Howdy:

I take good care of my bike and they last a long time. So when I bought my new bike the new technology and gizmos are quite different from before, The brake levers and shift levers are combined. It appears to me this means I must repair/replace cables differently than on the old fashioned brakes, which were on the bars; and shifters, which were on the stem or down tube. They appear harder to get to.

Is this the case or is it simply a case of taking the pieces apart carefully and reassembling them in reverse order? I know now my bottom bracket is a sealed unit, the pride I used to feel each month or so when I opened it up, tightened and repaired it will be no longer! Heck is it getting to the point where most repairs will have to be done in the shop, almost like a car? Or no? I'd like to hear from you folks out there.

roughstuff

Were you looking for some great books?.....I though you were by the looks of the thread subject so I will post the best three that I know of.

Barnetts's Mannal

Zinn and art of mountain bike maintence

Mountain bike performance handbook

I think you can do anything yourself and a lot cheaper then a car mechanic hehe.


I really really like Zinn!

Or for a roadie, Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance - it is a good book. Also look at the Bicycling book as well.

As for shifters, you didn't mention brand. You can repair Campa, not Shimano (at least I have never heard of doing it because parts are not available). No idea about SRAM if that is what you have.

Cheers...Gary

Yeah, I'm a Shimano *****, but I'll second that -- Shimano components you replace, Campys just get repaired.

I was going to recommend Bicycling's Guide to Bicycle Maintenance, but it's more of a book for newbies to bicycle repair (like me) than for more experienced types. But I'll throw it out there, anyways.

There's a more comprehensive guide, but the name escapes me...