Bent maintenance book?

[Opedaler]

BP's post in Car's thread triggered a thought........I have a limited number of these so I have to be careful. Is there a book dealing specifically with bent maintenance and assembly?

In two months the nearest bike shop will be about 7 hours(road time) away. The nearest bent store will be considerably further. A book that deals with maintenance as well as suggestions on componentry and how to assemble would be very helpful. Anything like this out there?

[megaman]

I'm no where near to being a bike mechanic. But, from all of the issues I've ever had, I think any good bike maintenance book should do. Why? Well, the only things I've ever had go wrong are ordinary things that any maintenance book should be able to help with.
And I've never seen a bent maintenance book. Has anyone out there?

[megaman]

As far as assembly goes, hopefully your new or new to you bent will come with an owners manual which should cover these kinds of things. Course you might be able to go to the manufacture's web site(if they're still in business) and get this info too, one would think.

[bobkat]

Most bents have pretty standard components so most bike shops can work on them and tune them fine. A few bents have proprietary components, but these are few and far between and are pretty straight forward to tune.
Because LWB and I suppose trikes have fairly long cables and chains, they might need a bit more minor tuning due to stretch than regular bikes though this is not a big thing at all.

[bentbaggerlen]

"your new bent will come with an owners manual"

Oh man don't I wish! Working around the shop I have assembled many bents, (Vision,Rans, Longbikes, Wiz Wheels, Tour Easy, Presto, Bike-E, Wicks, Greenspeed and others) But other then the Bike-E, not one of them came with instructions or a manual of any kind. It's true that for the most part they go together just like any bike, but things like chain and cable routing are left up to your imagination.. Some bents come pretty much assembled, like most DF bikes. Mount the pedals, handle bars and adjust the brakes... Others are nothing more then a collection of parts in a box. One recumbent tandem trike I received from a customer did not even come with the wheels built up.

Don't get scared off yet, some of the builders have started posting manuals on line, and more are suppling them with the bike. And anytime I was completely stumped a quick call to the builder would answer any questions I had. And check out the builders web sight for photos, its like they say a pitcher is worth a thousand words.

[Recumbomatic]

Most bents use a lot of mountain bike parts. I recommend "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance".

[World Tour]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com is the encyclopedia of bicycles. Even though he's primarily an expert on upwrongs, everything applies. We bentriders just have an extra bit here and there :-)

My problems so far have all been my own fault. Like the chain idler wheels, I didn't know you tightened them, I thought that would choke the spin. One fell off on a ride miles from home, never again. And I used too short of bolts for the front brake levers they vibrated out once, longer ones and locktight front and back keep that from happening again. A lubed up chain, lubed cable housings and moving parts, what else do you need to know. The web will tell you everything. That's how/where I learn everything.

[BlazingPedals]

I learned my bicycle mechanics the hard way - tearing down my first bicycle to its component ball bearings and rebuilding it. I've learned the new stuff along the way by the same method. Maybe I'm more mechanical-minded than most, but it's all pretty straightforward to me. I know a lot of people have trouble with it, though.

One name always seems to come up when questions of 'how to' come up: Zinn. Look up Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. Since most bents have mountain bike components in the drive train - shifters brakes and derailleurs in particular, that might be the most applicable book. Zinn also has one called Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. Easy to find at Amazon.com, or your local book store can probably get it too.

[LandLuger]

I would like to see someone publish a novel on which bike accessories are more readily adaptable to bents. My point being that almost every "bike" accessory I've ever bought required modification.

Sorry to veer off topic.

[jeff-o]

I prefer "Bicycle Maintenance and Repair." It's published by the same people who make Bicycling magazine. Recumbents use mostly standard bike parts, so you shouldn't have any troubles. This book at least has a picture of a recumbent, so you know what all the parts are called...

[bkaapcke]

I was shocked when the LBS that I bought my EZ Sport from couldn't get me a spare chain idler wheel. I got it online in 3 days. Now I buy lots of parts online. (new rear der, wheels, BB, chains, cassettes fancy pedals) For the most part, it's just a bike that's laid out a little different, and has a long chain. I use Bicycling Magazines Road & MTB Maintenance and Repair book. It covers everything I'm likely to do with the wrenches. And I think the only thing I wouldn't try is wheel building. bk

[World Tour]

I strip bikes I find during bulk trash. I keep an extra idler wheel in my pack, among other things.