Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Lennard Zinn explains that it doesn't take special skills to learn how to care for one's bike, only "a passion for spreading new grease on old parts." Clearly, his ambition is to share with newcomers the Zen-like joy of bike maintenance. But it's seasoned bike mechanics that should be tripping over each other for a copy of this comprehensive and ambitious manual. Zinn differs from other how-to books by guiding readers--with plain-speaking text--through almost every imaginable repair on almost every imaginable part. He covers everything from rebuilding hubs, to loosening seized stems, to installing six different types of bottom brackets. He even risks cycling blasphemy by walking mere mortals through the art of wheel building--an intimidating task that can take years to perfect. Although best suited for the old pros, his guide is user- friendly, funny, and essential to anyone willing to love their bike. --Ben Tiffany

Product Description

In this book, Lennard Zinn explains and demonstrates how to completely and properly maintain every component of a mountain bike, including chains, derailleurs, shifters, wheels, brakes, cranks, bottom brackets, pedals, saddles, seatposts, suspension systems, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks, and frames. He describes and rates every repair and counsels the novice bike mechanic how to decide whether or not to take the bike to a bike shop for professional attention. Extensive line drawings show how parts fit together and illustrate the tools required for every type of bike. Completely revised and updated to include the most recent information on state-of-the-art mountain bike components, emergency on-trail repair tricks are also explained. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: VeloPress; 2nd edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884737471
• ISBN-13: 978-1884737473
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,312,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any new mountain biker!, April 10, 2000

By	Nicolas Pottier (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Mountain biking is a little different than most sports, you're usually out in the wilderness, miles away from the nearest phone or road, and putting yourself (and your bike) through a pretty grueling workout. In 'Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance' Lennard Zinn does a great job of making sure that if the bike part of the equation fails, you'll know what to do. From suggesting what tools you should carry with you, teaching you how to use them, and giving you a quick lesson on how each work, this book covers it all.

The book uses illustrations instead of photos, so it's easy to tell what's going on, and it covers all the different types (and eras) of components that you'll find. Coverage ranges from the basic (changing a flat tire) to the complex (changing your fork or bottom braket) but is clear throughout.

I highly recommend this to anyone who's doing serious riding and wants to learn more about how to tune and fix their bike. As your bike grows older and you take longer rides, things WILL break or wear out, and knowing what to do in those cases is well worth the price of the book.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have for your mountain bike, July 31, 2002

By	Douglas Welzel (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, Third Edition (Paperback)

Whether you have a shiny new mountain bike or one that has been on more than a few trail rides, this book is a must to have in your collection. For about [price] and the price of some tools you'll be able to perform the most common maintenance on your bike yourself. Not only will this save you money (tuneups aren't exactly cheap these days), but you'll understand your equipment much better and be able to handle unexpected situations on the trail.

The book is a large format with two columns of text per page and hand drawn figures (basically no photos). Each part of the bike is covered in great depth in pseudo-outline form.

The only downside is that the figures can be a bit difficult to understand. I can see how they can be more clear that photos, but some combination of the two or perhaps just more figures would have helped. I've found it is always best to look at the figures alongside my bike so there is no ambiguity.

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best mountain bike maintenance manual out there,, January 2, 1999

By A Customer

and the most current too. It teaches you how to make simple adjustments in your brakes all the way to installing a bottom bracket. It even teaches you how to build your own wheels. It is so clear and easy to use, you could build your own bike with it. Showing how things work with easy to follow instructions and diagrams. I recommend this book to all who would like to maintain their own bicycles.