Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance: The World's Best-Selling Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Guide

by Lennard Zinn

Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is the world’s best-selling guide to bicycle repair and maintenance. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, Zinn’s clearly illustrated guide makes every bicycle repair and maintenance job easy for everyone.

Zinn’s friendly step-by-step guide explains the tools you’ll need and how to know you’ve done the job right. The two-color interior is easy to read—even in a dimly-lit garage or workshop. Hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations and exploded parts diagrams show just the right level of detail to lead you through every bicycle repair task.

This smartly organized guide shows how to repair new and old bicycles from top to bottom. In 440 pages, Zinn’s guide includes simple instructions for hundreds of bike maintenance and repair jobs:

•    Basics: How to fix a flat tire, lube a bicycle chain, adjust the brakes
•    Emergency repairs: How to fix a broken chain, tighten loose spokes, handle bent shifters
•    Easy shifting: How to clean, lube, and adjust shifters and cables for smooth shifting
•    Wheels: How to install a new tire, change a cassette, true a wheel, replace broken spokes, build your own wheels
•    Installation: How to install new pedals, chains and chainrings, saddles, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks
•    New tech: How to maintain 11-speeds, electronic shifters, hydraulic road brakes
•    Cyclocross: How to set up a ‘cross bike for racing, select the right componentnts, and make quick repairs
•    Troubleshooting: How to figure out what’s wrong with any bike and fix it

Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance makes bicycle repair and maintenance easy, quick, affordable, and fun. With Zinn at your side, you’ll know how to keep your bicycling running smoothly for years.

Genres: Reference, Cycling, Nonfiction, Sports, Bicycles, How To, Engineering

491 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Christina]

Because looking at sexy road bikes and road bike parts is porn.

[James Paden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've struggled a long time with maintaining my road bike. Youtube videos don't have enough detail and I hate watching a 20-minute video to answer just one question. Google searches return confusing results. This book has answered every question I have so far and has done it in seconds.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, it is what it is. I wanted to be good at maintaining my bicycles, but I could not make myself want to do it. From my favorite movie, "a man can do whatever he wants, but he cannot want whatever he wants". (I think i got that right).

[Lewis Frederickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and practical guide!

[Tonya Hardin · Rating 5 out of 5]

More information yet could use more images.

[Alec · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid reference for bike maintenance and repairs. Detailed instructions and helpful guides.

[Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to learn basic to mid-level bike mechanics, this is the one. Book has paid for itself multiple times over.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book you can get on bike maintenance, but keep in mind it can't replace experience.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."

"Never mistake motion for action." --E.H.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://ryansvignettes.wordpress.com/...

[Thomas Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I didn't read this book in its entirety, I will say this book is a godsend for people who bike and want to learn about bikes. Zinn explains every task you can think of, many of which I wasn't aware of or did not need to know about. It really is about "road" bike maintenance. This book can help you regardless of your ride, but if you use a road bike you can get alot more from reading Zinn. There is no way you will read through this once, or 100 times, and get everything you need out of it. It really should be used as a reference. That being said, if you are into cycling, bike repair, or both, this book is worth buying.

[J.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 2000 edition felt extremely dated. It's interesting to learn about the changes in bicycle components over the past 20 or 30 years however, mixing history and practical step by step instruction just made certain sections feel muddled. Illustrations were hand drawn and not very clear. Really would like to find a good comprehensive guide that covers as much as possible, within reason - this doesn't seem to be it for me. It's funny how practical YouTube videos are for subjects like this!

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Describing mechanical adjustments of simple, yet elegant mid-eighties bike parts appears to be a gift that comes naturally to Zinn. His instructions for adjusting cup and cone style bearings make the process easy.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not at all interested in bike maintenance, but this book is great for the novice or expert biker. He also makes some good arguments in the beginning about why you need to be able to do basic maintenance on your bike if you ride!

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will never, never be the type to do my own repairs. It took me an hour an a half to fix my flat tire last month. How embarrassing. But, if I were the type - this book would be really helpful.

Leif, you want this book?

[Dave Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the everyman's bible to road bike repair and maintenance and must read for anyone wanting to get into bicycle wrenching. Although some of the sections are a little out-of-date by today's road bike standards, overall it is an absolute great guide!

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent directions and illustrations. Everything you would want to know about fixing and repairing your road bike is in this book.

[Elly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working on my bike used to make me cry. Now it doesn't. Best book ever.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok book, but the diagrams are disappointingly unclear.

[Theodore Starks · Rating 5 out of 5]

helpful

[brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

good info, but not nearly enough pictures to adequately illustrate what is being explained.

[Mikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book you will need to learn how to fix all road bikes. Execelent diagrams.

[Phil Baier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book on bikes! Whoop!

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and practical

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much "already read" as "often referred to". This book has become my go-to when I need to know such things as the torque rating for my chainring allen bolts. A great reference..

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent diagrams, nothing on disc or v-brakes though.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything the aspiring bike mechanic needs.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huge book, full of good pictures and reference. Would check out to do something complicated to my bike.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

for me this is essential reading. a few really great tips and a lot of right on knowledge.

[Smellsofbikes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I owned it. 90% of this I already know, but the stuff I don't is worth its weight in gold.