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Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair for Road and Mountain Bikes (Paperback)

by Jim Langley (Author) "The bicycle is the world's most efficient machine..." (more)
Key Phrases: stirrup cable, lower head cup, top head race, Troubleshooting Problem, Campagnolo Ergopower, Liquid Wrench (more...)

3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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8 new from $26.88 37 used from $2.75 1 collectible from $32.00

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Your local bike mechanic might have you thinking that "wrenching" is right up there with rocket science. But the truth is, anyone can master the ins and outs of bicycle maintenance under the guidance of a good teacher. In lieu of a professor, the editors of Bicycling and Mountain Bike magazines have created a shop companion, which they refer to as "another tool for working on your bike." They guide you from the basics of your pre-ride checklist to tuning your derailleurs and overhauling your hubs. And they offer updated information on maintaining front shocks and even a handful of rear suspensions. What's more, they can walk you through the arduous task of rebuilding ancient parts that some shop mechanics haven't even heard of. If you've ever tried to work on your own car, you've undoubtedly developed a healthy fear of automobile shop manuals. But unlike the cryptic list of part numbers and equations you'll find at Pep Boys, this guide is written by people who want you to see just how rewarding bike maintenance can be. --Ben Tiffany

From Booklist
In an old Monty Python sketch, the world is populated with Supermen, each wearing tights and a cape and an S on his chest. But one mild-mannered Superman is, in reality, Bicycle Repair Man, a hero who fixes bikes quickly and efficiently, all to the awed delight of the assembled Supermen. Now there is a way for any man or woman to become a hero with this easy-to-use-and-understand how-to, complete with superb photos of each and every movement the repairer must make. First there's a list of tools and all the maintenance that needs to be done on a regular basis. Then it's on to specific items (frames, suspension, wheels, tires, hubs, brakes, seats, and handlebars). Langley contends that anybody who has learned the basics of maintenance can fix a bike when equipped with the proper tools. He also provides for unusually constructed bikes and foreign models. Probably the most important advice appears at the beginning of the book, with the focus on preventive maintenance. Joe Collins

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Product Details

Paperback: 351 pages
Publisher: Rodale Books; 4th Updtd edition (June 19, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1579540090
ISBN-13: 978-1579540098
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #247,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#35 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Mountain Biking
#45 in Books > Outdoors & Nature > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bike Repair

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
The bicycle is the world's most efficient machine. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stirrup cable, lower head cup, top head race, complicated top caps, adjusting allen bolt, crankarm extractor, cotterless crankarms, derailleurs several times, freewheel vise, racing derailleurs, new derailleur cables, new rear derailleur, cassette cogs, adjustable cup, cog removal, pedal body, freewheel body, bottom bracket shell, hub adjustment, sidepull brakes, right crankarm, cable anchor bolt, lockring remover, derailleur body, integral hanger

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Troubleshooting Problem, Campagnolo Ergopower, Liquid Wrench, Rock Shox

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 1 book:

Mountain Bikes by Bicycling in Front Matter, and Back Matter

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair by Todd Downs

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Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair by C. Calvin Jones

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Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling by Eugene Sloane

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Complete Bike Maintenance by Fred Milson

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	43% buy The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes(Expanded and Revised 5th Edition) 4.4 out of 5 stars (73) $14.95
	36% buy the item featured on this page: Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair for Road and Mountain Bikes 3.2 out of 5 stars (23)
	11% buy Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (2nd Edition) 4.7 out of 5 stars (35) $16.47
	6% buy Bicycle Repair Manual 4.2 out of 5 stars (22) $10.20

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Customer Reviews

23 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.2 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this book!, November 30, 2003

By	M. Baron (Orange County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book might suffice if you've got an old bike, and need advice on something simple like cleaning, or tire replacement. But, if you're a do-it-yourselfer like me, who wants all the details, and maybe even some tips and tricks, this book falls pathetically short. Most of the components pictured look like they were late 80s vintage. There's little or no information on newer equipment. I've even found blatantly incorrect information. The "step by step" instructions jump around like they were written by someone in the late stages of Alzheimer's. You'd be better off trying to assemble a bike from scratch using only a picture of what it's supposed to look like when it's done!

I recently built my own criterium bike from the bottom bracket up. This was my first attempt at bike building, so naturally, I had a lot of questions and needed step by step instructions. I went through just about every chapter of this book during the project, and found serious problems with nearly all of them. I spent more time trying to decipher the book than if I would have learned on my own by trial and error!

