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The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair: For Road and Mountain Bikes
This revised, updated, expanded fifth edition is indispensable-with all the latest models, parts, and repair techniques, and terrific money-saving tips to keep any ride in tip-top shape
Since its first publication, Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair has sold over 400,000 copies. The fifth edition is guaranteed to remain the category killer. This long-overdue update is a must-have for weekend riders and serious cyclists alike.
Whether they own the latest model or a classic with thousands of miles on it, beginners and experienced cyclists alike can depend on this book to get their bikes out of the shop faster and keep them on the road longer. They'll discover information on:
o Building a dream bike workshop
o Disc brakes, both cable-actuated and hydraulic
o Dialing in front and rear suspension shocks for
comfortable rides
o The latest crankset and bottom bracket designs
o Overhauling freewheels and cassettes for peak
performance
o Specs on all the latest handlebar and headset sizes
o Servicing clipless pedals for maximum safety
With troubleshooting sections to quickly identify and correct common problems, 450 photographs and 40 drawings to clarify all the step-by-step directions so even the complete neophyte can get repairs right the first time, and Web sites and phone numbers of bicycle and parts manufacturers, this is truly the ultimate bicycle repair and maintenance manual-now better than ever in its fifth edition!
Since its first publication, Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair has sold over 400,000 copies. The fifth edition is guaranteed to remain the category killer. This long-overdue update is a must-have for weekend riders and serious cyclists alike.
Whether they own the latest model or a classic with thousands of miles on it, beginners and experienced cyclists alike can depend on this book to get their bikes out of the shop faster and keep them on the road longer. They'll discover information on:
o Building a dream bike workshop
o Disc brakes, both cable-actuated and hydraulic
o Dialing in front and rear suspension shocks for
comfortable rides
o The latest crankset and bottom bracket designs
o Overhauling freewheels and cassettes for peak
performance
o Specs on all the latest handlebar and headset sizes
o Servicing clipless pedals for maximum safety
With troubleshooting sections to quickly identify and correct common problems, 450 photographs and 40 drawings to clarify all the step-by-step directions so even the complete neophyte can get repairs right the first time, and Web sites and phone numbers of bicycle and parts manufacturers, this is truly the ultimate bicycle repair and maintenance manual-now better than ever in its fifth edition!
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
209 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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January 8, 2012I didn't rate this one because it's like a beginner trying to rate a detailed chef's manual. I'm glad I checked the library before the bookstore because although this is a very detailed and informative book, it's not what I needed. I should have realized this early on, when there were apparently 30 or so "required" tools for bike maintenance. It's a wonder my previous bike was still going strong after 7 years where "maintenance" meant pumping up the tires, oiling the chain, wiping it down to get rid of grit and mud, and the occasional patch/tube replacement and the only special tool I had was a tyre lever...
Anyway, if you're looking for something to tell you exactly how to tweak, maintain and repair your bike and you're more than just a casual rider, this is going to be an excellent book for you. There are plenty of pictures to illustrate the actions described in the text, and online videos to provide more clarification. The book covers every bit of the bike from the frame through to the handlebars and types of chain and gears, even how to box it up for travel.
If you're looking for a beginner's maintenance guide, keep looking; this is not the book for you.
Anyway, if you're looking for something to tell you exactly how to tweak, maintain and repair your bike and you're more than just a casual rider, this is going to be an excellent book for you. There are plenty of pictures to illustrate the actions described in the text, and online videos to provide more clarification. The book covers every bit of the bike from the frame through to the handlebars and types of chain and gears, even how to box it up for travel.
If you're looking for a beginner's maintenance guide, keep looking; this is not the book for you.
Read
March 18, 2012I thought this book was very interesting. It explains everything about bike maintenance in detail in a way that is fairly easy to understand. It also goes into how the geometry of your bike, like head and fork angle affect the overall ride and feel of your bike. It explain everything from a simple chain cleaning to replacing and cleaning your front and rear suspension on a mountain bike. Overall a very helpful resource for bike maintenance.
January 5, 2024
This book is worth its weight in gold. Easy to read, plenty of illustrations. Outstanding detailed book on bike repair. Very easy to understand and comprehensive.
This book is for the masses who just want to save $25 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 congratulating yourself for not having paid the shop to do it and can spend that money instead on more cool bike stuff.
