It explains everything simply and step by step, so it is actually difficult to get confused while using it, even when adjusting derailleurs, which has always been rather difficult for me.

It is also a fairly comprehensive book, in a layout that is very efficient. You dont have to spend a lot of time trying to find what youre looking for.

The only drawback I can think of is the fact that it simply needs to be updated, since cycling technology has changed quite a bit since its last revision in 1996. However, this could be said of any technical manual. In order to get a more comprehensive bike repair manual, youd have to get the Sutherlands Handbook for Bicycle Mechanics, which has been referred to as "the bible of bicycle mechanics."
...but thats only if you want ot drop a couple or so hundred bucks on a bike repair manual.

It explains everything simply and step by step, so it is actually difficult to get confused while using it, even when adjusting derailleurs, which has always been rather difficult for me.

It is also a fairly comprehensive book, in a layout that is very efficient. You dont have to spend a lot of time trying to find what youre looking for.

The only drawback I can think of is the fact that it simply needs to be updated, since cycling technology has changed quite a bit since its last revision in 1996. However, this could be said of any technical manual. In order to get a more comprehensive bike repair manual, youd have to get the Sutherlands Handbook for Bicycle Mechanics, which has been referred to as "the bible of bicycle mechanics."
...but thats only if you want ot drop a couple or so hundred bucks on a bike repair manual.

I recently built my own criterium bike from the bottom bracket up. This was my first attempt at bike building, so naturally, I had a lot of questions and needed step by step instructions. I went through just about every chapter of this book during the project, and found serious problems with nearly all of them. I spent more time trying to decipher the book than if I would have learned on my own by trial and error!

Save yourself some money and a whole lot of headaches, and buy Zinn & The Art of Road (or Mountain) Bike Maintenance.

I recently built my own criterium bike from the bottom bracket up. This was my first attempt at bike building, so naturally, I had a lot of questions and needed step by step instructions. I went through just about every chapter of this book during the project, and found serious problems with nearly all of them. I spent more time trying to decipher the book than if I would have learned on my own by trial and error!

Save yourself some money and a whole lot of headaches, and buy Zinn & The Art of Road (or Mountain) Bike Maintenance.

Since I am familiar around bikes, I bought this book mainly as a "backup" in case I got stuck with some of the more complicated procedures I had always gotten a shop to do before(Overhaul of bottom bracket, hubs, headset). Also, since I had an older bike, it was difficult to find help/tips as most of the components are obsolete and no longer made.

So far, this book has been an invaluable reference more than halfway thorugh my project. For example, the clear instructions/pictures on which threads tighten clockwise and which tighten counter-clockwise have already saved me loads of frustration, busted knuckles, stripped parts during the bottom bracket overhaul. Or which way to tip your frame so the bearings you just exposed dont spill all over the floor and into some black-hole recess of your garage. Also, some of the general exploded parts views were just what I needed to 1) see what I was getting into before disassembly and 2) a good, general reference as to how the disassembled parts should go back together.

This book is EXACTLY what I needed in a good, easy-to-understand reference manual without too much hand-holding. HOWEVER, if you have NEVER worked on a bike before or if you are all thumbs when it comes to technical/mechanical operations, you may find this book to be a little daunting to read at first since it does, for example, cover every type of pedal or shifter system made in the last 20 years and believe me, theres quite a few of them.

The format of the book is awkward and somtimes redundant. The chapter starts with loads of text explaining things, and then re-iterates most of it with step-by-step pictures at the end. Ive found sometimes there are important tidbits of information found only in the text portion that arent in the pictures! Sometimes it also feels like a picture or two was left out of the process. Also, its always good idea to read through the entire set of instructions BEFORE you begin work lest you overzealously cut, loosen, or grease something youre not supposed to.

There is also a "Troubleshooting" section laid out like a FAQ which is meant to help you solve problems during the course of your maintenance. Ive found this to be of limited use most of the time. Either the problems listed didnt match what I was experiencing or the lingo was a little vague. For example, it may say, "make sure you give everything a good coat of grease". Well, what is a good coat? Enough so your bearings look like theyre swimming in a sea of mashed potatoes? Just enough to cover the bare metal surfaces? How much is too much and how much is not enough?

