Customer Reviews

Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book is great! After going to my local bike shop and paying $18 for a simple gear and brake adjustment I knew it was time to start learning how to work on my own bikes. My confidence is growing as I am learning the inner workings of all these formerly "mysterious" mechanical devices. Zinn writes in a way that is easy to understand and gives you confidence. Trust me..nobody will adjust your gears with the precision that you will after you learn how. My shifting has never been smoother! I think besides all of the normal maintenance on my bike, I will probably build one from the ground up as my next project.
I highly reccomend this book if you are mechanically declined (like me) or mechanically inclined.

The Man again puts together a usable manual on bicycles. Extremely valuable for it's exploded diagrams and specific take on known, common products. Lennard didn't shy into broad general descriptions of parts, he went right out to show the reader how to work with specific components by brand. Useful, timely and applicable.

Lennard Zinn, revolutionary in the field of custom bike design, regular contributor to Velo-News, and sponsor of a women's racing team, joins up with well-respected wildlife artist Todd Telander and world-class racer Jonathan Vaughters to create a road bike manual that is not only clear and detailed, but manages to be an interesting read as well.

This manual helps you identify the problem, lets you know which tools you will need, and takes you through each repair with simple steps. Whether you are building up a bike from scratch, fine-tuning your derailleur adjustment, or simply fixing a flat tire, you'll find that the book has easy-to-follow instructions for your task. Todd's accompanying illustrations are works of art in their precision, and further clarify the text instructions.

There are so many benefits to repairing and maintaining your own bike, not the least of which is saving money. Invest in 'Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance' and you'll find that this task can also be quite enjoyable!

I bought this book as a newbie cyclist. It is without a doubt the best I have found. Lennard's simple diagrams are cleverly deceptive. They are not so fancy that they detract from the text (which is the meat of the topic), yet are VERY well labeled and documented. I fixed chain dump for the first time (something nobody had ever been able to do for me). Photos of bikes always are, in my opinion, TOO specific to the bike photographed, and do not easily extrapolate to the one I own.

I photocopied the emergency repair section and shrunk it down to carry in my saddle bag at all times. This has come in handy on more than one occasion. My book has more yellow highlighting in it than Pam Anderson's hair!

If you need a second book on bike repair, then I recommend you buy an ADDITIONAL copy.

The appendices about gearing, bike fitting and torque settings are invaluable. Too much torque and you've got a stripped bolt; too little and you've got stripped skin (from crashing when the bolt falls out on a downhill). While "feel" works for many mechanics, I need numbers, and Lennard supplies them.

I also changed my rear cog cassette based on his gearing chart to better fit my riding needs.

Lennard has taken what is basically a VERY simple, efficient, and delightful machine and applied the very same principles to this authoritative repair manual. I cannot recommend it enough.

I've got a shelf full of bicycle maintenance/repair books, and the Zinn books are the best of the bunch. First of all, they're very comprehensive, describing in detail anything and everything you might need to do to keep your bike rolling smoothly. Descriptions and photos are straightforward and easy to understand. Best of all, the Zinn books go beyond just laying out the bare bones step-by-step instructions---they actually give theory and background as to why or why not. There's some good information in the discussion on frames early in the book, too.

Before I bought my first Zinn book, I would've had trouble changing a tire properly. Since buying the books, though, I've completely overhauled each of my bikes multiple times, and I am now beginning to build up a single speed mountain bike from a bare frame.

"ZINN & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" 2nd Edition, by Lennard Zinn

Looking over several of the bike maintenance books in the bookstore showed Zinn's book to be the best.

Many of the other books only covered maintenance in Part or a few chapters of the book or only as part of generalized information, whereas Lennard Zinn's book is dedicated to nothing but bike maintenance.

#1
I like the large black & white illustrations for every part of the bike. These schematics don't leave you with a fuzzy view, but an enlarged and very clear view of all the working parts

#2
I like the fact that all of the text is DOUBLE-SPACED throughout the entire book.

#3
One of the more puzzling aspects of maintenance is the array of bike tools needed. Zinn shows terrific black & white drawings of every tool neccessary (and the optional ones) and they are clearly named.

Zinn doesn't waste any time in this book with chapters on bike riding, energy foods, fashionable clothing, or training regimens. Some of the other books did waste space on these things and those are the kind of bike MAINTENANCE books I want to stay away from.

Zinn includes TORQUE TABLES in APPENDIX E, showing how many foot/pounds of Torque are to be applied to various components.

APPENDIX D is a word glossary, which is important.

APPENDIX C / ROAD BIKE FITTING, is how to measure yourself and fit yourself in to the right size of bike.

APPENDIX B is a GEAR CHART

APPENDIX A is a TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE, you know, like"

"strange noises in the GAZINKER...." or "muffler-bearings making noises..." or "What to do when the brake grease is leaking..."
Seriously, it's an excellent Troubleshooting Guide, in spite of my funny examples!

I'm happy to have found Zinn's book.

I was tired of dealing with the poor service at my local bike shop and decided to start doing my own repairs. I bought this book and the Bicycling guide at the same time and this book has rapidly acquired the grease stained fingerprints and bent spine of a useful guide, while the Bicycling guide rests on the shelf.

Zinn's book makes excellent use of diagrams, which I'd much rather have as a reference than photos, and the book is written in a way that made some of the more technical aspects of maintaining and repairing bicycles very accessible to a new repairer like me. It also covers a good scope of road bicycle types and had plenty of information relevant to Cyclo-Cross bikes, which was a big plus to me.