We’ve had two new books arrive on our desk at Bikemagic HQ – Mountain Biking in the Yorkshire Dales and The Pocket Mountain Bike Trail Guide: Your Slope Saviour.

Mountain Biking in the Yorkshire Dales (£14.99) is a guide to routes in, you guessed it, the Yorkshire Dales and is the latest book in a series published by Cicerone.

It follows the same tried-and-tested formula as their previous guide books to the South Downs and Lake District, with 30 routes split up into four sections: short loops, medium loops, long loops and full day loops.

Each route contains a run-down of the key stats – such as total distance, percentage on and off road, grade, ascent, time and, most importantly, where the nearest pub and cafe is – plus step-by-step directions and an OS map.

The Pocket Mountain Bike Trail Guide: Your Slope Saviour (£9.99) is described as “the definitive take-it-with-you trail guide” and contains sections on how to prepare for your ride, trail etiquette, trailside repairs, skills and technique, bike setup and first aid – so pretty much every base is covered.

The book, aimed mainly at those new to the sport, is illustrated with both pictures and text. It’s small enough to throw in your rucksack and contains some useful step-by-step instructions for both riding skills and any mechanical problems you might encounter on the trails.