Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Illustrated Manual (Paperback)

by Mel Allwood (Author) "This chapter is divided into three sections - tools and workshop equipment, rescue repairs on the trail, and routine checking and maintenance..." (more)
Key Phrases: undo the cable clamp bolt, square taper axles, tension jockey wheel, Post Mount, Fox Float, Rock Shox Judy Butter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Matter-of-fact style... The detailed text and numerous color photos help readers understand specific repairs and maintenance. (Library Journal 200412)

Product Description
Complete step-by-step guide, from simple repairs to major overhauls.

Mountain bikes endure a great deal of punishment.

Mountain Bike Maintenance explains how to keep a bike trouble-free on- or off-road.

From fixing flat tires to replacing worn brakes, from headset to chainset, this book is crucial for every level of mountain-biker from beginners to veterans.

Mountain Bike Maintenance shows how to: - Make maintenance a pleasure -- not a chore - Customize your bike for special conditions or a personal riding style - Increase a bike's speed - Do roadside repairs - Extend a bike's life.

This book is filled with practical advice, new technologies, tricks, tips and shortcuts -- an essential reference for mountain bike owners.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (September 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155297734X
• ISBN-13: 978-1552977347
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,908 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #6 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Mountain Biking
  #16 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bike Repair

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As It Gets!, December 14, 2004

By	Bookstore Willie (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

A lifelong cyclist and part time bike mechanic who works in a bookstore in the off season(not Amazon) I get to read a fair number of books pertaining to bicycling and bike repair. Short and sweet, this book stands heads and shoulders and feet and knees above all the rest! Far more than the usual collection of turn this screw, push this cable, variety of bike repair tips, this book gives equal ink to the all important "Whys" that other books completely omit.

My Dad, a highly skilled mechanical engineer, used to say that the problem with most manuals is that the step by step instructions they provide are worse than useless if anything falls outside the norm. Tell someone how to do a job, he would say, and he's sunk as soon as a single variable changes.

Allwood clearly belongs to my Dad's camp and this wonderful book is full of details on why things are built a certain way, how they should function, how to tell when they are not functioning properly, etc. As a result, while it is not impossible to find oneself lost in a Lost World while attempting a repair, nine times out of ten Allwood provides enough detail to get one out of any jam.

In addition, there is a great deal of ink devoted to design details. The section on shocks is almost good enough to serve as a mini-course for engineers new to the field, for instance.

As with all books, there are some areas that could be improved. The section on adjusting derailleurs, for instance, seemed needlessly complex with the excess detail serving to confuse rather than clarify. Had I been the editor, this section would have gotten a rewrite.

That said, most other sections of the book are clearly written, well illustrated, and entertainingly presented. In short, this is the only repair manual I have ever read cover to cover simply because it was too damn good to put down.

Five stars and a cheer to boot! And lets hope Allwood has another book in the works!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! Only Barnett's could be better., February 17, 2005

By	Michael Reding (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have spent the last three evening reading the drivetrain section and am delighted with this book. It has ample illustration to supplement an in-depth, well-written text. It is technical and may be a tough read for some, but if you want to understand how your bike works and how to fix it when it breaks, this is indeed, as good as it gets.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A virtual bible of explicit, user-friendly details , February 5, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

If there's only one at-home reference needed for your mountain bike's maintenance, make it Mel Allwood's Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Illustrated Manual, a virtual bible of explicit, user-friendly details on the care of any mountain bike. Allwood's an expert mountain bike mechanic, but explains that these bikes are surprisingly simple in design, and easy to work on. Chapters detail minor adjustments ranging from brakes to `transmission', cable-cleaning and chains and speeds, and include plenty of black and white and color photos for clear detail throughout. Highly recommended.