dengidog

I've done several bike tours and a lot of local riding, but I know absolutely squat about how to do almost anything other than change the tires...and even that's iffy if it's the back tires and my brakes need adjusting afterwards. Could someone please recommend a book or online course that takes you from the absolute beginning and walks you through most repairs? I know there are sites like Sheldon Brown's (love it) that give a lot of info, but I'm not even at that point. I'm tired of being spooked by the thought of a broken spoke. It would also be nice to be able to ....disassemble/assemble my bike without having to rely on the availability of an LBS, one of which royally screwed me in Canada. The problem with a lot of sites that I've visited is that they assume you have a working knowledge of the tools or some mechanical abilities. I don't. The more diagrams/videos/basic instructions, the better.

Thanks in advance!

jerrykr

youtube videos.... search "how to (whatever you want to do)" ----

dengidog

Thanks, but that's exactly what I don't want. Again, I need something that starts from the very beginning and doesn't assume you know the difference between wrenches, etc. While YouTube can be a great resource, I'd rather find something that gives me a logical process of learning, not a chop and change as emergencies arise...that's what gets me into trouble (a little knowledge being a dangerous thing...).

HillRider

This is going to be a tough handicap to overcome and a real book might be a better start. "Bicycling Magazines Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair" is a good introductory manual. Your location says Mexico so is there a local bike Co-Op or similar in your city? They have tools and expert help to show you how to do the work.

qclabrat

check out the sticky thread on this forum, gives you most of the pointers you are looking for

key is to not be afraid to try and ask questions from others here, who know worlds more than I will ever

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...ease-read.html

dengidog

Thanks, Hill. I'll check out that book. You caught my problem. I'm about 45 mins from Guadalajara (the "big city" lol) so there really isn't anything local other than small bike shops. It's different than in the US. Definitely no co-ops in my area and the local LBS is very, very basic. Any tools I'll need will have to be ordered from the US. There are a couple of bigger stores in Guad, but it's only recently that they've started to carry more than a limited selection of bike parts. I might be able to find my tools (since I'm not planning on learning how to do the truly advanced stuff), but that would be about all they could do for me unless it was a repair job. This is why I need some good diagrams/videos that start at the very beginning and are almost idiot-proof.

As for YouTube and short, non-consecutive videos, the problem is that it does give you an answer to one question, but can raise more. My learning how to change tires is the perfect example. It's not a difficult thing, nor particularly difficult (now that I know how), but the back tire is more complicated and the last time I had to change it, I ended up with a brake adjustment problem that I couldn't solve. It was embarrassing to stand by the side of the road and stare at my bike like the answer was going to float down from above. Another cyclist passing by tried to give me some help, but he was in a rush and could only give me some quick tips. It didn't work. Of course, this wasn't his fault, but mine.

Again, thanks for the recommendation!

cyccommute 

Park Tools Repair help is a good place to start. Click on the bike map for your trouble spot and the directions provided are very clear. You don't necessarily have to follow all of the directions under each topic...limit screws which have already been set and don't need to be reset are a prime example...but you can get through most of it.

You also learn by doing. I took a class on bicycle mechanics long ago but most of what I learned was through just doing the work. Bikes are easy to understand and work on, although there are a lot of small details. Just keep working on the bike. Long ago I heard someone say that the difference between a inexperienced mechanic and a master mechanic is the number of parts they have ruined. A master mechanic has ruined far more...but they learned from the experience.

dabac

IDon't think such a thing exists. Pretty much all repair manuals, well any set of complex instructions, start off from an assumed level of prior knowledge. It'd be very unlikely to find a repair manual for a specific subject willing to spend several chapters on the very basics, like tool names and uses, differences between oil and grease, threadlocks, how to brace when applying torque to a fastener, how to avoid taking you fingers off or skinning your knuckles etc.
If that is what you think you need, start at a library. They might have some books on basic DIY.

LoriRose

Google is your best friend, as are these forums.

I have just jumped into bike maintenance with two feet without very much "tool" knowledge. I am mechanically inclined, however, so that helps, but I understand where you are coming from...I sent many emails to my father with questions about different tools and such after reading through how-to sites and watching videos.

I think a book is a great starting point, but if you really want to learn you will need to get yours hands VERY dirty. Taking apart a bike, and reassembling it (as I have just done for the first time) will present you with so many random challenges that I can't imagine even the best book would cover. Tips from pros, problem-solving skills and macguyver capabilities will also come in very handy.

Be prepared to spend time and money (on tools!), and take your time to understand how and why the bike and its parts work they way they do.

I now know what a cone wrench is, as well as a spoke nipple, a limit screw and a bearing race! whoa!

Most importantly, have fun!!

SlowJoeCrow

Lennard Zinn's books have pretty comprehensive repair instructions. While it is a little off topic the Haynes Motorcycle Workshop Practice Techbook is an excellent foundation for how to use tools and work with fasteners and materials since it focuses on general things like fastener types and how to tap a thread, remove a tight fitting part, or measure with a caliper rather than specific repairs.

fietsbob

Your Neighbors There may be mechanically pretty good at figuring out the basics, even though you have to converse in spanish..

rm -rf

It's an interesting problem for repair guides. Just how much do the steps need to be spelled out?

