bike repair book

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Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

I am not a mechanically gifted person. I can basic things like fix a flat and I really don't want to change that. You won't see me building a bike from scratch any time soon.
However, there are times when I think that a little more handiness with tools might help. For example, when I get up in the morning and discover that the pothole I hit yesterday really put my wheel out of true. it would be nice to be able to fix that rather than having to head to the gym. Or adjusting a break which is rubbing because it got conked when loading the car. Simple things.
any suggestions about where to start?

Anonymous's picture
Carol (not verified)

"Bicycling Magazine's ""Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair"" or ""Richards' Bicycle Repair Manual"" by Richard Ballantine and Richard Grant. (The copies I have of each are somewhat old - don't know if they've been updated or are still in print.)

Also, Bicycle Habitat does bike maintenance classes."

Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
Truing a wheel is more than just a repair...

"...it's an art.

Check amazon.com - search for ""bicycle maintenance."" Both books Carol mentions are still in print and there are quite a few others too. Read the reviews before you buy - some of them are quite mixed. I have an old edition of the Bicycling Magazine book but it wouldn't be my first choice today.

FYI, both Specialized Bikes (www.specialized.com) and the Barnett Bike Institute (www.bbinstitute.com/manual.htm) put up a different chapter of the Barnett Manual on their websites every month or so - not the latest edition but comprehensive ... and free.

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Anonymous's picture
John Herman (not verified)
Bike Repair Book

I was advised to buy Zinn and the Art of Bycycle Maintenance. I've read through it a bit and found it easy to understand. The one time I needed to adjust my gears, which I had mal-adjusted, I followed his directions and it was perfect.

Anonymous's picture
Eloy Anzola (not verified)
Park Tool Website

Check out the Park Tool website. It has a whole section on Bike Repair.

Very informative:

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml

hope it helps

Anonymous's picture
Anthony Poole (not verified)
Also try Anybody's Bike Book

Anybody's Bike Book by Tom Cuthbertson is also pretty good for a lot of general repairs. It was recommended to me this year by club member and A19 SIG captain Dr Ed Fishkin, who also happens to be a first class bike mechaninc, having built several of his own bikes, if not all of them.

I've been using this book since April and have used it on a few occasions to make successful minor brake and gear adjustments, that would otherwise have resulted in a trip to the bike shop.

There is a chapter on wheels, which will give you good advice on getting a wheel good enough to ride home after an incident, but wheel-building is quite an art, not to be underestimated. There is quite a difference in getting a wheel good enough to ride home with, as opposed to truing a perfect wheel, which probably requires some expert tuition and some reading of books specifically on the subject. You should read something good on wheel building before even attempting to get a wheel good enough to ride home on.

Anonymous's picture
Adam Jacobson (not verified)
Thanks

Thanks for all your suggestions. I ordered a couple of them from Amazon. We'll see how it goes.

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