does. He includes his e-mail address in the book so you can quiz him on a particular ride whenever you want. I found this very helpful before I set off on the Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Stage Coach Route. Each ride is accompanied by a description and a map. The description includes time, distance, effort, skill, find-ability, best season to ride and fear factor (puck-o-meter 1 to 10 !) If you are short on time, premium rides are indicated with a special "primo ride" icon. Rating ride difficulty is a subjective science and Cosmic Ray makes it clear that he is an intermediate/advanced rider. He rates the trails for the "average" rider, not the racer and not the total weenie. Most trails lean toward the intermediate/advanced rider with a few severe trails just to add some spice. There are a few easy trails as well. Cosmic Ray's maps are cartoony looking, but he says they are adapted (traced) from topos. They are pretty much to scale and oriented north. The detailed descriptions and mileage log fill in where a map just can't do the job. I found the distances to be mostly pretty close, but not 100% perfect. Any semi-experienced mountain biker can easily work around this. The best part of this book is Cosmic Ray's sense of humor. It makes for a good read with lots of laughs whether you ride or not.
Rating:
Summary: All the Best Trails in Arizona under $10.
Review: Cosmic Ray's book is great. This new edition has much improved maps over old editions. The writing style remains hilarious. In this one book you get all the 70 or so best of the best trails from all over Arizona for under ten bucks. If you bought separate topo, forest service or specialty maps, you'd pay hundreds of dollars for this much info. And Ray knows the trails. He's been riding a mountain bike since before they were called "mountain bikes", back in the days when the locals in Flagstaff were making their own mountain bikes out of spare parts. He knows the trails all over Arizona and rides them regularly. In the very beginning of the book, Ray tells how he rates the rides. He describes himself as a "seedy but sincere middle age male in reasonably good shape" so you have something with which to compare your own level of ability. Then he goes on to tell how the ride felt to himself regarding effort, skill, fear factor (the puck-o-meter rules!). The contour profile lets you know what a ride is like at a glance. If the profile is flat, it's easy. On the other hand, if you see that you have a 5000 foot climb coming up, be warned it ain't no weenie ride. If you must complain about roots, rocks, mud, sand, dirt etc., then this is not the book for you. If you need a topo map,a GPS and a hand to hold to find your way around a well signed trail, again, this is not the book for you. If you want directions, buy a map. If you want adventure, this is it.
Rating:
Summary: We're all indebted to Ray
Review: Everyone who lives in Cosmic Ray's neighborhood (Flagstaff, Arizona) owes him a big heap-o thanks for publishing this fine guide and bringing thousands of eager bikin'-tourons-with-cash to our region... and for not giving away ALL the cool trails in the state either! Ray's a fun fella and his guide's a fun read. If you're gonna come ride in Arizona, this is the ONLY book you need!
Rating:
Summary: excellent guide
Review: FAT TIRE TALES & TRAILS is an excellent guide. If you are a novice or expert rider, the book will suit you just fine. Ray seems to know all the best places to ride. He includes a "ride at a glance" countour profile so you know how long and how hilly a ride will be. The cartoony maps are spot on accurate plus there is tons of other info included in every ride. He covers the areas around Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Tucson, Sedona, Phoenix and the best of the rest of the state as well. This book is a real bargain at $9.95.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book but not always 100% accurate in descriptions
Review: First, let me say what everyone else has - the book is the wonderful - the best mountain bike guide for the state of Arizona hands down. I like the format, the casual tone and depth of information. That said, there are a few trails that I've run into that don't match the author's description quite right. For example, I don't think most people would consider Lower Oldham Trail in Flagstaff "No Sweat" or "Darn Easy". Certainly, its not the hardest trail in Flagstaff, but it is no trail for beginners or the family, which these ratings may imply. Up is pretty brutal and even down - well, there is a pretty sustained, somewhat technical climb involved. And the comment "If you love to carve some level grove, this is the ride for you" - the trail doesn't gain a ton of altitude, but does have some step ups and downs. This description is much more accurate for the nearby "Jump Trail." FYI - If I were reading this review, I'd wonder if the author (me) is just a weak rider. All I can say is that there areother trails in the same that are actuall substantially easier (aerobically) yet rated harder than this one. Anyway, don't be misled. If you are into Mountain Biking in AZ, buy the book - it is well worth it. But if don't know the area and you've got beginners or kids with you (or are not used to pedaling at 7000-9000 ft), you may want to check with the local bike shop for a little more insight into the best trails for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book but not always 100% accurate in descriptions
Review: First, let me say what everyone else has - the book is the wonderful - the best mountain bike guide for the state of Arizona hands down. I like the format, the casual tone and depth of information. That said, there are a few trails that I've run into that don't match the author's description quite right. For example, I don't think most people would consider Lower Oldham Trail in Flagstaff "No Sweat" or "Darn Easy". Certainly, its not the hardest trail in Flagstaff, but it is no trail for beginners or the family, which these ratings may imply. Up is pretty brutal and even down - well, there is a pretty sustained, somewhat technical climb involved. And the comment "If you love to carve some level grove, this is the ride for you" - the trail doesn't gain a ton of altitude, but does have some step ups and downs. This description is much more accurate for the nearby "Jump Trail." FYI - If I were reading this review, I'd wonder if the author (me) is just a weak rider. All I can say is that there areother trails in the same that are actuall substantially easier (aerobically) yet rated harder than this one. Anyway, don't be misled. If you are into Mountain Biking in AZ, buy the book - it is well worth it. But if don't know the area and you've got beginners or kids with you (or are not used to pedaling at 7000-9000 ft), you may want to check with the local bike shop for a little more insight into the best trails for you.
Rating:
Summary: Cosmic Ray Rocks
Review: I am a Mountain Bike Journalist from the U.K. Thanks to Ray's guide I was able to arrive in Sedona for the first time and hit the trail rolling. Fat Tire Tales & Trails sends you to all the good stuff straight away with no messing about. The book has all the right info that a mountain biker cares to know. There is a "favorite trail" icon assigned to 5 or 6 rides in each area that is very helpful to those on a limited time schedule. The contour profile showing elevation change and distance helps you scope out a ride in just a glance. I dare say this is the best guide I've seen anywhere. Funny too.
Rating:
Summary: Cosmic Ray Rocks
Review: I am a Mountain Bike Journalist from the U.K. Thanks to Ray's guide I was able to arrive in Sedona for the first time and hit the trail rolling. Fat Tire Tales & Trails sends you to all the good stuff straight away with no messing about. The book has all the right info that a mountain biker cares to know. There is a "favorite trail" icon assigned to 5 or 6 rides in each area that is very helpful to those on a limited time schedule. The contour profile showing elevation change and distance helps you scope out a ride in just a glance. I dare say this is the best guide I've seen anywhere. Funny too.
Rating:
Summary: Book was solid!
Review: I am a student at California University of Chico State. A friend of mine and I just recently rode some mighty fine Sedona trails. Just wanted to say that this book was a great help and provided some good entertainment. Cosmic Ray is Crazy Ray. We yelled his name out loud on the trails, but he must not have been out that day. The book was solid. Someday I will ride with Ray out on the Red Rock Trails. Brent
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