Save yourself some money and a whole lot of headaches, and buy Zinn & The Art of Road (or Mountain) Bike Maintenance.

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All types of bikes covered in one source with great pix!, September 18, 2001

By	John H. Henderson (Rockledge, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book on the maintenance and repair of all bicycles.
Each of the 17 chapters discusses one component of the bike, such as rear derailleurs, front derailleurs, brakes, wheels, suspension, frame and others. Each chapter begins with a drawn illustration of the system, which is followed by a text description of the system and maintenane and repair of the system. This is followed by a troubleshooting section listing common problems and their solutions. But the best part of each chapter are the step-by-step procedures with excellent black-and-white photographs of each step.

In addition to discussing bike systems, there are chapters on creating a home workshop and even how to box a bike. (Exactly how my bike came from its manufacturer!)

There's really not a lot more to ask for from this book. The main complaint is that some of it seems a little out-of-date despite its 1999 copyright date, and I regret now that I did not list examples as they struck me, but a minor one, for example, was ignorance of 10-speed cassettes. However, some bicycle components are changing rapidly, and it's difficult for authors to keep up. Note that this is the 4th "expanded and revised" edition, so it does appear that the editors of Bicycling have made a commitment to update the book regularly.

I also got bogged down some times in the text description of procedures without pictures, but everything is clear when you get back into the step-by-step procedure section with the photographs. So it also seems that information is unnecessarily repeated.

Bicycling magazine has run articles on how to get home from different types of roadside breakdowns. It would be nice if they include this as one separate chapter that can be read before a trip. The rest of the book lends itself to a "only read the chapter I need at the moment" type of use. You don't need to read through the whole book to understand chapter 15 on saddles, for example.

I have also read and reviewed Complete Idiot's Guide to Bike Maintenance and Repair, and despite its knowledgable author and fun style, did not have step-by-step illustrations which are required for such a book. Others have also recommended the books by Zinn and Van Der Plas, and I have seen them and they look good, but separate books are written by each author for road bikes and mountain bikes, while this book is one reference for all bikes.

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only helpful sometimes, April 16, 2001

By A Customer

I had great hopes for this book. They have been repeatedly dashed. About 10% of the time I find what I need to know. Until recently, I thought the problem was me, since I'm a novice cyclist and bike mechanic. But then I discovered 'Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance'. I no longer feel stupid! I respect Bicycling Magazine, so it's a bummer that this book, which they published, is lousy.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Old edition Bike magazine Complete guide to bicycle repair
I made a mistake and bought this edition thinking it was the newer edition. Bicycle Magazine has updated it in 2005. This one was the 1999 edition. Read more

Published 1 month ago by David Smith

2.0 out of 5 stars Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair
It's surprising to see how much the front and back cover promise only to find out how little information and substance it actually delivers. Read more

Published on April 22, 2007 by Mark Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life!
Before I read this book, I would stare blankly at my bike and never had any clue how it worked. After I started to read it, every little part of the bike took shape and I began... Read more

Published on September 7, 2006 by Daniel Lenski

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I like fixing and modifying bikes almost as much as I love riding them. I have an extensive toolset and can perform many repairs myself. So..... Read more

Published on June 28, 2005 by Mark A. Lucas

1.0 out of 5 stars I just wanted to adjust my brakes
This book is poorly organized. The photos are not labeled. There is an exploded view of sidepull brakes but no photo or diagram of the actual brakes and what they look like put... Read more

Published on March 19, 2005 by C. Keeney

2.0 out of 5 stars Great book but there are better ones out there !!
It's a goog book for any "Joe Smoh" looking for his first book on "How to fix and do maintenance on bikes". Read more

Published on February 4, 2005 by Jean Madore

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Manual for Most Repairs
This is an excellent manual for most repairs that the average cyclist would need to make. It has guided me through several repairs on my mountain bike and on other bikes, as... Read more

Published on June 21, 2004 by M. McGaha

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Book for someone new to cycle repair
I bought this book after getting it and others to compare from the library. I found this book easy to follow and much easier to read than others.

Published on November 8, 2003 by A. ROBERTS

2.0 out of 5 stars Put it back on the shelf.
I don't and won't own this book.
I reviewed it carefully at my local bookstore and then returned it to the shelf.
I suggest prospective buyers do the same. Read more

Published on August 9, 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Reference
I got back into cycling after a 5-year layoff and decided I wanted to restore my 87 Specialized Allez SE which had seen hard riding and less-than-stellar maintenance in college... Read more

Published on July 21, 2003 by maui693

› See all 23 customer reviews...

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