Taking your bike apart is easy. Getting it back together is the tricky part.

Questions like yours come up pretty frequently. Search this site for answers.

Click here for Barnett's Manual You can download it for free, and it has more information about bicycle maintenance and repair than a home mechanic can use.

Bike Tools Etc. has a great selection of tools. To do some of the jobs you are considering, like removing cranks and bottom brackets, you will need special tools. Many tools are available from other vendors including your Local Bike Shop.

Talk to the mechanic at your LBS to see if he or she offers a class in maintenance and repair. The Park Tool Schools are offered through local bike shops.

Yes, there are torque specs for many parts. They are in Barnett's manual.

The Park Tool website has lots of good information, as does Sheldon Brown.

In addition to Zinn's excellent book, I like Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair, by Jim Langley.