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 the full range of bike components available today.
This book rocks. I never knew how easy it is to do repairs on a bike.
This book is for the masses who just want to save $25 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 congratulating yourself for not having paid the shop to do it and can spend that money instead on more cool bike stuff.
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 the full range of bike components available today.
This book rocks. I never knew how easy it is to do repairs on a bike.
January 21, 2021
While the book did a satisfactory job of explaining the parts and how they work, too many repair instructions simply tells the reader to seek help at a local bike shop, defeating the reader’s entire purpose of spending time with this text.
March 22, 2022
I have a half dozen books on bicycle erepair. This is probably the most comprehensive and the one I usually go back to after consulting others. The illustrations are excellent. He goes over basics like tune up, inspection, cleaning, and such very nicely.
April 20, 2020
The book is full of clear, manageable advice, and the illustrations are very helpful.
May 30, 2020
Great bike reference book - First time I'd heard of it but seems to have some pedigree. The first bike maintenance book I've ever had but if you only have one this seems to do the job.
September 5, 2014
This is a complete manual to bike maintenance and repair by Todd Downs, meant to cover the needs of road bike, mountain bike and triathlon/time trial bike owners. The sixth edition, which I purchased, is divided into 17 chapters each dealing with a set of components: headsets, brakes, saddles & seatposts, pedals, etc. Within each chapter, there is an introductory portion describing the general working of the part in question, followed by how-tos for common repair tasks. These how-tos are divided into numbered steps, and each step is accompanied by a black and white photo.
Todd Downs' knowledge is evidently vast and he does his best to make his advice clear for those with less technical experience. However, in writing a Goodreads review, I have to say whether the book is worth getting, and I really don't think it's worth the money. I bought the book just before building a touring bike from the frame up, and I thought I would be referring to it on a regular basis. Two years on, however, it has simply gathered dust, and I have never made recourse to it even once. Eventually, wanting to review it here like I do all the books I buy, I had to sit down and read it cover to cover to see what all was here.
The reason for this is that the internet now abounds with free video tutorials, where bike technicians just as skilled as Downs show you step by step how to perform common tasks, in full colour and often with multiple camera angles. No matter how ample a print book is, it simply cannot compare with those video guides.
Furthermore, Downs' manual does have some gaps which made it a less than complete resource for my own bike setup and needs. For example, there is no coverage of internal gear hubs (Rohloff or Shimano Alfine), which are becoming increasingly popular and affordable. The chapter on headset installation and maintenance is decent, but it has no description of how to set a star nut in a fork (it's not uncommon for them to work their way up out of the tube). In his chapter on wheel maintenance, Downs never mentions the need for V-brake users to brush their rims regularly, something very important for tourers because this is the leading cause of rim wear as the kilometres rack up.
In a pre-internet era, this kind of book would have been an essential purchase, but I cannot find any reason to recommend Downs' manual today.
Todd Downs' knowledge is evidently vast and he does his best to make his advice clear for those with less technical experience. However, in writing a Goodreads review, I have to say whether the book is worth getting, and I really don't think it's worth the money. I bought the book just before building a touring bike from the frame up, and I thought I would be referring to it on a regular basis. Two years on, however, it has simply gathered dust, and I have never made recourse to it even once. Eventually, wanting to review it here like I do all the books I buy, I had to sit down and read it cover to cover to see what all was here.
The reason for this is that the internet now abounds with free video tutorials, where bike technicians just as skilled as Downs show you step by step how to perform common tasks, in full colour and often with multiple camera angles. No matter how ample a print book is, it simply cannot compare with those video guides.
Furthermore, Downs' manual does have some gaps which made it a less than complete resource for my own bike setup and needs. For example, there is no coverage of internal gear hubs (Rohloff or Shimano Alfine), which are becoming increasingly popular and affordable. The chapter on headset installation and maintenance is decent, but it has no description of how to set a star nut in a fork (it's not uncommon for them to work their way up out of the tube). In his chapter on wheel maintenance, Downs never mentions the need for V-brake users to brush their rims regularly, something very important for tourers because this is the leading cause of rim wear as the kilometres rack up.
In a pre-internet era, this kind of book would have been an essential purchase, but I cannot find any reason to recommend Downs' manual today.
