Customers' Reviews:
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 Even WalMart and Target bikes!, August 20, 2005
By Karen Delaney (Bremerton, WA United States)
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I used this baby to take apart that Target bike I had hanging in the garage for 5 years. It was so great, it had everything, even the cheap cruddy gear on my bike was covered, and I managed to put the bike back together again too! I discovered there was more to chain lube than that old can that you pushed on the bottom and dripped oil on the chain with. Plus I found out that I had the wrong size bike, completely, that my shifting system was the one they put on 3 speeds back in the 60's, and that it never pays to pry off stuff with the sharp part of the tool pointed at yourself. HOWEVER, the point is, this book ROCKS! I, a complete neophyte (mechanically speaking) took this bike to pieces and it went back together with not one screw left over. I actually did the Hans and Franz PUMP YOU UP pose after finishing.
127 of 127 people found this review helpful
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Excellent repair book and inexpensive, October 1, 2005
By Ari (ny, usa)
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I ordered this aswell as the big blue book of bicycle repair from park and this book won hands down in every area. The price is half, the information is better and more detailed and it covers areas the park book doesn't. If you want to learn how to overhaul your bike as I did, this is the book to get.
123 of 127 people found this review helpful
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Easy Bike Repair for N00bs, June 21, 2005
By Darkness (SoCal)
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I can't believe this book was overlooked by the bike nazi digerati. I've looked at other bike repair manuals -shiny & glossy and vastly overpriced- and all things considered, Todd Downs $14.00, 378 pg repair advice gets the job done. Go ahead and pay thirty bucks and upwards for glitz but I'll stick with what I've got. Can't go wrong with this book in terms of tools, illustrations and coherence. No complaints.
92 of 105 people found this review helpful
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Meets and exceeds all my needs, May 24, 2006
By postdoc (Washington, DC)
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I got this book in anticipation of receiving a bicycle purchased off the internet, as I knew the bike would need assembly and a good amount of adjusting. A careful reading of this book provided all the info I needed to get the bike up and running, and it included many vital tips I would not have known otherwise. Basic stuff like how to adjust seat and handlebar position and angle were well explained. The more involved instructions on lubrication and derailleur adjustment were much more helpful than the manufacturer's bare bones instructions. But what was truly a saving grace for me was the chapter on disc brake assembly, adjustment, and care. I would never have known how properly mount a disc to a hub (use a star pattern, gradually increase screw tightness, and never touch the disc with your hands) or that you should never pull a brake lever without something (the disc or a spacer) in the hydraulic brake caliper. My own curious excitement with my new high-end bike would surely have caused me to do that. That chapter alone was worth the book purchase. The book is also full of pictures (although it's impossible to have a photo of every possible manufacturer's component) which help greatly.
Since the book fully covers modern bike innovations as well (fancy suspension, disc brakes, external bearing bottom brackets and two piece cranksets), it may seem to owners of department store bikes to cater to people with high end bikes. This is NOT the case at all -- the book covers low-end components as well. In actuality the book is quite comprehensive, and covers of the full range of bike components available today.
To the reviewers who complain that the book contains so much "useless" info, it is not the author's fault that you ride a cheap bike, making much of the book's valuable info not apply to you.
I have two mid-range bikes (Ironhorse Warrior Race and Raleigh C700) and the book covers all areas of maintenance that I've needed and can foresee needing. In addition, the author is quite willing to tell you what NOT to do at home and when to see a professional instead.
In short, this book will make bike ownership safer, more fun, and more satisfying.
67 of 67 people found this review helpful
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 Good for basics, no so much for even somewhat advanced, July 5, 2007
By Marquis (SoCal)
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I'm former bike shop manager and longtime mechanic. Somebody bought this for me as a gift. I thought even an old dog can always learn a few new tricks, but this book really has none for someone who already knows something about bike repair. I kept running into sections where the procedure called for bringing the bike to a shop. What good is that? If you need to learn the basics, this is a decent book. If you need to know advanced techniques, you'll be far better off finding the info on the web, either at the manufacturer's site or someplace like Sheldon Brown's site.
Last weekend I saw my neighbor with his bike backwards on his new repair stand. I gave him the book...
49 of 52 people found this review helpful
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Can't be beat for price and quality, September 16, 2005
By BillJitsu (SF Bay Area)
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After looking at several other bicycle repair manuals, it was a joy to come across this book that is just right on the money.
Todd Downs's book about bicycling repair is something that belongs on the bookshelf (or in the garage) of every bicyclist out there. The book easily pays for itself many times over by giving the novice bicycle mechanic the guidance and instruction in doing his own repairs.
The book is also interesting to read. Downs explains the pros and cons of the various types of components out there, and gives the reader advice for how to best use and care for his bicycle.
The photgraphs are clear and plentiful, never leaving you wondering what you're supposed to do, and give you the confidence to tackle just about any job.
Where other books seem to err by giving the reader too little information - or overwhelming the reader with too much - this book strikes a great balance. Every part of the bicycle is covered in its entirety, and this book should work for just about every cyclist out there, whether you're a road warrior, hard-core mountain biker, or just enjoy a casual ride to the coffee shop on Sunday mornings.
In addition to just straight repair and maintenance, the book is filled with good advice. I particularly liked when Downs would tell the reader if a troublesome part was better off being repaired or replaced entirely.
If you ride a bike, you really should own a repair manual, and this is the best one I've seen so far.
43 of 45 people found this review helpful
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Very good, December 7, 2006
By Philip J. Bohlken (Caldwell, Idaho)
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I looked at Zinn's book on road bicycle maintenance, but opted for this book based on comments by other reviewers and on examining this book in a bookstore. Zinn uses line drawings, but Downs uses excellent black and white photographs I find more helpful than drawings. The photographs help me envision what is foreground and what is background better than a line drawing does.
When I bought my first road bike in 1970 I read Eugene Sloan's "Complete Book of Bicycling" and it was very helpful for special procedures. But, bicycles have changed a lot in the last twenty years. This is a good guidebook for anyone with a new bicycle, no matter their previous level of experience.
This book discusses each system on a bike in text. Then comes a near repitition with step-by-step photographs. Finally, there is a troubleshooting section listing problems and their solutions.
I was surprised by two things. Fine new bicycles use metric hex key cap screws and some plastic collars. It is important that these are not tightened too much. Yet, a torque wrench reading in inch pounds was not mentioned in the list of essential tools. (I made my own for five dollars from a steel bar ten inches long and a fisherman's scale.) And, 700C tires are the new norm for road bikes, but the inch gear chart for road bikes is based on 27 inch wheels.
