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Title: Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance by Lennard Zinn, Todd Telander, Jonathan Vaughters ISBN: 1884737706 Publisher: Velo Press Pub. Date: April, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.44
Rating: 3
Summary: Nice beginner's book
Comment: A lot of good basic information and up to date. SOme though, is too basic. His instructions for adjusting derailleurs are so poor as to be barely adequate. For the front deraill. for example he has 3 steps. HI gear-- 1.shift back and forth between the middle and inner rings. 2. If the chain jumps over the big ring, tighten the hi-gear limit screw. 3---(more of the same)the .Yea, this is good basic stuff to get you into very roughly correct adjustment, but that is all. Better info is free on Park tool's site. From the troubleshooting section--Tire is Flat. Cause: tire deflated. Action: pump tire. I doubt anyone is so inept they need to be told that.
That said, it is good for those he said it was written for: "(Those) who do not think they are capable of maintaining their bikes." I have the Bicycling magazine book too, and frankly I cannot say one is better than the other. The fact is, once you get the basics down, if you have any mechanical experience or aptitude, most of this stuff is pretty simple. I had hoped for some more advanced tips on making things operate more smoothly or efficiently, but while the Bicycling mags book has some, this has very few. It's a simple book with the basics. Anytime you find a "maintenance" book that tells you ho to chance a tube, you are looking a a very simple book. If you need more, you'll be disappointed. If the basics are what you want, this books is more than adequate.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great book!
Comment: I read this book from cover to cover the day I got it, even though this is a reference book!
The instructions are very detailed. It even guides you through steps in a logical way and tells you to jump to different steps depending on the result of the previous step!
I would have given it 5 stars...but I bumped it down by one because a lot of the diagrams are not on the page that references the diagram so I found myself flipping back and forth a lot...this is a bit annoying when you're working on your bike...
Rating: 4
Summary: Generally adequate but plenty of gaps
Comment: All in all the book is not too bad but there aren't many books against which to compare it. I think that many adjustments and some repairs could be successfully undertaken from following the author's guidelines. But the book is uneven. Throughout the book there is a shortage of technical detail or information that could have easily been given. Sometimes it is critical, sometimes not.
For example in dealing with chains, there is no mention of chain identification such as a Hyperglide or HG chain despite the ubiquity of Shimano chains. Or it is stated that nine speed chains are more narrow than those for 7 or 8 speeds. Well, what is the measurement? Or the author instructs to drive the old pin all the way out in doing chain maintenance on an HG chain. Usually it is much easier to reconnect the chain with part of the old pin still in. It is stated that a Shimano tool does not damage the plates of a Shimano chain but others do. Well, Park tools are by the most purchased tool by home enthusiasts. Does a CT3 chaintool tool cause damage? The reader or future home repair person is left to wonder. In fact there is almost total absence of exact tool identification in the entire book. That is the kind of thing that a beginner needs to know.
In adjusting derailleurs presetting the barrel adjusters is not done. Setting the front derailleur limit screws before tightening the cable is not done. It is this kind of inconsistency in most every chapter that plagues this book. But the beginner would have no way on knowing this. So that is why I must qualify the chances of a person following this book having success in his or her repair.
A more complete book is the Barnett's Manual. But of course it is about four times as expensive and it too is not without its problems. It attempts to cover all types of bikes but its attention to detail and specifications and procedures can often overwhelm rather than really help the reader. The bottom line is that if you know next to nothing about bikes, you can learn a lot from this book. But there is still lots more to learn. Seek out other sources. Use the internet.
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