Trailside Guide: Women's Mountain Biking

Which manufacturers make bikes and accessories especially for a woman's shorter torso, smaller hands, and narrower hips? How can a woman ensure she's getting the best possible service at a male-oriented bike shop? What exercises can a woman do to improve her upper body strength and thus her ability to enjoy long climbs and challenging trails? How can a woman prevent a sore rear-end on a bumpy ride? These and scores of other questions are answered in Women's Mountain Biking. With enthusiasm enough to infect even the skeptic, Jennifer Kulier shows that mountain biking — including tough, single-track riding — is very much for women too. She inspires and informs novice cyclists and experienced riders alike with this complete guide, providing the latest information on equipment, riding techniques, and safety, as well as practical tips from women mountain bikers that the guys won't know. This once-macho sport is waking up to the power of women, who are joining the ranks of mountain bikers in ever greater numbers. It's time for women's particular requirements and concerns — from bike size and frame design to extreme techniques and off-road repairs — to be addressed. Kulier does so carefully, candidly, and from a woman's perspective. From 1996 to 1997, women's participation in on-road mountain biking rose by 45.5 percent (the greatest annual increase of all 59 sports surveyed), and in off-road mountain biking women's participation rose by 8.8 percent, the ninth greatest increase, according to National Sporting Goods Association statistics.

An environmental and sports writer and editor, Jennifer Kulier lives in St. Louis, Missouri.