I wondered if it would be a problem to treat both road and mountain bikes in the same book, but it works just fine. Both get adequate treatment.
There are a lot of little hints about things that are not directly necessary for fixing a problem, but which will add continued good performance to your bicycle.
Update from my December 2006 review: I had begun to wonder if I might appreciate any additional information from Park Tool's Big Blue Book #2. I asked a clerk to remove the cellophane wrapper from it in a store and glanced through it. My question is how to remove a square taper crank that does not respond to a crank remover tool. Neither Zinn nor Big Blue Book #2 discuss this problem, but Downs does. I am sticking with Downs.
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
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As good as it gets., July 22, 2007
By John T. (Astoria, Queens, New York City)
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Though it still suffers from the same old problem of the photography adding little to nothing to the explanations (typically too close up on the close ups), the explanations themselves are nicely written in plain and practical language. He also gives tips and tricks which I've never seen included in any other book on bike maintainence and repair.
There are a lot of classic or top bike maintainence and repair books out there, but generally they're highly rated because the people who review them already know what's in there and agree with it entirely--those books preach to the chior.
This book is for the masses who just want to save $8 on a derailer adjustment--or at least to give it a good try before surrendering to the shop mechanic--or do such truly simple stuff as cut and install new cables and housings, or seemingly scary tasks such as installing a new cassette (the gears in the back) which are so stupid easy to do yourself that once you're done you'll be congradulating yourself for not having paid the shop to do it and can spend that money instead on more cool bike stuff.
Some of the explainations do get a bit off track, but not by much. He doesn't get into the history of bicycles or choose one of either the latest technology or the old standard that you probably don't have on your new bike--he shows them both and gets right to the point. So if you want to learn how to care for, maintain, repair, and upgrade your bike better than you could before and thereby save a lot of money, or simply have the odd question answered about why your bike makes a certain noise or doesn't work like you think it should, this is certainly your book.
Just when I thought all these books were useless, I'm glad this one pretty much fell in my lap.
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
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 not for general use (no matter how thick the guide is), April 7, 2006
By Kristopher P. Lagreca (Portland, OR)
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Sorry folks, but unless you have a new, expensive, super-duper bike or you need to know minute details, skip on this one. The author goes into too much detail on useless points or obscure parts, but then skips more essential info (like on sizing brakes or finding the right headset. His response is "talk to your local bike shop." Gezz, thanks!).
I would think the target for general purpose manuals, like this, are owners of "frankenbikes," or cheapies. Yet, most of the detail in this book goes to higher-end setups and parts.
18 of 41 people found this review helpful
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Good theory if your in the market for a new bike. Horrible if you want to maintain your bike., June 26, 2009
By David L. Andrews (Kearny, NJ)
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This book has little practical application, it's filled with lots of theory about how to size a bike, and frame geometry.
It talks about what would be a good style of bike for the type of riding you do. There is a lot of discussion about various parts and what they are used for. There is almost nothing about maintenance, it frequently tells you to take your bike into a bike shop to get things fixed.
Not what I'm looking for in a maintenance book, and not what I think most people are looking for in that type of book. You are better off buying the Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair 2nd Edition if you want to learn about maintenance.
If you want help purchasing your next bike, and want to know theory about sizing, and what to look for. Read this book, other than that, skip this book and save your money.
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
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very useful and up-to-date for modern bicycles, March 14, 2006
By John G. Curington
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Todd Downs' "Bicycle Maintenance & Repair, 5th Edition" is a 378 page bargain of a bike repair book. Downs is both broad in scope and thorough in depth.
There are 17 chapters encompassing Home Bicycle Repair, Suspension, Wheels and Tires, Hubs, Chains, Brakes, Headsets, Gears, etc. Each chapter starts out with a general discussion and then proceeds to the specifics of individual types of components and common problems. I appreciated the precise drawings, good labels, and copious photos.
One feature of this book that gives it an advantage over many other bike repair books is the inclusion of modern components along with the old. For example, in the chapter on rear derailleurs there are photos of both an old cheap "Charger" derailleur as well as a more modern "Shimano Deore LX." In the section on wheel removal and remounting, five different examples of brakes are shown so that the user will be able to identify how to take off their particular wheel. I was impressed with the variety the author was able to compress into the book.
In summary, this would be a useful book for a bicycle owner to use to maintain their bike, especially if the biker wants to delve a little deeper and understand some of the wide variety of bike configurations.
16 of 16 people found this review helpful
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 One of the best out there......., May 3, 2006
By Pork Chop (Lisbon, Portugal)
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This is a large book, almost identical in size to
the another one called from Lennard Zinn. However,
that's where the similarity ends.
The one from Todd Downs is the only book having
real photos, of real gear and real parts, with
helpful advice, whereas the other one shows a lot
of rought sketches and drawings that don't really
demonstrate clearly what the author is explaining.
Another book that's really great, is the HAYNES bicycle
book, which has color photos, and is superbly laid out
visually.
One of the worst, is the student manual, that one gets
when one is doing the PARK TOOL SCHOOL bike shop that
often local bike shops offer, to show people the basics
on doing minimal maintenance on their 2 wheeler. It had
good diagrams, but is probably a "checklist" for mechanics
who know everything already, but prefer to follow a
pre-ordained list of steps time and time again than relying
on memory, so it's not that bad.
All in all, of the 4 books, this is perhaps the best with
the one from Haynes.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
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Ok, January 6, 2008
By S. Murray (NYC)
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I'm no expert, in fact I'm a MTB noobie, but all I did was replace my quick releases on my wheels with Onguard locks... so once I put the wheels back on, I had screwed up my disk brakes slightly. Knowing nothing, I went to the book I assumed could show me at least the adjustment points on the brakes... and there's one page listed for mechanical disk brakes, with almost no information other than "don't wipe down the disk". Thanks. I figured it out on my own and 10 minutes of googling. General information, not really a "complete guide".
15 of 20 people found this review helpful
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Dirt is its destiny., August 20, 2005
By B. L. Trudell (Burbank, California USA)
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My copy of Todd Downs' book is destined to get dirty-- dirty with the grit and grime of a bicycle in need of maintenance and repair. Modern bikes are more complex and more expensive than ever. Nowadays it's hard to just "wing it" if you want to do your own repairs. This book has really helped me to catch up on modern bike technology and gain a better understanding of my two-month-old Gary Fisher. The book is quite comprehensive. There are exploded view illustrations when needed, and the many photographs are comparable to what you'd find in a high quality automotive manual. Todd has answered my questions about headsets, forks, hubs...I could go on but you get the idea. Easily worth the measly $14.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
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Complete, well-written, easy-to-understand., June 19, 2006
By Joshua Senecal (Livermore, CA USA)
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I like doing repairs and maintenance myself to save money. Now that I have a good bicycle, I want to service it myself. This repair manual is nice. It is full of good illustrations and pictures, tips, and advice. Most things are explained in an easy-to-understand manner. It's obvious that the author likes servicing bicycles, and that he wants the reader to enjoy it too. This makes the book pleasant reading material as well.
