The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes(Expanded and Revised 5th Edition)
This revised, updated, expanded fifth edition is indispensable-with all the latest models, parts, and repair techniques, and terrific money-saving tips to keep any ride in tip-top shape Since its first publication, Bicycling Magazine’s Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair has sold over 400,000 copies. The fifth edition is guaranteed to remain the category killer. This long-overdue update is a must-have for weekend riders and serious cyclists alike.
Whether they own the latest model or a classic with thousands of miles on it, beginners and experienced cyclists alike can depend on this book to get their bikes out of the shop faster and keep them on the road longer. They’ll discover information on: o Building a dream bike workshop o Disc brakes, both cable-actuated and hydraulic o Dialing in front and rear suspension shocks for comfortable rides o The latest crankset and bottom bracket designs o Overhauling freewheels and cassettes for peak performance o Specs on all the latest handlebar and headset sizes o Servicing clipless pedals for maximum safety
With troubleshooting sections to quickly identify and correct common problems, 450 photographs and 40 drawings to clarify all the step-by-step directions so even the complete neophyte can get repairs right the first time, and Web sites and phone numbers of bicycle and parts manufacturers, this is truly the ultimate bicycle repair and maintenance manual-now better than ever in its fifth edition!
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Comprehensive and Insdispensible for the Home Mechanic
I really couldn’t be happier with this book. I knew basically nothing about bicycle repair when I bought it, and I have since successfully disassembled a front derailleur and properly changed a worn out cassette, among other things. This book will tell you what you need to know - everything from the most basic, routine procedures to the most involved repairs. Extremely helpful!
5 Stars An excellent reference, even in an Internet Age
This is a useful book for maintaining and overhauling a bike, aimed at a beginning-to-intermediate user. I completed a stem-to-stern overhaul of my bike using this book (and the websites of Park Tools and BicycleTutor), and I had no idea where the bottom bracket was on my bike before starting.
It’s written in a clear and informal manner (avoids being dry), and is well-populated with useful (B&W) photos besides. Each chapter ends with step-wise and photo-illustrated sections on common tasks related to the preceding chapter. This leads to a bit of repetition, but it’s nice to have the illustrated summary version on just a few pages.
There are a number of internet resources out there (e.g. Sheldon Brown’s, besides the ones mentioned earlier), but I feel they complement this book rather than replace it. Some tasks the book explains and illustrates better; some tasks only make sense when you see a video of it. Don’t be afraid to use both.
As a prior review noted, if you’ve been a wrench in the past, this book will likely teach you nothing new; for everyone else with the least bit of interest in maintaining their bike, this is a welcome book.
5 Stars Fantastic book
I am a cycling novice, new to road biking, and wanted to do some basic maintenance, understand bicycle parts,etc. This book is clearly written, beautifully organized, and nicely illustrated. Very happy with the purchase
2 Stars Covers everything — but doesn’t cover anything in depth
The problem with this book is that it tries to cover every area of every kind of bike — road bikes, mountain bikes, even recumbents — in one volume, and as a result it spreads itself too thin.
For example, the book will show you pictures of the different types of shifters and brake levers available on mountain bikes, but it has too little detail on any of them to allow you to troubleshoot (much less repair) the one you happen to have when it doesn’t work correctly.
This book is not useless, but it is more of a general overview of the different kinds of components seen on bicycles in general than a how-to-guide that will show you how to maintain and repair your bike.
3 Stars Info too general, photos too close up. Not bad but needs more.
I purchased this book along with my new mountain bike knowing I would need info in addition to the instruction manual to tune my bike for use.
With this manual and some serious tinkering on my own over the past several days, I have been able to adjust my disc brakes, adjust my front and rear dérailleurs, attach and adjust my handlebars and seat.
So yes, the book has been helpful. However, the pictures of each specific piece of equipment are too close up to get a good orientation (thus the hours of tinkering with screws, cables, nuts and bolts to figure out what does what).
With a bit more thought put into the photographs (like a far away view first to orient you to the piece of equipment under scrutiny), this book could easily rate 5 stars from me.
I give it three because it put me on the right track so did a good job getting me started. Plus I’ve enjoyed the tinkering. I know far more about the bike I now own than any bike I’ve owned in the past thanks to this process.
Anyone with decent experience with bikes will be able to understand the pictures easily. But, then again, they probably won’t need this book.
Anyone new to bikes is going to have to put in some work to figure out how the photos in the book relate to the equipment on your bike.
Still, nothing else on the market comes close - at least not anything that I was able to find at the time of my purchase of this book (Feb 2009).
Filed under: Mountain Bike Book Reviews