Bicycle maintenance

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

Thanks in advance!

Try Googling? http://www.bicycleworld.com/BW_repair_info.html for
starters

Owen

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

Hi Bugbear, I'm in Thornlie also, and while I generally communte in a
different direction I also ride to Perth a lot.

Quoted message said:

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

I've just bought a copy of "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance

Here is a link to its Amazon.com page: http://tinyurl.com/wzkg2

I've seen it in Dymocks at Cannington, it looks pretty good. Consider
also buying one of the bike tool kits from torpedo7.com.au next time
they're on special.

Travis

Travis said:

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

Hi Bugbear, I'm in Thornlie also, and while I generally communte in a
different direction I also ride to Perth a lot.

Quoted message said:

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.
What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

I've just bought a copy of "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance

Here is a link to its Amazon.com page: http://tinyurl.com/wzkg2

I've seen it in Dymocks at Cannington, it looks pretty good.

Zinn is a book I have too, and is worth getting. If you're doing some
maintenance, it is sometimes worth reading Zinn while also trawling the
great bicycle maintenance sites on the web,
e.g. http://sheldonbrown.com/

Quoted message said:

Consider
also buying one of the bike tool kits from torpedo7.com.au next time
they're on special.

Ditto - I'll second that one as well. Not too long ago I used a torpedo7
tool kit to change my chain and rear cassette, and everything worked a
treat.

Cheers,

Vince

Somewhere on the net is a set of Edition 3 of Barnetts Maintenance Manual -
a professional approach.
BARNETT'S MANUAL (4th Edition) TABLE OF CONTENTS:

(#) = (Volume number)
(1) 13 - Cartridge-Bearing Hubs
(2) 27 - Chainline

(1) Introduction
(1) 14 - Adjustable-Cone/Cup Pedals
(3) 28 - Handlebars, Stems, And Handlebar Extensions

(1) 1 - Basic Mechanical Skills
(1) 15 - Cartridge-Bearing Pedals
(3) 29 - Seats And Seatposts

(1) 2 - Tapping Bottom-Bracket Shell Threads
(2) 16 - Wheel Building And Rim Replacement
(3) 30 - Shift-Control Mechanisms

(1) 3 - Facing The Bottom-Bracket Shell
(2) 17 - Wheel Truing And Repair
(3) 31 - Derailleur-Cable Systems

(1) 4 - Reaming And Facing The Head Tube
(2) 18 - Wheel Removal, Replacement, And Installation
(3) 32 - Rear Derailleurs

(1) 5 - Milling The Fork Crown
(2) 19 - Tires And Tubes
(3) 33 - Front Derailleurs

(1) 6 - Sizing And Threading Fork Columns
(2) 20 - Taper-Fit Crank Arms
(3) 34 - Brake Levers

(1) 7 - Seat-Tube Milling
(2) 21 - Cottered Crank Arms
(3) 35 - Brake-Cable Systems

(1) 8 - Frame And Fork Alignment And Damage
(2) 22 - One-Piece Cranks
(3) 36 - Cable-Operated Rim Brakes

(1) 9 - Adjustable-Cup Bottom Brackets
(2) 23 - Chainrings
(3) 37 - Hydraulic Rim Brakes And Disc Brakes

(1) 10 - Cartridge Bearing Bottom Brackets
(2) 24 - Pedal Removal, Replacement, And Installation
(3) 38 - Suspension Forks And Rear Shocks

(1) 11 - Headsets
(2) 25 - Freehub Mechanisms And Thread-On Freewheels
(4) 39 - Appendix

(1) 12 - Adjustable-Cone Hubs
(2) 26 - Chains
(4) 40 - Worksheets

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best ever text. Try Google (Otherwise Edition 4 in 3 Volumes is a
serious $250 if a bookshop will get it for you - Borders in Sydney had it
once - it doesn't move fast at that price.!)
--
Bob C
"Bugbear" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

Thanks in advance!

Bob C said:

Somewhere on the net is a set of Edition 3 of Barnetts Maintenance Manual -
a professional approach.
BARNETT'S MANUAL (4th Edition) TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Nope, I'm pretty sure the last time I looked you could no longer get
the free copies on the net.

DaveB

Bob C said:

Somewhere on the net is a set of Edition 3 of Barnetts Maintenance Manual - a professional approach.

I know of *cough* someone who may know of a copy of Edition 5. *cough*

Email the cfsmtb helpdesk and ask very nicely: cfsmtbATgmailDOTcom

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

Thanks in advance!