The book is also comprehensive--it explains all parts of the bike and how to repair them. After going through it all my questions were answered, and I learned a lot. If there is anything left out, I can't imagine what it would be.
My only complaint with the book is sometimes explanatory text doesn't completely match the accompanying photograph. This isn't a major concern for me, but can be mildly irritating.
For most people, this book should serve well.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
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Not that great, September 17, 2007
By mtnbiker (minnesota)
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Pretty lame if you are planning to actually work on your bike opposed to reading about or thinking about doing it. Covers a lot of things in poor detail, so little detail that you could not do it with this book alone. Example: want to install some disk brakes? No way with this book. It also includes info on how to work on really old bikes and outdated equipment. I bet you are dying to know how to work on centerpull road bike brakes which were last made in like 1981! Your're in luck b/c that is covered pretty well. Save your $$ and buy another book.
13 of 18 people found this review helpful
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Decent, but best for rank novices, June 26, 2008
By D. Gardner (NYC US)
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I bought this book and the Zinn book at the same time. Both books have good illustrations, but this book is much less detailed and helpful. It is VERY basic and leaves out detail needed to really tune anything to any extent.
Having said that, this book does a fair job of showing how to do routine maintanence/repairs. It spends time describing things that should be obvious at a gance, while leaving out detail you need to fix something, however. So, it would seem to be aimed at the rank novice, with 2 left thumbs--above a "Dummies" book, but not by a whole lot, IMHO.
Zinn's book is more detailed, and offers a more comprehensive tour of subjects than this book. It can be used by the novice, but aims at those who have some basic understanding of what is right before their eyes--bike or tool.
However, if you are a gear-head, you probably won't be happy with less than Barnett's painfully exhaustive 4 volume set--which is likely overly detailed for anyone short of a professional shop-set.
Anyway, if I had to do again I would have bought the Zinn book and skipped this one.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
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A Useless book, August 22, 2009
By Howard (N. Potomac, MD USA)
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Before buying this book, you should ask yourself for the purpose. If you want to know about bicycle, this book provides much information in different kinds and style. If you want to know how to repair and maintain bicycle, this book is pretty much useless. Indeed you can find information in more details in the Internet. For example, wheel truing is a tricky job. This book covers it in two pages. Same as other subject like brakes, derailleur. Basically this book does not provide tricks to repair or maintain your bike as an amateur, but assumes that you are professional with many professional tools. Another downside is all pictures in this book are black and white. Some are difficult to figure out.
So why this book is so popular? I believe many people like me did not go through this book in details, but only read good comments about this book. Plus, the 5th edition must be good. What a mistake. My advice is: pick a subject and spend 30 minutes in a bookstore and compare it with others such as "Do it Yourself Bike Book" by Mel Allwood. Afterward, it's your choice.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
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You're better off with an internet connection, May 26, 2009
By S. D. Loveless (New Cumberland, PA)
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If you have an existing bike that is more or less functional and that you intend to maintain yourself, this book is OK. If you have a pile of parts and a frame and need to know something simple like "how many links should the chain be", it's absolutely worthless. And when it comes to actually repairing a broken part or building a wheel (not so hard, really), the author bails out and recommends finding a competent bike shop. There is nothing, NOTHING, in this book that can't be found on the web with a couple quick searches.
Once again, Bicycling Magazine publishes a stack of filler and fluff.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful
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 completely useless repair book, January 21, 2006
By E. T. Hall (San Diego, CA United States)
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This book sucks! Don't buy it. I wasted my time and money trying to figure out the shifters and deraileurs section from this book. Unless you have a brand new bike with top of the line components and like all text and black and white illustrations this isn't the book you should get.
repair books should be easy to read and have plenty of color illustrations.
11 of 66 people found this review helpful
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Good basics, a handy manual for most jobs, June 16, 2006
By Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA)
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While I still take my bike to an expert to have it reconditioned and buffed up, this book is handy for small jobs like adjusting brakes and tuning up the derailleur.
While I still think it'd be best to have a course or a DVD on bike repair, this is a sort of must-have in your tool box for understanding basic tasks. It replaces my ancient manual on 10-speeds (which I had to decommission when I gave away my old Motobecane.) I'd recommend this for anyone buying a combo or mountain bike with the proviso if you are going to do all your own repairs, you'd probably need more than this. A good start, and a good shelf reference to have.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Great book... could be better..., July 2, 2006
By njwhite (minneapolis, mn)
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This book does a great job covering everything basic to intermediate. I'd highly recommend it and I think that it's the best I've seen in this price range. It's not Barnett's manual but it is better than the Park tools and Zinn books in my opinion. I'd like to see more (and better quality) pictures. I've seen high res color pictures in books half this price.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Good beginners' starter guide, not so hot beyond that., January 30, 2008
By jimmyfergus
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If you're a beginner, this is a good book to get to start to understand the basic parts of your bike and how they work - do some adjustments of bearings, brakes etc.. Recommended - 4 stars
If you have messed around for years and have a decent idea of how things work (e.g. have perused Sheldon Brown's site extensively), like me, you'll learn some good information, but read a lot you already know. For the price, it's probably still worth it, but you'll be left wanting and needing more. I wouldn't tackle a big job, like building a wheel, installing disk brakes, without reading something else. - 3 stars
If you're pretty experienced, want to actually build bikes etc., or depart from the mainstream at all (e.g. SS/FG, or hub gears), there's little for you, and nowhere near enough detail. - 1 star
Inexplicably, There are step-by-step guides to jobs, which completely duplicate the preceding information. Seems like filler to me.
Meh, it's ok, especially for the price and really pretty good for beginners.
