Bicycle maintenance books: Seven of the best
Summary
Knowledge is power, a wise old cyclist once said. So when it comes to swotting up on first class fettling and learning your ferrules from your freewheels, we've found seven paper paths to enlightenment
>>> How to clean your bike
Products
Van Der Plas, bicycle maintenance books
Bicycle Repair, Rob Van Der Plas
You can trust Cycling Weekly.
We review Bicycle Repair by Rob Van Der Plas
£16.95
Score
Bicycle Maintenance, bicycle maintenance books
The Ultimate Guide to Bike Maintenance and Upgrades, Guy Andrews & Stuart Clapp
We review 'The Ultimate Guide to Bike Maintenance and Upgrades' by Guy Andrews & Stuart Clapp
£9.99
Score
Big Blue Book, bicycle maintenance books
Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair, C Calvin Jones
We review 'Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair' by C Calvin Jones
£24.99
Score
Bicycle Repair Manual, bicycle maintenance books
Bike Repair Manual, Chris Sidwells
We review the 'Bike Repair Manual' by Chris Sidwells
£12.99
Score
Zinn, bicycle maintenance books
Zinn and the Art of Bike Maintenance, Lennard Zinn
We review 'Zinn and the Art of Bike Maintenance' by Lennard Zinn
£17.99
Score
Haynes, bicycle maintenance books
Haynes The Bike Book ? Complete bike maintenance, Mark Storey
We review 'Haynes The Bike Book ? Complete bike maintenance' by Mark Storey
£16.99
Score
Bicycle Repair for Dummies, bicycle maintenance books
Bike Repair and Maintenance for Dummies, Dennis Bailey
We review 'Bike Repair and Maintenance for Dummies' by Dennis Bailey
£13.99
Score
Verdict
Despite the plethora of bike standards and the constant turnover and trickle-down of fancy new parts, bicycles remain, at heart, rather simple creatures. Because of this, total maintenance newbies may be comfortable with a simple, straightforward guide to the basic concepts, such as Haynes and For Dummies.
Remember, you can always check YouTube and manufacturers? own websites for extra instructions and videos to ?top up? your knowledge on individual manufacturer standards.
Nevertheless, the stand-out book here was Lennard Zinn?s excellent Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. It manages to be all-encompassing enough for the beginner without patronising the more advanced fettler.
It?s text dense, but the writing style is both clear and digestible. OK, it?s one just for the roadies, but for off-road rangers, there?s also a Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.
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Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.
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