I borrowed this from the library and, thinking it very good, decided to buy a copy. Normally £18.99, I, being out of work decided to get one that had been discounted and was very pleased to find one at the local discount bookstore (The Works) which had one advertised at £7.99 on the net along with £3 or so, postage. Pretty pleased with myself: another bargain: not only less than half price, but no postage fee :-))
Now, I decided awhile back that I was going to take care of my bike(s), only going to a bike shop when necessary for things I cannot do myself, for whatever reason. Part of this was down to the fact that I was unemployed, but also, I think it's better if you can do the work yourself as you probably take better care of it. Plus, I enjoy it...when it goes right...which hasn't been that often...
To be expected, much of this bike covers derailleurs so not relevant to me (although it's good to have the knowledge), but there is a useful section on hubgears and most of the other content applies to most bikes - brakes, wheels etc. as you would expect it to.
Nice colour photos and a narrative, first person style with the odd anecdote, personal experience of the author plus tips on how to make bike maintenance easier, make it quite enjoyable to read, more than just an instruction manual. I've already taken the author's advice and bought myself a "biscuit tin" - an organiser for nuts and bolts and other small parts I might need when the shops are shut - see my post on getting organised. In addition, what I like, being a relative beginner, is the explanation at the beginning of each chapter of the language of bikes - what a chainset is etc which can get a bit confusing at times, especially if it's something you don't have and almost never use - ie a cassette...nothing to do with tape recorders...
I wish that I had bought this sooner, as to a degree, I have neglected the some of the maintenance on my Kettler especially the chain, which I didn't start cleaning or change until I'd ridden several thousand miles. So you get a stretched chain which ruins the chainset. This wasn't because I didn't care, but because I didn't know. Ah well, lesson learned for the now and the future.
