44 Of The Best Mountain Biking Books Of All Time

Rebecca Rush’s memoir follows her adventures as a record-winning mountain bike racer. Starting with her first foray into sports as a rock climber and kayaker, up to her transformation at 38 into an enduro racer, it’s a gripping read about one of the greatest living athletes.

Jules Verne imagined a person would go around the world in 80 days, but did he imagine a man would go around the world in six-million pedal strokes? Follow Scott Zamek’s incredible two-year journey that began on a mountain bike in Ohio and ended in illness and poverty in Hong Kong.

Paul Howard has ridden the Tour de France route, but he still wasn’t prepared to take his mountain bike down the Continental Divide. He raced the 2,745-mile route from Canada to the Mexican border as part of the annual Tour Divide and documented his adventure in this memoir.

Less guide, more bucket list, this work describes 50 of the most incredible places to ride a bike. Mountain bikers and roadies will each find something to dream about in this gorgeous, photo-laden volume. Pick up a copy and pick your favorites!

Paul Howard isn’t the only cyclist who has raced the Tour Divide: This book by Scott Thigpen is a first-person account of a normal guy who gave up his cubicle and raced the Tour Divide.

Jill Homer set a new record in the 2009 Tour Divide. This book describes how she overcame a wall of hardships, including an Iditarod Trail race that left her with severe frostbite, the dissolution of her 8-year relationship, and the fear of leaving a stable job as a newspaper editor, all in the days leading up to her incredible race.

As if setting a new record on the Divide wasn’t enough, Jill Homer also set records in Alaska, on a thousand-mile bike ride on the Iditarod Trail. Find out how she did it and learn what gave her the strength she needed for her later race on the Divide in this inspiring book.

Two friends ride the Great Divide, battling the conditions, each other, and their own limitations. This very funny book shows that they stayed friends and kept their sense of humor even when the ride got rough.

Starting with a master class in physiology and fitness science, this practical guide helps the reader to train at any level of fitness and competition. Amateurs and racers alike will find this guide essential.

Humourous classic using cartoon illustrations to share a lifetime of mountain biking expertise.

World-champion Brian Lopes and riding coach Lee McCormack co-wrote this book, now in its 3rd edition, to mountain biking skills.

The author of The Art of Cycling turns his attention to mountain biking, sharing his best singletrack skills. He demystifies the science behind biomechanics and shows how to improve your riding at any level, on any terrain.

This technical manual is accompanied by stunning landscape photography of mountain biking across beautiful terrain. The step-by-step focus is perfect for beginners but suitable for all riders.

Not only a skills primer, this book by world champion Ned Overend even details the tactical aspects of mountain bike racing. Great for racers, and handy to impress your friends even on the amateur level.

This big, photo-full book includes step-by-step directions on mountain and road bike maintenance and repair. Troubleshooting sections are particularly helpful for those moments where you know something is off but have no idea what’s wrong.

This is the best-selling book on mountain bike maintenance, by Lennard Zinn, the world’s leading expert on bike maintenance and repair. He’s also written a book on road bikes; this is his mountain bike-only manual.

How do you get started mountain biking? This is a short book geared at someone who is interested but hasn’t even picked out their bike yet.

If you’re a novice bicyclist looking to tour and camp by bike, this is your book. From choosing a bike to choosing camping gear, it’s a detailed look into every facet of bikepacking.

This book aims to teach children and adults how to learn mountain biking in just two days.

Another short book, this little guide is also aimed at the absolute beginner.

More detailed than the last, this is one of the many primers that will help turn an interest into a hobby.

This more comprehensive beginner’s guide covers bike selection and pre-riding decisions, but also incorporates winter riding, fitness training, and more.

This short book by Barbara Border, who runs cycling camps in Georgia and Tennessee, provides advice specific to women who want to start mountain biking. Women are often overlooked in cycling, and this book has details and details that the other beginner guides lack.

Dr. Achim Schmidt is an amateur mountain bike racer and a doctor, and he wrote this book to help new athletes get started and avoid injuries and muscle strain.

If you read any of the inspiration books on it, you’ll know that the Great Divide race isn’t supported; riders carry their own maps, food, and repair supplies. This book is the essential guide for anyone planning to stop dreaming and start racing this unique event.

One-part aspiration, one-part practicum, this guide will appeal both as a trip planner and as a daydream companion.

Northern California is home to the redwoods, the mountains of Lake Tahoe, and the birth of mountain biking. This guide covers it all.

This guide covers mountain biking and road biking, for anyone who likes both.

One-hundred mountain bike trails near the birthplace of mountain biking

A slim pocket-sized guide with detailed instructions on mountain biking around this beautiful region

Colorado is the mecca of mountain biking, and this guide details 73 rides that showcase why.

San Francisco isn’t just home to Silicon Valley: It’s also an incredible place to mountain bike, as this guide demonstrates.

It’s not as famous as Colorado or northern California, but Virginia has an incredible mountain bike scene, and this guide will help you find the best places to experience it.

More than 150 rides in Colorado, and all the information you need to plan a trip around the bike.

The southwest is paradise for fat tire enthusiasts, and this book will help you get the most out of the national parks of southern Utah, Colorado, and northern Arizona.

This book describes some unique mountain terrains in the country and highlights 45 rides along the Front Range.

California’s Orange County is full of great but daunting trails; this guide helps introduce them to mountain bikers of all levels.

More fat tire fun celebrating the best parts of mountain biking.

Another great, photo-rich guide detailing the amazing riding in Colorado.

The International Mountain Bicycling Association has written the definitive book on trail maintenance, management, and health.

The experts at IMBA share the secrets to building singletrack trails.

The first mountain bike trail was called Repack, and it was ridden on converted Schwinn beach cruisers. This book details the rise of mountain biking racing.

The second book by Charlie Kelly has contributions from engineers, other authors and historians on the birth of mountain biking.

Mark Riedy details the creation of the first commercial mountain bike and the many changes that have come since.