Guidebooks...are they really worth the $

[Griz]

Pennsylvania is a wealth of tapped and untapped mountain riding. From rail-trails to some of the burliest rock-fests in the lower-48. A few guidebooks have been written about some of the many abundant trails. Is it worth it to Joe-public-mountain rider to spenda' few hard-earned clams for a guidebook? Would you wanna know about more places to ride through more guidebooks? What do you look for in a guidebook?

[Divscotty]

When we started riding we purchased a couple books and they were really handy and very informative. When we vacationed in Northern Idaho last summer we purchased a book on Idaho also it was very handy and put us on some real nice trails. Until you learn the areas or you want to explore new territory we have had real good luck with our books.

divscotty

[DSeasholtz]

Yea, guidebooks are a great way to find new stuff to ride. Kinda funny some guy from Bucks County comes to Central PA, writes a book and shows me a whole lotta new areas to ride I didn't know existed in my own backyard. Thanks Griz, keep up the good work.
Dave

[a2psyklnut]

Kinda hit or miss.

I bought one last time I went to NC and it was great, good directions, good maps...etc.

My Bro-in-law gave me one that was Cr@p, couldn't find a trail, directions were sketchy at best and there was no mention of skill level. Ended up on a beginner trail when I was looking for a challange!

I think skill levels should be list on a 1-10 rating vs. easy, moderate difficult!

L8R

[jhl99]

Guidebooks are merely one resource for the avid mountain biker, not necessarily always the best resource (how many authors are going to divulge their favorite trail?) , but better than nothing when scouting new riding areas. Of course, a person's riding style and objectives are important in determining how useful a guidebook might be.

My biggest issue with guidebooks are the maps. More often than not, the maps are just a little more than sketches of the trails that are keyed to some textual directions. Good luck figuring out where you are if you should wonder of the trail by taking the wrong turn at mile "6.4".

A set of Topo maps normally makes guidebook much more usable. Check out www.topozone.com (http://www.topozone.com) for examples, or look for your favorite riding area.

USGS topo maps can be downloaded from numerous sites (the maps are in the public domain). The best scale for mountain biking are the 1:24,000 (7.5 minute) series.... 1" on map = 2000 Ft on ground

West Virginia, PA, New York, OH (my normal riding areas) are a couple of states that offer free downloads of topo maps. Topo maps can be purchased for about $4.00 a map....sometimes university libraries have them available in hardcopy.

Jeff

[jimilton80401]

I have found that guidebooks are good resources if you double check them with local riders. Trails are usually in a constant state of evolution and what you read in a book might have changed since the publication. Also, it's important to me that the author rate the trail for both aerobic difficulty (climbing, etc.) and technical challenge. There may be rides out there with 1800' feet of climbing in 3-4 miles, but on a relatively tame jeep road or abandoned railroad bed.
You have to keep in mind the fact that it is just a guide, not an absolute reference to the trails in a given area.
Having a decent map to augment the book is important, especially on epic rides in strange places.

Jim

[DirtRagArt]

Guidebooks are great, but it's better if you can just grab the auther and have them lead you on a ride... he he he

Great riding with ya Griz, I'm looking forward (and getting in shape) for an epic ride this fall.

[KENNEDIE]

Hell yeah, guidebooks are absolutely vital if you are the kind of person that has any type of roving initiative. At this point in my life, if I'm going somewhere, I don't care where, I'm going to ride it. City or Forest, I want to feel like I know where I'm going. Plus, I actually want to know where I am going. So you see, we really need the information Griz.
—Joel K

[ctg]

I've found them useful for the most part. Ideally it would be great if the maps were more comprehensive. It would be nice to see most if not all the trails in the area instead of just the designated route. Topo would be great but those are easy enough to get on your own.

I'd also like to see the rides dated, as in: The maps/directions were made on **/**/**

Chris

[angelo_caduto86]

I have never read a guide that I didn't learn something.

I don't think it is a case of riders not telling their favorite rides....because many trail books are written by people who don't live in the area they are writing about. It's up to the author to get to know the area well enough (or trick the local riders into telling him or her the good trails).

A well written guide is essential to learning about an unfamilar area. If they are well written you will get a sense of which trails are at your level.

You can always hope you run into a local rider, say at a bike shop, and they will tell you where to ride, but how many people do you run into will know the trail head is 6.7 miles from the intersection of Main and Broadway...usually the directions are something like "go up there a bit, can't miss it..."