Idiot's Guides: Bike Repair and Maintenance

by Christopher Wiggins

Featuring 400+, full-color photographs in step-by-step format, Idiot's Bike Repair and Maintenance teaches readers of all cycling levels how to maintain, repair, and upgrade their own bikes for years of top performance and enjoyment. With coverage for road bikes and mountain bikes, bike shop owner Christopher Wiggins easily explains how to perform all of the most basic tasks. Coverage includes all areas of the bike, including the frame, suspension, cranksets, derailleurs, brakes, gears, pedals, shifters, and much more.

Genres: Reference, Self Help

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started volunteering at a bike kitchen so I'm trying to learn bike repair and maintenance from the other bike mechanics and also with books like this. 30 years ago as a kid I rode a cheap Walmart bike every day, but since then I hadn't owned or used a bike. I've always thought it would be awesome to get back to using bikes for short trips, and finally started recently. There's so much to learn about bikes and accessories if you didn't grow up around any of that (like me).

I like being able to read a section before I go in if I know there's something I'm planning on doing, such as reparing a bike tube, and then actually doing the act, and then later being able to reread the section. The tips are useful and I've used them during repair.

Also, this book mentioned braze-ons which even the other bike mechanics didn't know the name for but I was able to provide since I had recently skimmed the Accessories chapter. So that was cool because I'm a complete noob and everyone is always so patient and helpful when teaching me :)

I liked the Accessories chapter because it's good overall information about ways you can use a bike. Again, I'm a casual rider that goes less than 2 miles per trip, so to others this information might be old news.

I like the spacing and formatting on this book. Another book I am using has a tendency to cram good information into TLDR paragraphs walls of text.

When I was at the library, I flipped through multiple bicycle books and picked two that seemed like they had content that I could follow and understand. I'm glad I picked this book.

[Joey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a little disappointed. This book strictly tells you how to fix, adjust, or perform maintenance on parts of your bike. It doesn't necessarily explain what to look for or why those maintenance items are being done. It assumes a basic level of understanding and terminology which is surprising for an "Idiot's Guide." While it isn't the main purpose of this book, it only briefly describes different kinds of bikes that are available. I would have preferred they either leave that out altogether or elaborate more. There is a section on how to install accessories which to me seems pointless as most accessories will come with their own instructions. It would have been better simply to list accessories (with pictures), how they can be helpful, and describe any features that your existing bike must have in order to accommodate them. Lastly, I found a few typos, which isn't a huge deal but just added to my overall all disappointment in the book. I walked away with a little more knowledge, but not as much as I was hoping for.

[Cloay]

- available in SG NLB 629.28772 (ToaPayoh)