Understand Your Bike
Learn how tires, suspension, brakes, setup, and key components affect control, traction, and confidence.
Skills · Bikes · Trails · Safety
Understand the bike.
Read the trail.
Find your own ride.
Dirt First Guide is a practical mountain-biking guide for young and newer riders, written from the perspective of a teenage rider who started on the trails at eight.
KindlePaperbackHardcover
A different kind of mountain-bike guide
Not about racing. Not about proving something.
Dirt First Guide explains not only what to do on a mountain bike, but why it works. It takes riders from choosing and understanding a bike to trail skills, safety, maintenance, progression, exploration, and becoming more independent on the trail.
The goal is simple: help riders become more capable one trail, one decision, and one ride at a time.
Ride With Confidence
Build body position, braking, line choice, trail awareness, and smart decision-making.
Progress Without Pressure
Improve without unnecessary risk, comparison, or competition. Better riding starts with better decisions.
Find Your Own Trail
Explore new places, become more independent, and discover the kind of riding that feels like yours.
Meet the author
Ario Kheradvar
Ario is a 16-year-old high school student and mountain biker who started riding at age eight.
After years of learning through experience on the trail, he wrote Dirt First Guide to share the knowledge he wishes he had when he started—especially with teens and newer riders who want to understand both the bike beneath them and the trail ahead.
“I don’t only want to tell you what to do. I want to help you understand why it works.”
Inside the book
Practical ideas you can take to the trail
Clear illustrations help explain the mechanics and decisions behind better riding.
20 chapters
From first bike to independent rider
Choosing your first bikeHow the bike worksTires & tractionSuspensionBike setupBody positionReading the trailSharing the trailProgression & riskCrashes & safetyMaintenanceExploring new trailsStrength for ridingCommunityAdventureWhat riding teaches you
For journalists, bloggers & reviewers
Looking for a fresh mountain-biking story?
Ario’s story combines a young author’s perspective with a practical guide to bikes, trail skills, safety, and progression. Review copies and interview requests are welcome.
- Book reviews & new-book coverage
- Interviews with Ario
- Youth, outdoor, cycling & education stories
- Review-copy requests
Media & Review Copy Request
The trail changes. So do you.