Bicycle Repair Manual: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Bicycle in Peak Condition

by Richard Ballantine

Easy-to-follow photographic sequences, accompanied by detailed text, along with a handy troubleshooting guide, offer solutions to every repair and maintenance task--from simple roadside repairs to complete overhauls--for every sort of bicycle. Original.

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

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1994

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good starter book on bicycle repair.

[Zach Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jenn S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to have a book that's a little more geared for home bike repairs and cheaper ways of doing things.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Zayne Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good guide on how to keep my bike in good condition to prevent any incident when I am out cycling.

lots of pictures to follow.

[Shayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rudimentary but effective repair book. Still, Park Tools' Big Blue Book is far superior for actually doing the work.

[Moody]

A useful book with lots of pictures for the mechanically challenged, like me.