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Zinn And The Art Of Mountain Bike Maintenance
June 30, 2009
Lennard Zinn is the author of numerous book and is also a frame builder, and if you haven't been hiding under a rock for the last few decades you will have heard of him at some point. I remember a few years ago looking through one of his repair manuals and thinking that is looked really cool, but at that time I had no desire to fix my own stuff. Now older and wiser, and having accumulated some tools I am ready to tackle some of the more challenging tasks. That is where his new edition of Zinn & The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance come in.
Zinn & The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is one of those books that you just need around. It seemingly covers everything you need to know. With all the hand drawn illustrations it works for both those who are visually oriented as well as those who need the detailed text to figure things out.
The book goes over the basics like types of bikes, what tools you will need, and some very basic stuff like how to remove a wheel. These are all good things because they keep the true novice interested, Zinn walks you through everything. Once you are ready to tackle more difficult tasks you just need to turn the pages and you will find everything you need to know.
You can't really review a maintenance book with out getting your hands dirty so I tackled a few jobs I had been eager to do. The first was to build a front mountain bike wheel with a disc brake. I had already built the rear but the front was something I could not get my head around. Almost all instructions on the internet were only for rear, but Zinn gives you all you need to know. And this time I even managed to get the converging parallel spokes! Task number two was a head set install. With the simple instruction it only took a few minutes and I was ready to roll.
One thing you will find you need after you get this book is some tools, probably more then you already have. I have access to a wheel truing stand as well as a headset press but if you do not have these thing, it will make life difficult. I am super excited to tackle more things in this book. It is actually an enjoyable read considering how much detail it goes into.
Price: $24.95 USD
Details: Bike maintenance made easy
Pros: Simple, to the point, illustrated
Cons: Nothing!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Velo Press
Reviewed by: Ryan