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Rating: 
Summary: MTB America Colorado, a guide to Colorado by mountain bike
Review: First, thank you for your interest in Mountain Bike America: Colorado. The riding and writing of this book was far less a love of labor than a labor of love. Like many of you, some of my best mountain biking trips included swapping stories with friends around a blazing campfire in between the reading of the next day's trails' descriptions. It was that mood that I strived to capture in detailing the history, geology, archeology, lore, and legend of the more than 50 trails in this book. For two years I traveled throughout Colorado, meeting and talking with people who love to ride, investigating the quirky stories that surround Colorado's history, and traveling to the out-of-the-way places that make Colorado truely an original. What emerged from my findings was a definite sense of storey, a kind of homeplace among the all but forgotten Colorado players. From off-road wheelchair riding, to P.T. Barnum hoaxes, to Native American bear dances, to volcanic upliftings, Mountain Bike America: Colorado offers riders a guided tour of Colorado by bike. I hope that by reading Mountain Bike America: Colorado you too will discover your own sense of homeplace among Colorado's towering mountains, dusty foothills, and waving grasslands. Mountain Bike America: Colorado is more than just a mountain bike guide to Colorado. It's a guide to Colorado by mountain bike.
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Summary: Chock-full of local color and written with a sense of humor
Review: I found this book for sale in a bike shop in Boulder, Co. I was about to embark on a ten day biking holiday and was relying on some short ride descriptions I had from a regular guide book. Throughout the holiday I never regretted making the purchase. No, not all the information was immediately useful because I never needed the section on how to distract a mountain lion from attacking you but it was fun to have (throw stones but don't bend down to pick them up - shout loudly and authoratitively - don't run). The author leverages his local knowledge to bring you an exhaustive list of rides ranging from the well-known to previously well-kept local secrets. I particularly enjoyed the Monarch Crest Trail - a savage and long ride that takes you high above the tree line through a range of different montaine environments. The book is full of essential information but also takes time out to bring you stories full of local color and history. For example, the story of how Nipple Peak got its name is written with subtle and deliciously understated wit. You don't just get a list of lengths, elevations and ride descriptions, you learn a lot about local history and the environment in which you ride, which will help you appreciate what you see even more. If you're planning a trip to Colorado or even just want to enjoy some great travel writing, you should read this book. However, be warned. Once you read about these rides, you'll want to try them all. I had a great holiday - you will too.
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Summary: Thorough and complete
Review: This book covers it all, from accurate and interesting ride descriptions, to quality maps, to action photography, to a veritable database of other outdoor adventure resources. The book does a great job capturing the overall scope of Colorado mountain biking, throughout all of Colorado. One of the best guide books I've ever seen.
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Summary: Mama!
Review: This book covers it all. I have been in Colorado for ten years and this book has trails I have never heard of. The suggestions for how to prepare and how to repair are wonderful. You will love the history snibits that accompany the trail facts. Get it, got it, good. John Gray
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Summary: Mama!
Review: This book covers it all. I have been in Colorado for ten years and this book has trails I have never heard of. The suggestions for how to prepare and how to repair are wonderful. You will love the history snibits that accompany the trail facts. Get it, got it, good. John Gray
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Summary: local who uses the book
Review: This book is a fantastic guide to some of the best trails in Colorado. As an avid mountainbiker I have used the book to get me to and through many rides both in my area and on many a weekend journey. The informatoin on lodging, places to eat and other recreation in the areas is a great aditional tool that most guide books overlook. if you are going riding in Colorado this is the book you need.
Rating:
Summary: local who uses the book
Review: This book is a fantastic guide to some of the best trails in Colorado. As an avid mountainbiker I have used the book to get me to and through many rides both in my area and on many a weekend journey. The informatoin on lodging, places to eat and other recreation in the areas is a great aditional tool that most guide books overlook. if you are going riding in Colorado this is the book you need.
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Summary: Highly unrecommended for the price
Review: This book, while a nice intro to biking in colorado, is totally unnecessary. The maps you can get for free from any local visitor or tourism center (in basically any town in touristy colorado) are far more complete and will provide more trails in greater detail. But back to the book- there are some problems with it (besides the fact that it neglects many great trails that one might miss if one uses the book in lieu of other free maps listing trails), the greatest being that the topo (altitude over distance) maps are generally quite a bit off, although they do give a general idea of elevation changes. But again, this is almost always included in the FREE maps you can get at the visitor's center in even the tiniest colorado town. Also, some of the trails (i.e. the Wabash Trail in Telluride) are not mountain biking trails and don't belong in the book. (For the record, I would like to see John Tomac bike Wabash in the "expert" time frame of 3-4 hours that was listed in the book - this trail is 50% insurpassable while seated on the bike and a huge waste of time. I wouldn't have wasted a day on it if it hadn't been in the book). In summary, don't waste your cash. Buy a nice dinner instead.
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Summary: All the information you need in one place
Review: Well worth the money. Excellent maps, background information on every ride, good directions to trailheads. I recommend this book to everyone who does off road in Colorado.
Rating:
Summary: All the information you need in one place
Review: Well worth the money. Excellent maps, background information on every ride, good directions to trailheads. I recommend this book to everyone who does off road in Colorado.
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