Customer Reviews

Bicycle!: A Repair & Maintenance Manifesto

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Manifesto is a wonderful description of how to care for your bike, whether you are a weekend biker and barely know where the handlebars are, or a biker who has built his own wheels and goes through many sets of tires a year. But this book is also interesting to read on its own. The author has a way of helping to make riding a bike a political statement that supports taking care of our planet. For instance, the idea of recycling bike parts instead of throwing them away. It is a small thing until you see the huge piles of bikes that get thrown out each year. This book is offering a solution to this waste. And of course, if you use your bike to get to work or do your shopping, you are not spending anything at the pumps. And all this in a readable, even for the not-really biker, and informative package. Worth a read even if you would rather walk.

This book has encouraged me to become a stronger maintainer and repairer of my bicycle, and I have to give it props for that. The reading style is also so enjoyable as to make me read on things, such as fixed wheel bikes, in which I have no present interest. Since I tend towards his leanings politically and whatnot, this is fun; many would merely find it annoying.

The book loses one star for being pretty much a ramble. I found something useful in every section I've consulted on a job so far (I'm overhauling my ride) but I have always had to also consult other sources. It loses another star because the pictures are small and next to useless.

This book is probably most useful for the knowledgable mechanic who may not know about such esoterica as 'soup spoons' and 'spare fingers' and how to cheaply keep the grip shifters from coming off your crap rental bikes -- alternately to convince the complete beginner that bike mechanistry is an art anyone can practice. It's a fun read if you like zines, and it may well empower you to care for your own ride in a way that a dull, by-the-numbers book wont...but get one of those too, because you'll need it.

This book is mainly a flowery description of bicycle components using enough technical jargon to make it incomprehensible to all but professional bicycle mechanics (who probably don't need this book anyway). There are very few pictures of the components described and no easy to follow repair instructions that a novice like myself could use.

"Bicycle!" is truly a manifesto. It's more a declaration of independence than a how-to manual. What is lacking in instructions is made up for in practical advice and knowledge. Tracy says the things you wish a bike mechanic or salesman would tell you when you're at the shop (but of course won't because they want to bilk you out of your money) in regards to what repairs to make, how to make them, and what tools one should purchase. The prose is sometimes too flowery, verbose and rambling and the full page photographs of people riding their bikes around various parts of the world seem like a misuse of page space when illustrations of maintenance are sorely lacking. Tracy needed an editor before this hit the press. It's a good read, but don't buy it. Get it at the library or thumb through it at the bookstore.

A guy who's a little too in love with his writing "voice" preaches endlessly to the choir, assuming all the while that his audience already knows almost as much as he does about fixing bikes. Beginner mechanics and, for that matter, just about anyone who isn't already a fan of Tracy's fanzine writing would be much better off going with Lennard Zinn's books.

This book is not "The idiot's guide" so don't buy it if you're expecting that. I enjoyed reading it because it assumes the reader is motivated to make the most of their bike. There are a lot of insiders tips that I haven't come across anywhere else. I do think you may need multiple repair manuals to really become an expert, but I think that's the case with any hobby. The material in this book is unique and refreshing, a must for anyone who wants to take their bike repair knowledge to the next level.

This guy is on a giant ego trip and it is painful to be subjected to on so many levels. There is really nothing of value in this book. It won't provide even the simplest information on fixing anything on your bike. It's just propaganda, ramblings, poorly written, poorly executed... POOR all around. He thinks he's special because he bikes through cold winters in MN, well there's a whole ton of east coast and elsewhere riders who battle the cold and don't feel like they should preach to the world about how super cool they are for doing it. I think the book's soul purpose was simply to proliferate Mr. Tracy's self professed awesomeness, perhaps in an effort to acquire some sort of fan club? I can see no other use for this book. Clearly I am not a fan. Save yourself some time, money, and love for your fellow biker and DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!

Great book for the hipster fixie enthusiast. Gave your whole being to the cause. Also great for those not so trendy losers with "gears" on their bike. Lame.

I don't know how this book ever made it on the shelf. Don't waste your money. Its so bad that you start to address the authors character flaws, mainly his narcissism. Manifesto... jerk.

This is a compelling and surprisingly different repair manual. The writing style is sprinkled with humor and political commentary that adds spice to a potentially mundane topic. As someone who has recently acquired her first road bike, I was delighted to read about the advantages to biking in general, and how bike repair fits well with the urban commuting lifestyle. I recommend this book for environmentalists like myself, who are interested in the social value of bikes, but also for anyone who is just learning about repair. The book makes clear how easy and cheap it is to maintain and sustain your own ride.