8 of 11 people found this review helpful
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Not that useful, August 19, 2009
By physics2009 (MA USA)
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If you have to be told which way to loosen a nut, pay someone to fix your bike. I got this book from the library and was disapointed in the content. It had a lot of information, but when it got to the difficult stuff they tell you to seek professional help. If you know nothing and have no mechanical skills this is good book
8 of 13 people found this review helpful
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Left me wanting a little more...., January 4, 2007
By San Pedro Dave (San Pedro, CA)
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This manual had good focus on the basics of bike maintenance. When I wanted to go into more depth on the assembly of the forks and frame head there was no information available at all. Basic items such as tightening torques, minor adjustments, troubleshooting was lacking. I would have thought these would be included a little more. The book did have outstanding value for the money spent and I still learned a few things... so it's a keeper.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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Lots of Good Info, May 6, 2007
By Paul Pryor (Woodstock, VA United States)
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I bought this book with the idea of learning how to maintain my bike. What I found was that it was full of information that helped me become a better rider, as well. It gives a lot help for beginners to understand how their bikes work, and how they can get more out of their biking experience.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Complete, well written, good drawings/phots, February 12, 2006
By David Grimm (Fort Worth, Texas USA)
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This book has it all. Its well written and packed with a lot of extra information. The use of drawings and photos is good. Overall I liked the book.
I also have the Park book and while it is a good repair book too, for me the Bicycling book is the better value.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Good for basic repairs, and an excellent way to teach your kids how to fix their own bikes!, September 14, 2008
By JargonTalk (Bucks County, PA USA)
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Todd Down is one of those cycling writers whom you quickly learn to respect. He's one of those self-taught cycling gurus who has the ability to write in an easy-going style that gets his point across.
And this style shows up in The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes (Expanded and Revised 5th Edition), a paperback edition that should be on the bookshelf of many cycling enthusiasts, as it has excellent coverage on the maintenance and repair of mountain and road bikes alike. It's a basic but good reference, with easy-to-follow instructions. The photos and illustrations are quite helpful when trying to tackle an upkeep issue.
This reader found the chapter on wheels and tires to be very thorough. His instructions for spoke maintenance and replacement, along with the section on truing wheels, to be quite helpful with solving a problem on one of my bikes.
There are a couple of other books worthy of considering if you're looking for decent books on bicycle maintenance and/or repair. Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance and Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (2nd Edition), both by Leonard Zinn, are well worth considering, both for content and ease of understanding. But if you want to save some bucks and go for a single volume that will probably cover about 90% of the basic repairs that you'll come up against, then stick with Todd Down's book here. This one is also an excellent resource for teaching youngsters how to perform basic bicycle repairs as well.
If you need a manual that goes into greater depth, be sure to look into Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair 2nd Edition by Calvin Jones. Also known by some as "BBB-2", this a 5-star manual which is considered by many, especially advanced riders and cycle shops, to be the best reference around. This one is considered by some to be somewhat tool-centric, but considering that it comes from Park Tool, that is understandable. Note: don't mistake this for the earlier Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair, which was published in 2005. The newer 2nd edition is far better.
In conclusion, if your needs are for a basic bike DIY fix-it book, then Todd Down's Bicycling Guide to Complete Maintenance and Repair will probably fit your needs, especially if you're going to teach youngsters how to do basic repairs themselves. If you need more, then by all means pick BBB-2.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
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this book, May 18, 2007
By Ehren Moler
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is awesome, knew nothing at first of bikes, learned lots by just flipping through some pages. Very intuitive.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
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It's ok, but perhaps a bit esoteric for beginners, February 20, 2006
By Marin Biker (DC, USA)
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Decent technical book, but he delves into detail that, while useful once you are experienced, is somewhat arcane for beginners. But a good reference, nonetheless, once you advance.
6 of 12 people found this review helpful
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The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintainance, November 10, 2006
By TwoWheelMan (Haileyville, OK USA)
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Easy to understand and comphrehensiveley written book about regular maintainance and repair of just about any bike. A fantastic reference for the different components available on most bikes too. A must for anyone seeking to keep the cost of maintaining a bicycle down and the trips to the shop few. I highly recommend this book.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
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Overhyped, November 24, 2009
By Victor Garcia
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This bike repair book is good, don't get me wrong, but there was much to be desired.
It has a lot of good information, but it doesn't have ALL information. I didn't feel like the pictures were matching up with the text on step by step instructions. It has NO color pictures.
It has great reviews, but I don't think it's that great.
It seems unorganized too. I'm reading it, and i'm not sure what type of brakes they are talking about in the brakes chapter.
I wish I would have went the the "Big Blue Book of Bike repair", although I admit I have not seen it to KNOW it's better that this.
Conclusion: I wish I had went with another book.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Excellent book!, August 14, 2007
By drumdude (Charlotte NC)
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I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to service their own bike. There are many great pictures and it covers a wide variety of bikes.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Info too general, photos too close up. Not bad but needs more., February 10, 2009
By The Iguana (LA, CA)
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I purchased this book along with my new mountain bike knowing I would need info in addition to the instruction manual to tune my bike for use.
With this manual and some serious tinkering on my own over the past several days, I have been able to adjust my disc brakes, adjust my front and rear dérailleurs, attach and adjust my handlebars and seat.
So yes, the book has been helpful. However, the pictures of each specific piece of equipment are too close up to get a good orientation (thus the hours of tinkering with screws, cables, nuts and bolts to figure out what does what).
With a bit more thought put into the photographs (like a far away view first to orient you to the piece of equipment under scrutiny), this book could easily rate 5 stars from me.
I give it three because it put me on the right track so did a good job getting me started. Plus I've enjoyed the tinkering. I know far more about the bike I now own than any bike I've owned in the past thanks to this process.
Anyone with decent experience with bikes will be able to understand the pictures easily. But, then again, they probably won't need this book.
Anyone new to bikes is going to have to put in some work to figure out how the photos in the book relate to the equipment on your bike.
Still, nothing else on the market comes close - at least not anything that I was able to find at the time of my purchase of this book (Feb 2009).
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Covers everything -- but doesn't cover anything in depth, February 5, 2009
By Casey Anderson (Washington, DC United States)
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The problem with this book is that it tries to cover every area of every kind of bike -- road bikes, mountain bikes, even recumbents -- in one volume, and as a result it spreads itself too thin.
For example, the book will show you pictures of the different types of shifters and brake levers available on mountain bikes, but it has too little detail on any of them to allow you to troubleshoot (much less repair) the one you happen to have when it doesn't work correctly.
This book is not useless, but it is more of a general overview of the different kinds of components seen on bicycles in general than a how-to-guide that will show you how to maintain and repair your bike.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Great, November 9, 2006
By Walter B Reed (Washington, DC)
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I'm not particulary mechanically inclined, have recently acquired a love of bicycling I've wanted to work more on my own bikes; and finding a reputable repair shop has proven difficult.
