Kissing the Trail: Northwest & Central Oregon Mountain Bike Trails [Tapa blanda]

The price of this book gave me a millisecond of pause, but here's the deal: it's worth several times as much as the $20 ($19.95) you'll plop down for it.

Bit of background: I'm an intermediate rider in good physical condition, with no aspirations to learn how to bunny hop over picnic tables or take of trial riding.

The list of positives for this book includes great maps, good directions to trail heads, rating systems for fitness challenge and technical challenge that are consistent and accurate, and a very useful "Who Will Like This Ride" prologue to each ride description. Examples: "Families and Single Track Virgins" for a gentle meander, or "You Love the Smell of Burning Lungs in the Morning" for a grunt of a ride.

The descriptions are carefully done, with mileage markers that clearly describe where to turn, where NOT to turn, all of which in real life use (yes, the book is small enough to pack with you on your ride)have repeatedly saved me from getting flummoxed.

The range of rides contained in the book (84 in all)include pancake flat 2-4 milers for families with young kids, or first-timers, to epics with many thousands of feet in elevation gain and over the half century mark in distance.

There are several mountain biking books that describe Central Oregon off road riding, I think I own them all. Bypass the more pedestrian versions, go straight to the Porsche Carrrera of the genre: Kissing the Trail.

When you use this book in conjunction with COTA's awesome maps, as a guest checking out Bend, this combo will make you feel like a local when riding our trails. LOVE IT, which is why both items are in all of the vacation rentals that I manage!