Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8029 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Synopsis
Whether you are an experienced cyclist or a novice, you will have more fun riding your bike if you can count on it not to break down - and if you can fix it when it does. That is what this book will help you achieve. In very simple terms and with step-by-step full colour illustrations, it explains the most common maintenance and repair jobs -in the workshop and on the roadside. The procedures are presented in a step-by-step format, and the illustrations cover every aspect of the work: - Routine maintenance - Roadside repairs - How to fix a flat tyre - Adjusting brakes and gears - Straightening wheels - Checking the suspension - Lighting and other accessories - Systematic procedures and trouble-shooting checklists for the most frequently required bicycle maintenance and repair jobs. Handy format makes this a useful book to carry in your panniers, or to keep in the home workshop. Rob van der Plas is the world's leading author on bicycle technology.

Customer Reviews

a really useful guide
Having both a hybrid and a road bike i needed a book for general maintenance that would cover the essentials for both types. This book does that. It covers the steps for various brakes, wheels and gear adjustment as well as other stuff like a bottom bracket and even adjusting a seat post.

What you can't see on the internet is the size of this book - it's only about 12cm tall and so is a real pocket size which could be easily fitted in a pannier if you tour or commute.

The pages of the book which i was particuarly looking for were the maintenance schedules - weekly, monthly and yearly. Each shows what you should do in simple steps to keep your bike running well.

Highly recommended, particularly for beginners

Well written, a handy format, and short enough to encourage experimentation.
This is a good, hand-holding guide which will encourage me to do more hands-on work on my bikes. The sections on wheel truing alone are well worth reading.

The author has taken trouble to write in a way which is helpful for non-Usonian mechanics too -- he clearly has wide experience with European bikes and parts.

I'd have liked more exploded diagrams of complex parts, but I appreciate the cost of good-quality technical illustration is too high for this price range.

Minor irritation: The author constantly refers to the rear-wheel's sprockets as "cogs", which is mechanically inaccurate. Cogs mesh with other cogs; sprockets work with a chain.

An ideal size
An excellent book, both clear and informative and just the right size to take on those cycling trips.