Cycling UK Forum

Hello,

I was hoping someone here could help me. I've recently begun to cycle as a hobby and upgraded to a road bike (specialized dolce 2010) just before Christmas. After some months of cycling 100+ miles a week Its beginning to dawn on me that my road bike needs more love and care than my old hybrid.

I've watched Youtube for hints and tips, been to Sheldon Browns site and gained enough knowledge to carry out small repairs and brake changes but I was wondering if there was a coverall book with nice pictures and detail. A "one stop shop" so to speak

Thank you,

Jenny.

This covers road bikes as well as others and looks like the sort of thing you're after. Don't own a copy but have leafed through in a bookshop.


http://www.haynes.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stor ... &langId=-1

A problem with books is that they tend to date, although I suppose if you buy one that's a contemporary of your bike, they'll grow old together. Another is that books, or cycling books at least are obliged to generalise.

http://www.parktool.com/repair/ is very good because you don't need to worry about getting the right jargon. You just point the cursor at the relevant bit of a bike. It's also aimed towards Shimano, which I think is the main equipment on your bike.

Talking of Shimano, their site has pdf downloads of all their current and recent stuff. You just need to know the reference number of your own equipment and then navigate to it. si = service instructions and ev = exploded view (helpful if you are trying to buy spares.)

http://techdocs.shimano.com/techdocs/index.jsp

There are sites which have videos of servicing jobs being done. eg

http://bicycletutor.com/

I've found the Park Blue Book to be pretty up to date and v. helpful.

The principles for road bikes are more or less the same for mountain bikes. The gears work in the same way more or less. Different shifters, different brakes, but it's all pretty simple stuff. The hardest things you can do on a bike are typically mountain bike related like bleeding brakes.

The Park Tool Big Blue book is a good book.

That's a word that's often be used to describe a lot more than brakes

I like ' Zinn & the art of Road Bike Maintenance' by Leonard Zinn which is very wide ranging. I particularly like his assertion that anyone with 2 opposing thumbs can learn bike maintenance - very encouraging for the less mechanically minded amongst us!

The important thing is to have your own quality control and know when you've done something properly. Also to always think safety and redo anything you've stuffed up, even if it costs the price of another part.

Anything I'm not sure of (doesn't just apply to bikes) I take photos as I'm working so I can see how the bike/part was before I messed with it.