This book is clearly written, good diagrams and pictures and I would recommend it to anyone just getting started with bicycle maintenance.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Good stuff, but I think the Zinn books are much better, June 14, 2007
By S. Kosloske (Milwaukee, WI USA)
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Save your money and buy Zinn's books.
4 of 19 people found this review helpful
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Very complete, May 13, 2007
By Arq Paulo Barrelas (Portugal)
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This is the best book i ever laid my eyes on about bike maintenance and repair. You will get a good understanding about all types of bikes and its parts and how they work separately and as a whole. If you don't know how that little thing is called, no problem, this book has it all. You'll probably save a lot a money on bike maintenance because you'll get all the knowledge you need to take care of your bike with confidence if you follow all Todd's tips. I became a better rider after purchased this book!!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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A good Bike Well maintained will last forever, February 2, 2007
By Joseph M. Radgowski (Streetsboro, OH USA)
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The 5th Edition has more pictures and part breakdowns.
From simple routine maintance to the serious biker who would like to know if there chain is worn and stretched and needs replaced.
This book gives a very detailed breakdown of what seems like every possible repair you can make on a bike.
Every one who owns a bike should own this manual.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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If you can only have one bike repair guide, this is it, December 23, 2009
By designer (Los Angeles, CA)
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I bought this book as a resource for repairing my newer MTB. I was surprised to find a lot of useful information for my early, mid, and late 70's road bikes. The information is very detailed and specific to individual popular manufacturer's products. And there are often tips for the less popular products. The trouble shooting portions at the end of the how-to articles are invaluable - especially if you truly wish to remedy 99% of the problems encountered with building and maintaining your own bike. (NOTE: If you do not find that bicycle repair is enjoyable, save yourself the trouble and PLEASE support your local bicycle repair shop)
When building a couple bicycles, I have trusted this book as the human voice when following the overly optimistic manuals provided by manufactures. I'd pay 4x the price for this book. One minor qualm is I occasionally run into mis-captioned photos in the steps. These typos were easily deciphered.
I should add that my friends runs a bike repair co-op. This is their main go to book.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Good Book, August 4, 2007
By Lance Cross (Ontario, Canada)
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This book is an excellent resource of typical bikes. It has very clear diagrams and great explanations on maintaining, building and repairing bikes.
A tiny bit dissapointed that it did not cover more types of bikes such as recumbent trikes, electric bicycles and other upcoming tech changes to the industry.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Great Fixes Excellent Read, May 16, 2007
By Consumate Consumer (Rhode Island)
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This book is worth it's weight in gold. Easy to read, plenty of illustrations. No one who gets on a bike over 21 should be allowed on the road without reading this manual for repair and maintenance.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful
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A book that will not teach you how to repair a mountain bike...., August 9, 2009
By Rares ( The Stellar SHERIFF ) (European Union)
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Almost nothing in this book is explained clearly.Despite being a big book, it doesn't do it's job, you won't be able to understand your bike better.It's almost useless and very bad written.If I would knew how bad it is I wouldn't have bought it, even for [...].Don't buy it because it's not that is bad, it's beyond bad, it's awful...
3 of 10 people found this review helpful
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Good but sometimes not, July 19, 2010
By skizants (La Jolla, CA United States)
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So I've decided to overhaul my bicycle from every nut and bolt. I thought this manual would be the one and only guide to help me do so. I was a bit wrong. So far I've spent half my time perusing this book for information and then the other half online looking for stuff that it's missing. Thank god for the internet.
For example, I want to know what size tire I can put on my 26 inch rims. You think the book would explain this somewhere since you can have various different tire widths on one rim, but it doesn't. Another example: this book did not have the right method of how to change my bottom bracket. Answer was found online again. I might excuse this to the fact that bike makers can't seem to agree on a common system, and this book might be trying to explain how to repair all bike systems when that is difficult. I guess it would be analagous to having one automobile shop manual for all the cars in the world. (Ok, I'll change this review to a 3 star. I had it at 2).
Lastly I wanted to paint my bike frame. It had a whole paragraph on this (this is like a 380 page book), and said ""take it to a professional"". You'd think they put a bit more info than that, right? And this is supposed to be a home shop manual. Should I take my tune up to a professional?
But another drawback is that the explanations can get very confusing. I wouldn't say that the explanations are excellent and easy to follow. Example: there was a series of steps to change something (I forgot what it was but trust me this was in the book somewhere), in step 3 it said ""Now do this.... etc"". Then in step 4 it said ""But before you do step 3 you're going to have to...."". What? er, shouldn't step 4 be step 3? It does that in a few pages.
Also, this book does not give you too much theory on improving your bike. I was looking for that, and, agreed, this is not a book about that, but I was mistaken in thinking that it would give me info on that. Seemed like such a big book.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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excellent guide for first time builders, October 20, 2007
By Anchorite (Albuquerque, USA)
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This book is great. It tells you how to overhaul a bike, what maintenance to perform and how often, the tools you'll need, even which oils and greases to use for different purposes. It has advice how to recognize and correct most It also includes a lot of hard earned tips and caveats about breaking parts or injuring yourself during repairs that the author(s) discovered over the years, so you don't have to. It covers mountain bikes and road bikes (10 speeds) really well, and comfort bikes, BMX, tandem, and recumbent bikes to a lesser extent.
The book deals with a different family of components in each chapter, from handlebars to brakes to chains to shifters, etc. It mainly deals with bikes and parts from the last ten years, but it does include the occasional aside for overhauling very old bikes or bikes from foreign countries made before standard part sizes, threading, etc.
I had never done more than fix a flat or straighten a wheel with a spoke wrench before, but I read it cover to cover and then set about building my own bike because I couldn't find one for sale with the combination of parts and materials I wanted. Combined with some Internet research on product review websites, this book enabled me to build the bike I've always wanted, including doing the gear and brake cabling. The only thing I didn't do myself was have the front fork pressed into place, which the book recommended I have a shop do. Building from scratch is probably easier than overhauling old components that are rusty, stuck, and dirty, so I can't vouch for the book's advice on that yet, but so far the troubleshooting sections at the end of each chapter have helped me tune my new ride to an easy, silent running machine.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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This has to be "the Bicycler's Bible"!, July 6, 2009
By col_flabby (Pictou, Nova Scotia)
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After being away from bicycles for over thirty years, I found I was being encouraged to get back to them because of two grandchildren, ages nine and eleven. They were coming to visit me, and my son was wondering if I could get some used bikes locally, so he wouldn't have to bring two along. It's a long (two day) trip by car. I said sure, and then started looking.
