Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair [Paperback]

I got Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair in the hopes that it would be more accessible to a novice than the current maintenance manual that I was using. I had been riding a road bike off and on for about ten years, and then about four years ago I began to ride on a much more regular basis. Cycling is an expensive sport, and can become a very expensive sport. The more that a cyclist is able to repair on his own, the better it will be for his wallet. And if you like to cycle a lot, and simple do not want to wait for your bike to be fixed at the shop, it is nice to know how to make simple repairs. Also, it is good to know how a bike works, and essential to know how to make simple road side repairs such as flat tires and using barrel adjustments.
Overall I have to say that I am very pleased with this manual. I did not review that entire manual. Instead I focused on the maintenance that I often perform and therefore more familiar. Already I have found the manual very helpful. One of the aspects of bike maintenance that has been a thorn in my side is front derailleur adjustments. I often take off my cranks in order to clean them or the bottom bracket. And, very often, when I put the cranks back on the derailleur does not work correctly. This is because that chain rings are not in the same position as when it was originally adjusted. This problem can be easily adjusted with the barrel adjustment. It is an obvious and simple fix, but for some reason I had never thought of it until I read this manual. Another example is that for years I have wondered about the little screw on top of my brakes. It turns out that it is to center the brakes on the rim.
What I like most about the manual is that it is not overly technical--it is written in a manner in which novices can understand. Yet, I did have some issues with the manual. First, it is not complete; it seems to be geared toward bikes with the newest technologies. Case in point, the section that covers the maintenance of bottom brackets does not cover the type of bottom bracket that my bike uses. This may have been because it is older and not on many of the newer bikes, or that it is very simple type of bottom bracket that is fairly simple to perform maintenance. Another issue that I had with the book is that some of the pictures that are provided are often inadequate. They are in black and white, and do not provide very good visuals. I also, being a visual learning, would have like to have seen a bit more pictures. But, overall I would recommend this book to other cyclist seeking a good manual to help them learn to fix their bike.

Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair

I received a review copy of this book. Overall I was very pleased however a couple photos were wrong(last image on pg. 25 and first on pg. 26 are swapped.) but hopefully that will be fixed in the final revision. One thing to note, this book is specifically about road bikes - I know it says that in the sub-title but that is rarely clearly displayed.

I have been repairing bikes for our family for many years but all my experience is with 10+ year old steel frame, friction shift, 10 speed and mountain bikes.

The book is broken down by topics: Frame and Fork, Handlebars and Stem, Saddles and Seatposts, Wheels, Tires, Brakes, Cranks and Chainrings, etc. The book goes into more depth than I expected with sections on reaming and facing BB shells and head tubes; Truing the frame and aligning the dropouts. The book is well illustrated with about 3 photos per page showing what they are doing.

Most chapters start and/or end with a humorous story from the author's time as a pro mechanic.

Most, if not all of this information can be found in various places online however it is very handy to have it all together neatly laid out in one book that I can hold.

The final chapter focuses on fitting a bike. It certainly does not replace an experience person at a bicycle shop but it will give you a good start.

For an individual looking to become a bicyclist, this book is a very informational guide to have around. As a son of a bike shop co-owner, and an active cyclist, I can say I even learned some facts and information about my own bikes. The amount of information is far beyond what I have expected. After reading the preface I began to wonder, who is this book intended for?
My initial answer to that question was someone looking to be a professional cyclist. After all, the author is talking about extreme cycling as a competitive sport, and not a hobby. But when the text came down to facts, how to's, and my favorite "what these things are and what they do", all the information was there that anyone from a simple mountain or road bike owner, to a touring bike competitive rider could use and understand. After getting to all this information, I decided that this book, and many like it, is in fact an essential tool to owning a bike no matter how you use it. Not everyone has a dad with a bike shop and skills to teach you how to make repairs yourself.
I would give this book high a recommendation for anyone wanting to take on the hobby of bicycling, and to any current bike owners wanted to make the most out of their biking experience. With a few glances to the included glossary for help, any cyclist can improve the functions on his or her's bike. I could say this book gave me better understanding of my own bikes, and will possibly reduce the number of trips they go back to my dad's for repair.