Bicycle Mechanics - Recommendations on a bicycle maintenance book?

Does anyone out there have a recommendation on a good bicycle maintenance book. I am farily good with most things mechanical, but it is always nice before taking something apart to know what you will find and need to get it together again and working better than when you started messing with it.

Bicycling has a home maintenance book that has good pictures and descriptions. Park Tool also has a maintenance book that is thorough, although a little technical, and a little lacking in pictures, and the pictures are hand drawn, not like the Bicycling book where they have photographic illustrations.

Koffee

Barnett's Manual. All you'll ever need to know and more.

Barnett's is the best, not doubt about it. If your budget is tighter, the Bicycling mag. book from Rodale Press is easily available and not very expensive.

Thanks everyone for the info.

If your more of a visual person like. Get a picture intensive book called Complete Bicycle Maintence. It isn't as detailed as Barnetts or other guides, but it has the major points and it has very clear pictures to demonstrate maintence technique. It's also relatively cheap. It think around $20 bucks. It would make a great visual supplement to the Barnetts manual.

Cro_Moly_Body

Zinn.

Barnetts manual sucks, period.
Go with Bicycle Mags manual.

Gee I am surprised that no one here has mentioned the newer books, "Zinn & the Art of Boad Bike Maintenance", or "Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" by Lennard Zinn, Velo Press, 2000. I think these books are the finest I have ever seen and are easy to follow. Also he wrote a new book, "Zinn's Cycling Primer", which I enjoy.

One thing I wish Barnett would do with his book is update it. There is a lot of new technology that has surfaced in the last 4 years and it seems like the book needs to address those items.

Otherwise I think Barnett's manual beats all, hands down, and is the best out there.

Does anyone out there have a recommendation on a good bicycle maintenance book. I am farily good with most things mechanical, but it is always nice before taking something apart to know what you will find and need to get it together again and working better than when you started messing with it.

If you have a good local library or book store, you might want to check out what they have on the shelves and see what looks good to you.

Some folks prefer the consumer manual format found in the Zinn and Bicycle Mag books while others like the Chilton's/Climer's/OEM like technical manual approach found in Barnetts, i.e., very technical, precise, and similar to the step-by-step attention to detail found in auto and motorcycle repair manuals. There is also Sutherlands, but that's more suited for professional mechanics who need a reference for compatibility tables, component specifications, etc...

One thing I wish Barnett would do with his book is update it. There is a lot of new technology that has surfaced in the last 4 years and it seems like the book needs to address those items.

If you are relying on downloads from Specialized or what was here, maybe. But I think there have been some updates in the past four years.

By the way jkittleson, is your review based on the copy of Barnett's Manual that you actually purchased, or one that you acessed from the internet?

I have a 32 year old "Anybody's Bike Book" that has served me well. And the (handdrawn) pix make me laugh!

I think between Sheldon Brown, Park Tools, and forums like this, mtbr, etc., there is no real need for a book unless you want an overview of the components/systems, tips on emergency repair, have it on hand when a computer is unavailable, or to browse while on the john. I have Zinn's Mountain bike book and yes, its pretty good but it was published in 2001. The latest front shock they talk about is the Judy. Some of the procedures, e.g. derailleur adjustment, just aren't that detailed. Zinn's Road bike book is from 2000, haven't looked at it. I liked the Bicycling Mag book, but it was published in 1999 (borrowed it from the library). According to Amazon the new ed. will be out March 2005.

The Barnett pdf's floating around are old. The new ed. was published in Oct 2003, I think, and you can download some examples at www.bbinstitute.com. Although its overkill, I'm thinking about getting it. Will probably wait till the Bicycling Mag book comes out then decide.

Dave

I like Bicycling's guide. Check out my full review at:

http://bloombikeshop.com/productreviews/miscellaneous/bicyclingcompleteguide.htm

Thanks for the Zinn's mountain bike repair manual suggestion.. I just got that. can't wait for it to arrive :)

Gee I am surprised that no one here has mentioned the newer books, "Zinn & the Art of Boad Bike Maintenance", or "Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" by Lennard Zinn, Velo Press, 2000.

How redundant are these two books? I have both kinds of bikes, but could I do fine with just one of the books?

Lennard Zinn's book is great. Barnette's is great too, but much more comprehensive. It may be overkill for the average garage mechanic.