May 28, 2007
I ride to and from work everyday on a dual-suspension mountain bike; currently its in the shop for its annual tune-up. Every year I ignore all the little things that go wrong for as long as I can, then I pay someone else to fix it up. My goal this summer is to learn how to keep my bike in communting condition myself. So far I've only used the book to adjust my front derailers and figure out how to detatch the back brakes, but it looks great - lots of pictures detailing almost every action make following the directions nice and easy.
UPDATE - Recently, my frond derailer has refused to move to the lowest setting; it will go from large to medium, but not small. I spent a collective total of about four hours with this book, various screw-drivers and widgets, and a lot of grease on my fingers trying to work it out, but no go. I don't know if its a failing of mine, the book, or just testiment to how hard derailers are to set, but I'm going to have to eventually haul it back to the shop (in the meantime I just stand up when I bike up the hill to my house).
UPDATE - Recently, my frond derailer has refused to move to the lowest setting; it will go from large to medium, but not small. I spent a collective total of about four hours with this book, various screw-drivers and widgets, and a lot of grease on my fingers trying to work it out, but no go. I don't know if its a failing of mine, the book, or just testiment to how hard derailers are to set, but I'm going to have to eventually haul it back to the shop (in the meantime I just stand up when I bike up the hill to my house).
July 23, 2021
Good reference manual
What my ratings mean:
5 – I felt this book was an exemplar in its genre/field. That does not mean I agree with everything it says (or the moral of the story). It is likely to be a book that will change my thinking about a topic.
4 – A very impressive book for its genre/field. It probably didn’t change me or my thinking though.
3 – An enjoyable way to spend the time reading it.
2 – This was a pain to read. It was probably difficult to finish.
1 – Life’s too short and/or I’m not smart enough to get the point of this book.
What my ratings mean:
5 – I felt this book was an exemplar in its genre/field. That does not mean I agree with everything it says (or the moral of the story). It is likely to be a book that will change my thinking about a topic.
4 – A very impressive book for its genre/field. It probably didn’t change me or my thinking though.
3 – An enjoyable way to spend the time reading it.
2 – This was a pain to read. It was probably difficult to finish.
1 – Life’s too short and/or I’m not smart enough to get the point of this book.
March 21, 2014
I own this edition and a much older one, too. The older one got used so much that it's falling apart. I personally think this book is a must-have, especially if you want to do your own repairs and maintenance. With a book like this, many repairs and upgrades are possible without having to take your bike to the shop. Without a book like this, almost any do-it-yourself job can quickly turn into a very expensive mistake.
February 6, 2009
My wife gave me this one when I was doing triathlons, and doing a bunch of work on my bike. I guess I dream of trying to reduce my carbon footprint has me deeply in love with bikes and since they are so much easier to work on than cars I have always wanted to learn to do all the repairs. I dream of trying to build a bike from scratch, and so This book is going to come in rather handy.
May 29, 2007
Not intrinsically interesting, but very useful. Nice clear pictures, good step-by-step instructions. Occasionally I run across a component that isn't covered in this manual (rollercam breaks, for example), but it's pretty good at covering most repairs/adjustments.
December 17, 2009
Lots of good information, ranging from broad overviews to specific nitty gritty. Has done a lot to expand my understanding of the technical/mechanical aspects of cycling, and will undoubtedly be something I refer back to frequently when doing maintenance or purchasing new parts in the future.
June 6, 2010
I keep looking for a book on bikes that is easy to follow and non-geeky. No luck yet. What i really want to find is a book on vintage road bikes, since that's what i'm into. This one was more how to pimp out your totally pimping $5000 bike. Not me so much.
September 3, 2015
Good book with tons of information. If you are wanting to make some minor fixes to you bike it is worth getting so you don't have to keep getting your computer or laptop dirty looking up how to fix a derailleur.
August 8, 2007
good to have... i learned better repair tricks to keep from being stranded on the road side.
June 5, 2008
Great book for the shade-tree bike mechanic. Pictures and step-by-step make full disassembly easy.
August 14, 2009
this and Zinn are the standards for bike geeks everywhere.
March 11, 2012
Describes and documents steps in maintaining and repairing bicycles. Photos and text is very helpful. Of course YouTube is great also.
Want to read
September 2, 2014- available in SG NLB 629.28772 (ToaPayoh)
October 29, 2014
More pictures!!!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews