Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance: The World's Best-Selling Bicycle Repair and Maintenance Guide

I have had many years of wrenching on cars and bikes alike. I felt that this book was a great all-in-one general maintenance book for Road Bike Maintenance. It does not give every single detail that is possible for all parts (e.g. shimano brakes, it doesn't tell give you a parts breakdown like one would if you went to the manufacture site and downloaded their technical documents). ***TIP for specific instructions for bike parts: most manufactures will post up online detailed technical specifications for each part and some will even post a parts breakdown document as well. Many of my opinions are also formed based upon my maintenance use and owner ship of the Park Tool Big Blue Book 2nd Edition (which should be the current edition). Hands down, this book is much better than the Park Tools book, for it is much more detailed in many areas that the Park Tools book lacks. This book covers most of the popular designs and manufactures (e.g. different shifting systems including campagnolo, shimano, and sram). It also details the differences between the companies as well on certain parts that need attention because of the unique design by the company. The book does a great job at sorting the different repair tasks by three different levels, which most takes I feel are generally level 2. Not only that, it also gives an overview of different type of maintenance tool sets one should have from level 1, the basic level tool kit for the beginner, to level 3 + tools that a shop should own. Zinn also explains each of the parts for every kit level as well. I feel they do a pretty good job overall on giving a easy to follow guideline as to what common tools are needed for each of the different levels of repair difficulties. For the new bike maintenance person, this book provides a comprehensive view of what it takes to wrench on a road bike (which I believe just about everyone can manage (if they proceed carefully and slowly). Also, the writing style is extremely simple to follow and believe or not written in an encouraging manner that it makes a person feel they can repair anything on their road bike. This book does not give advise onto which brands to get for all the tools (although they do have some recommendations for certain tools interspersed throughout the book). But it gives enough advise to pretty much get most things and help guide a person onto which tools to look for and which ones may be avoided. This is a great book for those who do not have an all-in-one reference book. It is cheap and affordable and definitely worth the small amount you pay for it. I don't know right now if it is offered as a digital book, but if it ever does, I'd personally continue to pick up the paper version, since having a physical book in the workshop is much better than digital! Happy Wrenching!

To be fair, I'm handy with tools, and have worked on my own cars, etc. for years. I've torn broken things apart, say a toaster, and tried to fix them. More than often I was able to fix things I'd never seen before, but I've also failed. And that's where this amazing book comes in. Many of you may own a Haynes manual for your car, and if you do you know that it assumes you have some skills already. Thus their manual for cars typically runs 200 or so pages. Thus, is it surprising that the Zinn manual for bicycles runs close to 600? Sure is, but here's why: First, it covers a wide range of road bikes, not just one or two, and their many different parts and methods. Second, it is written for BOTH newbies and for the experienced. The amount of information in this book is astounding and I rather doubt that anyone who needs to read this review will find this book exactly and completely what he/she needs. The only thing missing - but only in part - is how to do things without special bike tools. Example: removing an old, three piece bottom bracket - this can be done with a large, adjustable wrench but you'd better be strong, careful and lucky. And perhaps that's why he doesn't tell you about that one. OTOH, where common methods can be done - like cleaning your rear gears with an old t-shirt, he does. Not to mention that you can always do a search on "How to XXXX with ordinary tools" and you'll find all manner of videos, etc. The important thing is that you will do so having been very well informed by Zinn, a considerable advantage over the youtube geniuses. A tour de force, a must buy. With the knowledge in this book, I was able to rebuild a worn out Chinese Schwinn Hybird which had a good frame but not much else, with good Shimano crank, gear sets, bottom bracket, brakes and cables, top quality 40-spoke rims and 28mm Continental tires for around $200. My ride is now every bit the equivalent of bikes commonly selling for $600 to $700 and best yet since I put it together I now know how to maintain it. My advice: buy it. Rather than going to the bike shop, if you do just one repair you will more than pay for the trivial cost of this book, learn something and feel good about it. Free at last!

I read this entire book cover to cover. I know that is not how this book is ment to be read, it is ment for reference. i.e. have a problem look it up and fix it. this is where my first little issue is. this bnook is a glue binding meaning that it does not lay flat. when I was trying to use it while fixing my bike it became a frustrating issue. If this book had been sprial bound then it would lay flat at all times. the other issue i had with this book was the lack of "older" style components. I do not have a brake/shift combination levers and there was very little information about my style shifters. All in all the information that is in this book is golden, just a tad light on some information. 4 out of 5 stars.

As a bike mechanic, I've read all the books. This is by far the easiest to read, has detailed yet easy to understand instructions, and the hand drawn pictures are more than adequate. Each edition is thoroughly rewritten and updated, so it keeps me up to date. Lennard is a guru and for all the right reasons. Best of all, this book serves absolute beginners as well as experts. He has an easy writing style that makes this an (almost) can't-put-down book. Once you start reading, you do want to keep going. I've read it cover to cover about three times and gotten information each pass. It's a MUST for any mechanic's bookshelf. I literally built my first bike, from scratch, just by reading his first edition. I didn't know a darned thing about bikes (literally, I didn't know ANYTHING about bike repairs), but by following closely, I build up a Felt 10x2 that was an amazing ride, all from parts I ordered off eBay by knowing the size I needed because Lennard TOLD me what I needed. It was an amazing experience, and I've built probably 30 more for friends since that first Felt. I own the previous editions, and each is better than the previous one. That's rare in my opinion. Buy this; it's a must read for the bike enthusiast who wants to wrench himself. And if you don't know a derailleur from a screwdriver, don't worry: Lennard explains the difference.

I'm no bike mechanic, but I'm pretty handy when it comes to fixing things. I've managed to keep my bike running and only visited the local bike shop for parts. And then, for some reason, I accidentally let some oil out of my hydraulic brake system. Bah. My rear brake lever, although still working, was considerably mushier than I would've liked. I took it to the local bike shop for a repair and am pretty sure they did nothing to my brake system. The lever had the same amount of play in it as when I took it in. So, I cracked open Zinn, ordered some oil, and got to this myself. The instructions were great but, what really saved the day, were the little tips and advice. After the first few attempts, I simply couldn't get all of the air bubbles out of my line. Zinn had great tips on how to work the hydraulic lines to knock bubbles loose. Sure enough, after going through the recommended motions, bubbles started to bleed out. I topped off the reservoir and was back to full strength braking! Aaaaaah. This book is great. It has detailed, exploded diagrams, concise and clear instructions, and advice and tips from someone who's been there and done that. Definitely recommend for the mountain biker.

It's gotten better! The previous editions were well loved by the cycling community, I was always borrowing my friends third edition. When I saw this recommended to me from Amazon I sprung on it (even though it was a pre-order). It's great! Velopress & Zinn added a LOT more to the book (384 vs the new ones 504 pages). I look at it and go "wow that's more substantial than my college textbooks"... The index and glossary are invaluable, super quick to find things. The illustrations are great, and seriously-there are more details in this one than the last edition. Also the first real maintenance book to touch cyclocross (which is my road bike, I live in dirt heaven), and electronic shifting systems. I'll expand more this weekend, were getting snow/gusted in this weekend in Arizona and I plan on doing a overhaul on the bike.

I wanted to learn some basic wrenching skills on my bike and build my skillset at my own pace. I usually rely on Park Tool's website for reference and Youtube videos for tutorials, but it's nice having a reference to trust that covers everything from the brakes to the tires. The exploded diagram views of components and parts can be intimidating to newcomers, but it's a smorgasbord of information for those who love to tinker. I also like that it provides plenty of coverage from very old parts to fairly "new" trends (e.g. disc brakes are common on cross and mountain bikes, not so much road bikes, yet they function identically). I'd highly recommend this to the budding mechanic or cyclist who wants to get their hands dirty on working on their own bike. Supplement this with a variety of Youtube videos, Park Tools reference, and maybe your local bike shop mechanic and you'll have everything you need to work on your bike (tools sold separately). The section on "emergency road repairs" alone is valuable enough for cyclists/mechanics of all levels and skillsets.

I ride roughly 150-200 miles a week and do all my own bike repairs, but the only way I had to learn previously was from YouTube videos or internet resources. These are okay, but lack the depth that this book has. Every bicycle component is broken down into its individual parts and installation and maintenance of these components is explained in detail. Probably the most helpful part of this book is the troubleshooting index where it has a list of common problems with causes and solutions which you are given a page number to refer to how to fix it. I am really glad I got this book and stopped relying on YouTube videos for repair advice because I have saved a lot of time by only looking at this book.

Lettura abbastanza semplice anche se non si è proprio ferrati in inglese, ci sono proprio tutti i consigli per riparare una bici da soli.

This is a well written, well illustrated universal manual for servicing mountain bikes. I am a retired mechanic and know about bearings and fasteners and lubrication, but bikes have particular requirements and that information is difficult to find. I like that it runs from a low level of expertise to a high level for experienced folks. The illustrations are very helpful. It is a great reference, not something you read cover to cover. The sections on suspension and drive trains is well done

Es lo que esperaba. Datos y explicaciones.

I'm getting really interested in road cycling and a lot of people recommended this book for home repairs and for improving the general knowledge of how road bikes work. I am not dissapointed. I'm going to learn so much. Can't wait!

This is a near perfect book on road bike maintenance. There's no point in me going much further than that. If you need to know what to do on your road bike, why to do it, and which tools you need - here you go. The author writes with a lovely manner, making it a relaxed yet precise, comprehensive and easy to follow guide. The binding of the book and the paper it's printed on are lovely quality too - that perhaps doesn't matter to most of us, but I'd expect it to handle years of heavy use without it falling apart. I read some negative reviews on amazon - I'd say that different people prefer different ways of presenting information and of course this book will not suit everyone, but I would say it will suit the vast majority of people out there looking for the best in road bike maintenance guides. Simply one of the best reference books I own.