Bikes have come a long way in over thirty years! I went to my favorite book supplier, Amazon, and found within two clicks this absolute jewel of a book. It's chock full of pictures, do it your self instructions for a novice like me, pointers on what to look out for and to be careful, adjustments, everything.
While I don't claim to be a qualified bicycle mechanic, I now feel I'm capable of keeping my grand kid's bicycles up and running and in tip top shape. On a scale of one to five, I'd give it a ten.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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From Cyclist... to Mechanic, April 10, 2007
By Truth About Caffeine.com (SCR Books)
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If you own a bike, you need this manual to help you make repairs. There are detailed breakdowns of any sort of mechanical problem you might encounter.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Book is garbage, August 17, 2010
By MS
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This book is a joke. If you plan on repairing your bike this is NOT the book to use. Book is very vague and not to the point. Very general when explaining repairs. Pictures are terrible and black and white. Do yourselves a favor do not waste your time.
2 of 8 people found this review helpful
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Needed this review since Bicycles changed since I last used them, May 28, 2010
By MT (Vegas)
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This is a good book to read, but not as detailed as I would have wished. Maybe I am expecting more than can be included in a bicycle repair book... I have been unable to adjust a front Dérailleur on a new Bicycle... Could be the fault of the Dérailleur as installed on the inexpensive bike from a big box store, but trying to adjust its movement it is impossible to use the instructions on page 195-205...
I also had rear brake problems, not enough adjustment or clearance with any spring stiffness in the brakes at the rim... Using the book and looking at a lot more bikes, there seems to be a great variety in the cable length and spring rates... The book did provided me with the knowledge to adjust the rear braking, I had to add another spacer, and now have the ability to almost stop the bicycle applying only the rear brakes lever...
Overall the book as proved to be very educational and I would recommend this book to others... It has allowed me to make a inexpensive Big Box Store bicycle safe to ride, in my opinion the Store was negligent in assembling the Bike...
JR
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Great instructional book, April 10, 2010
By JMac
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Outstanding detailed book on bike repair. Very easy to understand and comprehensive. I'm somewhat of a novice on bike repairs but this was easy to follow.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Mountain Bike Repair Made Easy!, November 15, 2009
By MTB Fr3aK (Washington State)
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I have always thought it would be so much easier to perform my own bicycle maintenance but never took the effort to look into a "how to" book. After years of taking bicycles to the shop for tune-ups and upgrades, and not having a shop nearby, I decided to investigate the idea of "self repair" a little more. This book is what I needed to get the ball rolling and as the title states, this is a complete guide for at home repairs and then some... This book has made mountain biking even more enjoyable for me!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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good overall book, November 3, 2009
By Joshua B. Knox
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the book is a few steps above basic maintenance. it cover everything from the very simple basic things up to some complicated things. it tells you how some stuff is done, even things that your bike shop should do but it helsp to know what has to be doen so they dont rip you off. the knowledge is good and is pretty easy to follow as well.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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An excellent reference, even in an Internet Age, February 8, 2009
By traycerb
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This is a useful book for maintaining and overhauling a bike, aimed at a beginning-to-intermediate user. I completed a stem-to-stern overhaul of my bike using this book (and the websites of Park Tools and BicycleTutor), and I had no idea where the bottom bracket was on my bike before starting.
It's written in a clear and informal manner (avoids being dry), and is well-populated with useful (B&W) photos besides. Each chapter ends with step-wise and photo-illustrated sections on common tasks related to the preceding chapter. This leads to a bit of repetition, but it's nice to have the illustrated summary version on just a few pages.
There are a number of internet resources out there (e.g. Sheldon Brown's, besides the ones mentioned earlier), but I feel they complement this book rather than replace it. Some tasks the book explains and illustrates better; some tasks only make sense when you see a video of it. Don't be afraid to use both.
As a prior review noted, if you've been a wrench in the past, this book will likely teach you nothing new; for everyone else with the least bit of interest in maintaining their bike, this is a welcome book.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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bicycle repair manual, August 25, 2008
By William Law
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This is an excellent guide to bicycle repair and maintenance, even for the novice and not-so mechanically inclined. Have fun and save valuable dollars in the process.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Great Pictures, August 3, 2008
By Martin Haines (Maryland)
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The photos are really detailed and clearly explain what the text is referring to. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Great bicycle repair manual, July 19, 2008
By RgR
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This is a great book for anyone wanting to save money and do their own bike maintenance and repairs. It's straightforward, easy to understand, and has lots of pictures to guide you through the process. I highly recommend it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Excellent bike service book, March 31, 2008
By Amateur Handiman and Athlete (DC Metro)
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I got this book about two years ago when I bought my first serious road bike. Whether you are serious biker or just have a few kids bikes in the garage, this is a truly excellent piece of work. Starting with the basics of bicycle maintenance, it proceeds to review every major (and minor) component of the bike (road and mountain), and then discuss them from a trouble shooting point of view, followed by step-by-step photos of whatever it is you want to do. Wrench in one hand, book in the other (a bike stand helps) I have replaced/adjusted/cleaned dérailleurs, brakes, gear cassettes, etc. with nothing but this book. Just did a major spring overhaul last weekend. A clean well-lubricated drive train and shifting mechanism is such a nice thing. You kind of forget between cleanings. You still need to get some special tools at your local bike store, but this tells you which ones and why.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Excellent book, September 12, 2007
By Seb (Switzerland)
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Very useful, complete, lots of pics and understandable for anyone. If you need some help for your bike maintenance that's the book you need.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Mediocre, and confusing, November 21, 2010
By Katie Siegmund
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Overall, am quite disappointed in this. It covers the necessary areas of the bike, but the pictures are kept at the end of each chapter in mini-tutorials that are totally disconnected and not well explained at all - quite confusing. Not very user-friendly. I keep returning to my old Zinn book to try and decipher what I'm actually supposed to do. Surprised it has such good reviews on here.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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A grand bike manual!, January 24, 2007
By pawpaw speaks (Sunny Arizona)
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Best bike maintenance book I've ever seen. Clear & apparently up to date.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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A verry Good Book!, January 4, 2007
By Willy Sancho (San Jose, CR)
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Nice and easy to read. It shows you how to do step by step.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Step Bt Step, April 9, 2007
By J. DeStevens
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This book is great. It realy breaks it down for the new guy with the do it yourself attitude.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
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all about handling bicycle, March 14, 2007
By Rafael Ganani (Hamra Israel)
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we the riders, tend to learn everything from experience.well, that's good but not good enough!and here comes this book and covers just about every aspect off the handling your bikes. what we miss in theory we can learn from this very easy to read book.the "diamond in the crown" is ofcourse "troubleshooting" which i am now translating to Hebrew for myself.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Bicycle repair and maintenance, July 19, 2006
By R. Martin (East Tennessee)
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Excellant manual! Great info and well illistrated. I use mine a lot!
