This new edition of the best-selling Bicycle Repair Manual covers the latest cycling information needed to keep your bike in top shape-from the basics of bike parts and set up, to cleaning and maintenance for mechanics, transmission, suspension, and brakes. Clear, jargon-free text accompanied by detailed step-by-step photographs show beginners all they need to know and experts how to maintain their bikes for specific needs, while troubleshooting charts and servicing schedules help diagnose and solve any problem. The Bicycle Repair Manual is the most comprehensive guide to the essentials of bicycle maintenance.
Richard Ballantine was an American-born cycling writer, journalist, and advocate who spent much of his life in London. The son of publishers Ian and Betty Ballantine, he was educated in New York and at Columbia University. His influential Richard's Bicycle Book (1972) became a classic, introducing readers to bicycle history, design, maintenance, and advocacy with wit and passion. A committed champion of cyclists' rights, Ballantine believed in the equal status of cyclists on public roads. He helped found several cycling magazines and was deeply involved in the human powered vehicle movement, serving as chairman of both the British Human Power Club and the World Human Powered Vehicle Association. Through his writing and activism, Ballantine inspired generations of cyclists and helped shape the modern conversation around sustainable transport and cyclist inclusion in urban planning.
Extremely detailed and useful in understanding all of the components of bicycles and maintaining or repairing them. I was wishing at times for more detailed pictures, but in most places there are great breakdowns of all of the components. A bit dated, but holds up well.
Some idea of what to do, I liked the reassurance that basic maintenance can be done on your own, but there weren't enough details here for me, and there were some terms used which I wasn't familiar with, so it was hard for me to follow the directions.
The best simple book on all things related to caring for your bike--especially helpful for the urban cyclist interested in making "guerilla repairs" to get you to the bike shop for better help.
Good little book for the basics of bicycle maintenance, but a little anemic in places. For major work, get something thicker, e.g. Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.