Review of Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Easy-to-Follow Guide to Routine Maintenance and Repair

Mountain Bike Maintenance: The Easy-to-Follow Guide to Routine Maintenance and Repair
Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 2
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Good Basic Book

On: 2002-07-27

Hmmm. Im just not sure about this one. The book itself is well laid out, full-color, and spiral-bound. So everything is easy to use and see when you are working in a dusty garage after a hard-core ride. But I just cant get past the fact that this book simply doesnt cover everything you need to know about basic mountain bike maintenance. I mean, its certainly a good enough book that covers the different parts of a bike and most of the different routine maintenance procedures. But, I find that, although the pictures are clear and pretty, they just dont adequately cover all of the steps. For example, one of the most common things you will need to do as a rider is adjust your spokes and true your wheel. The book just doesnt cover it in as much detail as it needs to. In the end, you can guess your way through the process based on the books text, but you really cant follow it clearly. This is just one example of what this book lacks - DETAIL. And because of this, I just cant recommend it as the " only mountain bike maintenance manual you will ever need". Its nice, but its not enough. I can, however, say that about the book "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance". If you want to own only one book on the subject, give it a try.

Cincise repair information with clear pictures.

On: 2002-01-18

What I like:
Concise description and outline of steps needed for repair.
List of tools needed and rating of difficulty.
Tips "block" on many pages.
Clear color pictures.
"Extra" chapters included such as: "Ten Top Tips" and "Silence Unwanted Noises".
Up-to-date, i.e. includes V-brakes and other current components.

What I dont like:
Some text refers to a picture and it is unclear which picture, or which part is being refered to.
There are a few procedures which should have more detail: if you are not used to working on bikes.

Other observations:
This book was written by a Brit, so you need to know what a spanner is (there are other terms as well, such as "washing-up liquid).

The best book I have worked with to date. Any information not included I can ask my local wrench. I cant give the book a 5 star rating due to the minor items under "What I dont like" above.