1 of 10 people found this review helpful
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Too early to tell, but it looks good., August 9, 2007
By Dale E. Marxen (Zagreb, Croatia)
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I just received this book recently in the mail from the US, and have not had any need to use it. Without actually testing it out, I can only say that it looks good and has a lot of useful pictures. The price was reasonable, so I can't see why anyone would not want to add it to their repairbook collection.
1 of 11 people found this review helpful
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Never recieved product !, September 21, 2009
By Jeffrey Crutchfield (Wilmington, Ohio)
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I couldn't tell you about this product because i never received it ! I will never purchase from Smoky Mountain Books again ! what a run around !
1 of 50 people found this review helpful
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Terrific Bike Repair Book, September 17, 2010
By dnew54 (Rochester NY)
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This is an excellent bike maintenance and repair manual for a mountain bike neophyte like myself. Also tells a bit of bicycle history as background for where we are today with bike technology. A great buy for it's cost.
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Book is garbage, August 18, 2010
By MS
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This book is a joke. If you plan on repairing your bike this is NOT the book to use. Book is very vague and not to the point. Very general when explaining repairs. Pictures are terrible and black and white. Do yourselves a favor do not waste your time.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
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not bad, July 22, 2010
By Leslie Dixon
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Been a pleasure to own this one. Comprehensive. Glossary could be better. I find myself looking for something I knows in there but not listed in glossary. every cyclist ought have one imo.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
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very disappointing, a waste of money, October 12, 2010
By petelog (new orleans)
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I decided to buy this book after reading the good reviews, I was looking for a fairly basic book to help me with bicycle maintenance and some easy repairs or adjustments, like how to adjust a rear derailleur, etc. I am very disappointed, the book is filled with technical language, there are a series of photos with little or no legend, which makes it very difficult or impossible to understand and follow the instructions, annotated graphics would have helped a lot instead.
if you are a professional and familiar with bike repair, then this book probably makes sense, but then, do you really need this book?
otherwise if you are like me, with very limited technical knowledge, you are better off with something more basic and/or better explained with helpful graphics.
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Helpfull guide, June 19, 2011
By Stephen
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Was looking for a repair book and have looked at several and this is the best that I found for my needs.Has cam in usfull and I have seen where it well be usfull again.
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Brought me up to date, June 15, 2011
By Duane Klem (Detroit, MI USA)
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The website Bicycle Commuters Guide recommended this book. I haven't worked much on bicycles in over 25 years and have they changed. It was time to do some maintenance on my 6 year old Comfort bike and did this book help out. For instance I never heard of a cone wrench. The book has good explanations along with pictures. I'm glad I bought it.
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Detail Detail Detail, June 11, 2011
By Bill Zdarko (Fort Myers, FL United States)
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This book has very detailed description along with pictures to make clear explanations. Each chapter is about a part of the bike. Example, chapter 8 is about chains. At the end of each chapter there are a few pages of FAQs.
This is the ultimate bicycle book.
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Great Buy, June 7, 2011
By S. Poland (California)
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This book has it all. I had the visuals, plus the step-by-step text, along with the anatomy for the various styles of bikes. For the serious or not so serious bike mechanic, this book is a stable for any bike mechanic library.
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On Target, June 3, 2011
By Robert D. Brazeau
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Because I do not have mechanical skills I often rely on help from friends and neighbors to adjust or tune my bike, which sometimes does not have a happy ending. Bike shops are time consumimg and expensive so this guide solved my problems.
It is well organized and has sufficient detail with excellent pictures to thoroughly explain a problem and the solution. I highly recommend the book especially if you are not a bike nerd.
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Great reference and an interesting read, February 21, 2011
By morelife4you (CLOVIS, NM, US)
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I don't want to work on my bikes, I just want to ride them, but this book is a great read for any cycling enthusiast. This is an awesome reference and has great info on the differences between bicycle styles along with some history. The author is knowledgeable and manages to keep some dry info readable.
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A must have repair manual., December 8, 2010
By Gregory Fish
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So many times I have had to refer to this book and its very instructive, Just last night I used it to even do s simple job like tightening my bikes tire spokes and found out its a real sequence of tightening the whole rim.
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Great book, excellent information, February 10, 2010
By Cyanemi (Michigan)
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This book is definitely worth. Everything that I needed is covered. It takes the mystique out of bike repairs and also shows you what is not worth your time in tackling. Highly recommended.
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Great for new bikes., October 5, 2009
By Shadeland13c (Anderson, IN)
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This is a great book, very thorough, with great pictures. The only downside is that is doesn't cover older parts. I deal with a lot of bikes build pre 1980, so I occasionally come across something that this book no longer covers.
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Good repair manual, September 25, 2009
By NWA (NW Arkansas)
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Very good book, I have been using it for about a year on two bikes, Is very helpful. I'm sure it will get bad reviews from the "Big Bikers" because they take the time to explain why you should do thing. However, it is just right for everyone else. If this book bores you then you already know how to work on bikes and don't need the book anyway.
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Bike Repair and Maintenance Book, July 31, 2009
By mountaintrailmaker (Okc, OK)
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After owning and using my Giant road bike for about 3 months, I wanted to know how to keep the bike in working condition for many years to come. The book, "Bicycle Maintenance and Repair for Road & Mountain Bikes (Expanded and Revised 5th Edition" by Todd Downs contains comprehensive and well organized information on tools and methods that I have already used to make several informed servicings of the bike. Even though the book was used, it was still in prime condition with no markings or damages. Thanks.
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Even more detailed than I thought it would be. Very Thorough, May 1, 2009
By Wildman Keith
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I had been considering building my own bike using parts from various manufacturers that I thought would best suit me and what I wanted to create. I bought this book to get info on what was available in today's market. Like a lot of people I haven't been an active rider for many years. I knew about hydraulic brakes on new bikes and active suspensions, but had never been on a bicycle that had them. This book has examples of how to repair many different types of parts from many manufacturers. For those of us that haven't kept up with the advancements in the bike world this book is as good as a single volume could be. Even if you have been a rider for many years I'm sure you'll learn some stuff from reading it. Highly recommended.
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Good Choice!, March 26, 2009
By Royal :0) (L.A.)
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I agree with Mr T., this is a darn good book for bicycle maintenance. The photos are excellent and the topics covered are extensive. Some fascinating things that I haven't dealt with yet. I love it. This book is going to be in my shop with lots of greasy fingerprints on it. :-)
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Comprehensive and Insdispensible for the Home Mechanic, February 26, 2009
By M. Taylor (Maine, USA)
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I really couldn't be happier with this book. I knew basically nothing about bicycle repair when I bought it, and I have since successfully disassembled a front derailleur and properly changed a worn out cassette, among other things. This book will tell you what you need to know - everything from the most basic, routine procedures to the most involved repairs. Extremely helpful!
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Fantastic book, February 16, 2009
By Lucy Jamshid (London, England)
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I am a cycling novice, new to road biking, and wanted to do some basic maintenance, understand bicycle parts,etc. This book is clearly written, beautifully organized, and nicely illustrated. Very happy with the purchase
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Easy to understand & well written., June 18, 2008
By Hooty Hoot (Amish Country)
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This is a good book for the beginner; it has a lot of drawings, pictures to help you understand different styles of bikes and the parts that make them a bike.
I found that it had a little too much on the older bikes but perhaps this is good as I have taken a real liking to bicycles and hope to build my own this winter; Todd does not waste words, the book is well written and precise; it is nice to have when learning as it does provide a good understanding of how bikes parts work together to make a bicycle.
It does have all but the latest shifters and such; in reality bikes are made of many brands and models of parts making it impossible for any single book to have all you need to know about all bikes; for the latest specifications most bike component manufactures have web sites where you can download your model of derailleur, fork for the manufactures specifications.
I gave this 4 stars because of the dated information the negative and 4 for the positive comprehensive coverage of so many possible items he coverers so well.
This is a good book for the beginner, gives a comprehensive illustrated example of how bikes work.
Hooty
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Almost all you need., June 3, 2008
By Sam (Minnesota)
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I have this title and one other and after starting out for the first time last year, I have overhauled my bikes, three neighbor's 20 year old bikes, two from people I work with and both of my brother's bikes. A little common sense and a set of Park tools and one other very popular book will cover most of what you need. This book has more illustrations and describes most procedures twice, is brief and in detail. No wonder it is the number one seller.
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you never knew how easy it was, March 21, 2008
By Brian S. Garcia (Chicago, IL)
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this book rocks. I never knew how easy it is to do most repairs on my bike. I have successfully straighted both my wheels (with the purchase of a 8$ tool) and finally got my rear derailer to go into low gear and centered my back break so it would not kick out more to one side. Super easy (well the wheel straighting takes some fine adjustments, but it's by no means complicated) and a super satisfying feeling to fix it yourself. Book is ez to read w/ clear descriptions and well organized. if your thinking about it at all get this book.
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Easy to follow, with great pictures., February 1, 2008
By Jeff Chandler (Grand Junction, CO)
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I was surprised that this book supports the modern Shimano components and new composite frames. It's really detailed, and easy to follow. I feel confident with any bike project using this book as a guide.
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Very Helpful, January 12, 2008
By Joe (Wauconda,IL)
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I bought this book after reading all of the customer reviews and the book was very interesting and will be a big help. This book will help me to start saving money and doing increasingly more of my own repairs. I highly recommend this book.
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Worth buying..., November 11, 2007
By J. S. Caban (Mass)
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This book is a very good book on bikes if you need to know the basics. I highly recommend it...
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Just getting started, September 30, 2007
By FamilyMan
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Since I've just been getting started riding my bike again, I needed a quick review on keeping my bike in working order. The stuff in this book was laid out nicely and easily accessible even for an old fart like me... It came in really handy this summer as I kept getting flats.
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Absolutely fantastic book, September 12, 2009
By David O. Johnson
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I highly recommend this book to any aspiring bicycle mechanic. It covers pretty much every possible maintenance topic with easy to follow text and illustrations.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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good book, June 22, 2009
By Manny C. (Miami , Fl)
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this is a good reference for us riders that do our own repairs. good reading material.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Great for novices., April 18, 2009
By C. Lutters
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The writing is clear and precise for a novice bike tuner and the organization of information is excellent.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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WYSIWYG, November 19, 2008
By Dean Chia (Devon, PA USA)
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It's good. Really comprehensive. This book is what it is/what it seems. Didn't let me down. Of course, there are many places I haven't checked out in this book, but it's good.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Not for beginners, April 19, 2011
By DH Bear Co
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I am 27 years old and bought my first fancy bike, a Specialized Sirrus. Anyway I don't know much about bikes, because when I was a kid, my daddy fixed any problems I had. Now that I'm an adult, I figured I should just buy a book.
One day my bike started making a clicking noise on one pedal when it hit the 12:00 position. This book did not help me figure out what the problem was. I eventually took it to a bicycle repair shop to fix. When I was at the bike shop, I realized that I also had no idea how to pump up my tires, and didn't even own a pump. They sold me one, and I brought it home thinking it would be easy enough to use whenever the time came.
When the time came, I bust out this book thinking I was so smart to anticipate my problems. However, I totally did not understand whatever the hell this book was telling me to do. Maybe I'm just slow, but I was so frustrated. I eventually turned to YouTube to watch some instructional video, which was much more helpful.
In the end, this book was pretty much useless to me. Any problems I have are better taught to me by watching YouTube. I would say save your money and spend it on a reliable internet connection.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Bike Repair, September 15, 2008
By Joanne N. White
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Excellent book! The best we have seen on the market! Highly recommend it to anyone.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Like brand new!!!, August 29, 2008
By Lori E. Brown (ca)
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I received this book very quickly-alot sooner than I expected! It's in excellent condition;in fact,if I didn't know better,I would think it was a new book. I am extremely satisfied!
0 of 3 people found this review helpful
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solid and comprehensive, January 20, 2007
By Michael Bennett
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solid... comprehensive. I'm sure it will be out of date soon, but perfect for its time.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Pleased, January 9, 2007
By bargainhunter (Tall.,Fl USA)
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The best used(looks new to me) book I ever bought. FFaasstt shipping. Great price. Full of useful info.
0 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Great Seller!, November 24, 2008
By mjdonovan3 (montreal, QC, Canada)
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I recieved it within the next week of ordering it. The book was well packaged and in perfect condition. Verrrry happy:)
0 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Useful for daily maintenance, February 11, 2007
By M. Hannan Hidayat (Jakarta-Indonesia)
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Great book, I have more experienced after reading this book, but it is not colorful
0 of 9 people found this review helpful
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