Rough Ride Guides offer an innovative approach to mountain bike guidebooks, though ‘book’ isn’t really the word here. Their first two volumes cover south-west and south-east England.
First impressions; the package is huge. This is not a guidebook you’d carry in a pocket, nor indeed does it fit easily on every bookshelf. In fact it’s not a guidebook at all but a ring-binder with large (A4 size) landscape format pages. Individual routes can therefore easily be removed and slipped into a plastic wallet (provided). The basic idea is excellent and I think this is the way forward for mountain bike (and other) guides. It also allows for updates if new routes become available.
I wonder if a more compact format - smaller pages - would be even better, allowing the guide to be used in a handlebar-mounted wallet, which is great on easier routes. On the other hand, the larger page size allows for some large and very clear maps, which is a definite plus.
In general the layout is attractive and it’s easy to navigate the pages as it is the routes. There’s a wide choice of routes for a range of interest and ability and there’s good background information on accommodation, refreshment and bike shops. This is all good and, so far as I can tell, accurate, though the information on public transport options is a bit skimpy (see blog entry). Personally I’d like a bit more detail on the overall character of the ride and a bit more information about what we might see,
You get a lot of routes in each package - over 60 in the SW and over 50 in the SE, including the epic South Downs Way - but that’s not all. There’s also plenty of basic information on everything from different types of bike to riding skills. This is also attractively laid out and well illustrated. These lift the Rough Ride Guides from mere route guides into a very helpful all-round package, especially for those who may be new to mountain biking.
There are some attractive photos scattered through the route descriptions, where space allows. Quite rightly, priority is given to making the navigational instructions clear and comprehensive. But as the overall package is so lavish, it should have been possible to include a few large, inspiring, landscape and action shots. There are rather too many pictures showing nothing but an empty trail, while several stock pictures have been used which aren’t from the UK at all - this is odd.
A tremendous amount of work has gone into these guides and the overall result is excellent. Unfortunately proof-reading seems to have been skimped and there are numerous spelling errors: ‘snuggly’ instead of ‘snugly’, ‘loose’ where it should be ‘lose’, ‘breaking’ for ‘braking’ (worrying, that last one!). There are grammatical glitches too: ‘it’s’ constantly crops up where ‘its’ should have been used. There are niggling repetitions, like ‘enjoy yourself’ twice in one sentence. And just try reading this out loud: ‘This is a technique for wheeling off the edge of a drop or step in the trail, that simply riding down would put the bike at such a great angle that when the front wheel hits the bottom, might cause you to go over the top.’
This doesn't really diminish the usefulness of these guides but does reduce the pleasure in reading them, and I hope there will be better editing in future editions - and I very much hope there will be future editions. I can’t wait for a Rough Ride Guide to the north-west and the best riding in England.
Considering how much you get, the price of £24.95 is great value, but you can do even better with this special offer. Go to www.roughrideguide.co.uk/deal then click on ‘buy now’. Enter ‘101’ in the coupon code space and get not only £5 off the regular price but also a free bike maintenance supplement - this is also very comprehensive and helpful. (Shipping to UK addresses only.)
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