No-one else has mentioned it but the Park Tool Blue Book of
Bicycle Maintenance is pretty good. I got one for myself and
one for my Dad when he recently took up cycling. It makes an
excellent companion to the Park Tool website that Donga mentioned.
My only concern is that it is tied pretty closely to Park Tool
but there are plenty of other bike tool manufacturers. Park
Tool are to bicycles what Snap-on are to cars.

Sheldon Brown's website is an excellent reference site as well
although I wonder if it might be a bit daunting for a newbie to
bike maintenance (controversial?).

Cheers,
DeF.

--
To reply, you'll need to remove your finger.

cfsmtb said:

Bob C said:

Somewhere on the net is a set of Edition 3 of Barnetts Maintenance
Manual - a professional approach.

I know of *cough* someone who may know of a copy of Edition 5. *cough*

Email the cfsmtb helpdesk and ask very nicely: cfsmtbATgmailDOTcom

Or, for those too shy to contact the helpdesk, you can see a few chapters
on-line at http://www.bbinstitute.com/manual.htm , such as the chapter on
rear derailleurs: http://www.bbinstitute.com/BM5%20chap%2032.pdf

Cheers,

Vince

DeF said:

Sheldon Brown's website is an excellent reference site as well
although I wonder if it might be a bit daunting for a newbie to
bike maintenance (controversial?).

Controversial? He doesn't enter the murky waters of chain oiling
techniques does he? ;-)

BTH

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I saw a copy of Zinn's at
Boffins Bookshop in Perth. I'll check it out there.

Aside: I misread the title and thought it said Zen - and wondered how
much bicycle maintenance you could do sitting cross legged with your
hands on your knees...

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

everyone's given you lots of good advice, Zinn is a good book, for
example, but Barnetts' is probably a little unnecessary.

*but*

Some jobs are easy to do, but difficult to describe - I suggest you
find someone local (your LBS is a good place to start, or a club etc)
who can show you how to do gear adjustments, as a specific example.
It's easy ... once you've been shown, but I'm yet to find a book that
makes sense to me with instructions for how to do it, and I do it quite
regularly!

(I have taken up a bit of track racing, I'm probably losing whatever
brains I may have had ... 🙂 )

Bugbear said:

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I saw a copy of Zinn's at
Boffins Bookshop in Perth. I'll check it out there.

Aside: I misread the title and thought it said Zen - and wondered how
much bicycle maintenance you could do sitting cross legged with your
hands on your knees...

Its a pun...

Travis

Travis said:

Bugbear said:

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I saw a copy of Zinn's at
Boffins Bookshop in Perth. I'll check it out there.

Aside: I misread the title and thought it said Zen - and wondered how
much bicycle maintenance you could do sitting cross legged with your
hands on your knees...

Its a pun...

Perhaps more a reference to 'zen and the art of motorcycle
maintenance', which is, surprisingly, while neither really about Zen,
or motorcycle maintenance, is surprisingly relevant to working on
bikes, albeit obliquely.

Bleve said:

Bugbear said:

Hi all,
A bit of an introduction, I live in Perth and recently bought a flat
bar road bike (Merida Speeder T3) to cycle to work (Thornlie to Perth).

So far I've clocked up about 1500km and now I'm starting to wonder
about maintenance. I've no problems with some of the basic stuff (tyre
pressures, repairing punctures, oiling the chain, inspecting brake
pads) but I'd like to get my hands on a good reference book that will
alert me to what else I should be keeping an eye on from time to time.

What books / resources would you recommend for someone who wants to
learn about bike maintenance so that I can keep my pride and joy in
good condition?

everyone's given you lots of good advice, Zinn is a good book, for
example, but Barnetts' is probably a little unnecessary.

*but*

Some jobs are easy to do, but difficult to describe - I suggest you
find someone local (your LBS is a good place to start, or a club etc)
who can show you how to do gear adjustments, as a specific example.
It's easy ... once you've been shown, but I'm yet to find a book that
makes sense to me with instructions for how to do it, and I do it quite
regularly!

Good point. Your mention of gear adjustments reminded me that for rear
derailleur adjustment I tend to use Todd Downs' simplified description
in 'Bicycling Illustrated Bicycle Maintenance for Road and Mountain Bikes'.
For Bugbear's information, I bought my copy of Downs' book from Boffins in
Perth, too. It's worth having a look at, anyway.

Cheers,

Vince