I feel this is a very good reference book if you feel comfortable around the mechanics of a bike. Good pictures, loads of useful tips and tricks, and instructions laid out in concise and easy-to-read language.

Since I am familiar around bikes, I bought this book mainly as a "backup" in case I got stuck with some of the more complicated procedures I had always gotten a shop to do before(Overhaul of bottom bracket, hubs, headset). Also, since I had an older bike, it was difficult to find help/tips as most of the components are obsolete and no longer made.

So far, this book has been an invaluable reference more than halfway thorugh my project. For example, the clear instructions/pictures on which threads tighten clockwise and which tighten counter-clockwise have already saved me loads of frustration, busted knuckles, stripped parts during the bottom bracket overhaul. Or which way to tip your frame so the bearings you just exposed dont spill all over the floor and into some black-hole recess of your garage. Also, some of the general exploded parts views were just what I needed to 1) see what I was getting into before disassembly and 2) a good, general reference as to how the disassembled parts should go back together.

This book is EXACTLY what I needed in a good, easy-to-understand reference manual without too much hand-holding. HOWEVER, if you have NEVER worked on a bike before or if you are all thumbs when it comes to technical/mechanical operations, you may find this book to be a little daunting to read at first since it does, for example, cover every type of pedal or shifter system made in the last 20 years and believe me, theres quite a few of them.

The format of the book is awkward and somtimes redundant. The chapter starts with loads of text explaining things, and then re-iterates most of it with step-by-step pictures at the end. Ive found sometimes there are important tidbits of information found only in the text portion that arent in the pictures! Sometimes it also feels like a picture or two was left out of the process. Also, its always good idea to read through the entire set of instructions BEFORE you begin work lest you overzealously cut, loosen, or grease something youre not supposed to.

There is also a "Troubleshooting" section laid out like a FAQ which is meant to help you solve problems during the course of your maintenance. Ive found this to be of limited use most of the time. Either the problems listed didnt match what I was experiencing or the lingo was a little vague. For example, it may say, "make sure you give everything a good coat of grease". Well, what is a good coat? Enough so your bearings look like theyre swimming in a sea of mashed potatoes? Just enough to cover the bare metal surfaces? How much is too much and how much is not enough?

I feel this is a very good reference book if you feel comfortable around the mechanics of a bike. Good pictures, loads of useful tips and tricks, and instructions laid out in concise and easy-to-read language.

This book covers the basics of what bicycle components are, what they do when theyre working right, and how they can fail. Im not someone who does a lot of "wrenching" on his own bike, but I found I needed to read this whole book in order to make an informed bike-buying decision. What do the tradeoffs between strength and lightness in wheelsets really mean with respect to your riding style? Do you need to go for the more expensive bottom bracket? (Probably not.) Whats a headset, and why does it need to be covered up when youre transporting the bike on the back of a car?

This book will answer all the questions you had about the makeup and operation of a bike, but more importantly, itll answer the questions you didnt know enough to ask, and help you make the best-informed bike buying decision possible!

In addition to discussing bike systems, there are chapters on creating a home workshop and even how to box a bike. (Exactly how my bike came from its manufacturer!)

Theres really not a lot more to ask for from this book. The main complaint is that some of it seems a little out-of-date despite its 1999 copyright date, and I regret now that I did not list examples as they struck me, but a minor one, for example, was ignorance of 10-speed cassettes. However, some bicycle components are changing rapidly, and its difficult for authors to keep up. Note that this is the 4th "expanded and revised" edition, so it does appear that the editors of Bicycling have made a commitment to update the book regularly.

I also got bogged down some times in the text description of procedures without pictures, but everything is clear when you get back into the step-by-step procedure section with the photographs. So it also seems that information is unnecessarily repeated.

Bicycling magazine has run articles on how to get home from different types of roadside breakdowns. It would be nice if they include this as one separate chapter that can be read before a trip. The rest of the book lends itself to a "only read the chapter I need at the moment" type of use. You dont need to read through the whole book to understand chapter 15 on saddles, for example.

I have also read and reviewed Complete Idiots Guide to Bike Maintenance and Repair, and despite its knowledgable author and fun style, did not have step-by-step illustrations which are required for such a book. Others have also recommended the books by Zinn and Van Der Plas, and I have seen them and they look good, but separate books are written by each author for road bikes and mountain bikes, while this book is one reference for all bikes.