Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Lennard Zinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

Road bikes are surprisingly complex machines, but there’s no need to spend excessive amounts on repairs and maintenance. The cost of a copy of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance should be sufficient in most cases. This well-organized and -illustrated guide, which incorporates the latest in component technology and innovations, shows how to maintain every part of a road bike. This includes chains, derailleurs, shifters, wheels, brakes, cranks, bottom brackets, pedals, saddles, seatposts, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks, and frames — all covered in Lennard Zinn’s trademark clear and concise prose. Novices and seasoned mechanics alike can benefit from the clear illustrations, exploded views of how components go together, and practical tips on how to completely and properly maintain all aspects of their road bikes to ensure hours of trouble-free riding. Zinn shows exactly when to tackle a maintenance project and when a trip to the bike shop for repair is unavoidable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lennard Zinn is a cycling god. Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is revered as a bible among the fat-tire set; he now extends the gospel to the rest of the cycling faithful in Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance.

From simple, routine maintenance to more complicated tasks, Zinn remains "convinced that anyone with an opposable thumb can perform any repair on a bike." He begins with "Basic Stuff" such as pre-ride inspections and cleaning the drive train, and continues on through the super-advanced task of wheel building--arguing that "the construction of a good set of bicycle wheels is actually a straightforward task." Zinn guides readers step by step through every possible repair on every possible part, handlebar grips to Maric Mektronic electronic shifting, with plain-speaking text and helpful illustrations. There's even a section on emergency repairs, including unexpected advice such as straightening a bent rim by hitting it against the ground: "You may be surprised how straight you can get a wheel this way."

This comprehensive manual is essential reading for those who love their bike. "All you have to do is follow the instructions and trust yourself." Indeed. --M. Stein --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Today's bicycles are complicated machines that can be expensive to maintain and repair. Zinn (The Mountain Bike Owner's Manual) has written this book to help both the leisure bike rider and expert mechanic handle almost any problem associated with road bikes. In an effort to appeal to people of varying mechanical abilities, the book separates bicycle repair procedures into three levels, depending on difficulty. Level one is reserved for novices, while levels two and three are for more mechanically savvy bike owners. Each chapter covers a certain bicycle component and includes the tools needed to repair that particular part. Zinn also includes troubleshooting guides at the conclusion of each chapter and, for those interested only in general maintenance, a chapter that covers the basics of keeping a bike road-worthy. Whether someone is experienced at repairing bicycles or is just a weekend rider, this book includes everything to keep bikes rolling. Recommended for all public libraries.DPatrick Mahoney, Off-Campus Lib. Svcs., Central Michigan Univ., Mount Pleasant
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress; 4th edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931382697
• ISBN-13: 978-1931382694
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Cycling > Bike Repair

More About the Author

Lennard Zinn was a member of the U.S. national racing team and has been riding and fixing bikes for nearly 50 years. A professional frame builder and bike designer, Lennard is also the technical writer for VeloNews magazine and Singletrack.com and hosts the popular Q&A column on VeloNews.com. His other books include Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, Zinn & the Art of Triathlon Bikes, Zinn's Cycling Primer, The Mountain Bike Performance Handbook, and The Mountain Bike Owner's Manual. He lives and works in Boulder, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

275 of 282 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Generally adequate but plenty of gaps, August 26, 2001

By 

J. Grattan "Ideas can move the world" (Lawrenceville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (Paperback)

All in all the book is not too bad but there aren't many books against which to compare it. I think that many adjustments and some repairs could be successfully undertaken from following the author's guidelines. But the book is uneven. Throughout the book there is a shortage of technical detail or information that could have easily been given. Sometimes it is critical, sometimes not.

For example in dealing with chains, there is no mention of chain identification such as a Hyperglide or HG chain despite the ubiquity of Shimano chains. Or it is stated that nine speed chains are more narrow than those for 7 or 8 speeds. Well, what is the measurement? Or the author instructs to drive the old pin all the way out in doing chain maintenance on an HG chain. Usually it is much easier to reconnect the chain with part of the old pin still in. It is stated that a Shimano tool does not damage the plates of a Shimano chain but others do. Well, Park tools are by the most purchased tool by home enthusiasts. Does a CT3 chaintool tool cause damage? The reader or future home repair person is left to wonder. In fact there is almost total absence of exact tool identification in the entire book. That is the kind of thing that a beginner needs to know.

In adjusting derailleurs presetting the barrel adjusters is not done. Setting the front derailleur limit screws before tightening the cable is not done. It is this kind of inconsistency in most every chapter that plagues this book. But the beginner would have no way on knowing this. So that is why I must qualify the chances of a person following this book having success in his or her repair.

A more complete book is the Barnett's Manual. But of course it is about four times as expensive and it too is not without its problems. It attempts to cover all types of bikes but its attention to detail and specifications and procedures can often overwhelm rather than really help the reader. The bottom line is that if you know next to nothing about bikes, you can learn a lot from this book. But there is still lots more to learn. Seek out other sources. Use the internet.

89 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice beginner's book, February 8, 2003

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Danny Dubby (prison) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (Paperback)

A lot of good basic information and up to date. SOme though, is too basic. His instructions for adjusting derailleurs are so poor as to be barely adequate. For the front deraill. for example he has 3 steps. HI gear-- 1.shift back and forth between the middle and inner rings. 2. If the chain jumps over the big ring, tighten the hi-gear limit screw. 3---(more of the same)the .Yea, this is good basic stuff to get you into very roughly correct adjustment, but that is all. Better info is free on Park tool's site. From the troubleshooting section--Tire is Flat. Cause: tire deflated. Action: pump tire. I doubt anyone is so inept they need to be told that.

That said, it is good for those he said it was written for: "(Those) who do not think they are capable of maintaining their bikes." I have the Bicycling magazine book too, and frankly I cannot say one is better than the other. The fact is, once you get the basics down, if you have any mechanical experience or aptitude, most of this stuff is pretty simple. I had hoped for some more advanced tips on making things operate more smoothly or efficiently, but while the Bicycling mags book has some, this has very few. It's a simple book with the basics. Anytime you find a "maintenance" book that tells you ho to chance a tube, you are looking a a very simple book. If you need more, you'll be disappointed. If the basics are what you want, this books is more than adequate.

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great, June 19, 2000

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Jan (DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (Paperback)

I love to complain about manuals, but Zinn's book is thorough, well illustrated, and well organized. I built my Lemond Zurich up from scratch and rebuilt most of my components including hubs and wheels using his book and it was my first time. That was two months ago and I haven't had a problem yet. Bicycling Magazine's manual is good too, but I feel it isn't quite as comlete.