I've always used the Park Tool Repair Guides. They've really helped me on correctly adjusting front and rear derailleurs, and on installing or adjusting a handlebar stem. Some of the steps aren't that obvious at first, but are easy once explained and understood.

But even the Park Tool guides make some assumptions.

For instance, on the Dual Pivot Brake Service,

Step 2: Inspect that caliper is approximately centered to wheel (after wheel is centered in frame). Loosen mounting nut and move caliper arms until centered to rim. Re-tighten the mounting nut.

...But it doesn't explain or show that the mounting nut is reached from the back of the fork, and is recessed in a hole. And that it usually uses a 5mm hex wrench.


Step 4: Squeeze lever to test pad clearance. Use barrel adjuster to adjust pad clearance. Set clearance for approximately 3-4mm (1/8 “) per side from pad to rim. Draw slack from system using inner-wire pinch bolt if barrel adjuster is set out to its limit.

..."Draw slack" is a little tricky. I first turn the barrel adjuster to the middle of it's range. Then I loosen the pinch bolt that clamps the wire cable, then squeeze the brake pads by hand until they are almost touching the rim. Now I can re-clamp the cable, and it should be pretty close to the correct pad clearance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So the Park Tool pages are good for making sure you follow the procedure correctly, but some of the details aren't explicitly coverered.

dengidog

How funny that this topic was revived...but I'm very grateful it was. LoriRose: you give me great hope! I don't mind getting my hands (and any other part!) dirty. My first project was to learn how to adjust the height of my seat. I'm REALLY new at anything mechanical. I actually started the "happy" dance when I realized that changing a link on the chain wasn't the great crisis I thought it was.

The book recommendations by others have been extremely helpful. As for help from my neighbors, none are into bikes (and I'm reasonably fluent, so that's not an issue). I guess my second biggest issue, besides ignorance, is feeling like the local repair shop will laugh themselves sick if I walk in with my poor bike in bits...or worse, put together backwards. I know that's really dumb, they're very nice guys, but...

I guess I'll just take the obvious path and practice taking things apart...and putting a few pesos aside for the shop to fix my "repairs"! Thanks, all. I really appreciate the help.

LoriRose

I hadn't realized that this was a revived thread, but how great that you're around to witness its resurrection! Your attitude is everything! Good for you. My first "crisis" was to simply to remove the rear wheel and put it back again. I thought I had broke the bike. lol. Took me forever, but I was successful.

Don't worry about being laughed at by your LBS or anyone else for that matter. Life's too short to give a second thought about what people think about your bike mechanic abilities. When I have to go to my LBS for help I just smile big, ask lots of questions and buy something I probably don't need just to help the menfolk feel helpful and important - which they are. They tend to give me free stuff and advice in the end. I'm a lady though so I'm not sure how much that angle will work for you!

HillRider

It's not going to help the OP since he lives in Mexico and well outside a large city but for those here in the US, REI runs very basic beginners bike mechanics courses that truly start at the bare fundamentals. Following that they offer more advanced courses so that would be a good progression to learn.

Park Tools runs basic and more advance courses usually sponsored by a local bike shop but these assume a more than elementary familiarity with tools and mechanical skills in general.

dengidog

Lori: I love your last post! I'm a "mature" (cough, cough) woman, so the lady card works for me, too...sadly, it's usually due to my age and ignorance rather than any great charms. OMG...I was laughing when I read your line about the rear tire. I'll WILLINGLY change the front tire 10x if it means don't have to mess with the back one. I guess I do have one other advantage, though...I play the "dumb gringa" card whenever I've done something jaw-droppingly stupid (in other words, I don't have to act). Mexicans are very, very kind people and it helps when I start out with, "Obviously, I'm not from around here..."

HillRider: While you're right that REI's courses can't help me here, I do travel back every so often, so it's good to know for the future. The suggestion is excellent because bare-bones basic is exactly what I need. I'm very trainable, but I hate scrambling to catch up on Part I when others are already at Part III (or in my case, the difference between "X" tool and "Y").

Again, thanks!

Retro Grouch 

"Anybody's Bike Book" I think tha author's name is Cultherson or somthing like that. That's an old book, from the 1060's so you might have a hard time finding a copy but I think that it would be worth the effort. It's a real basic ABC's of bike mechanics with easy to understand line drawing illustrations. That's how I learned.

"Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" and "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" are two much newer books that capture much (but not all) of "Anybody's" charm. They should be much easier to find.

Once you have a vision of the basics, I think the on line tutorials are quite helpful for most things. If you still find yourself stumped, asking a specific question here will usually result in some real good answers. There are some very good bike mechanics on this site. I suspect that some have grown tires of answering the same basic question over and over but will respond to a specific question if you find yourself stuck.

HillRider

"Anybody's Bike Book" was written by Tom Cuthbertson. Many libraries should have a left-over copy and Amazon has used copies available from several sources.

Was it signed by William the Conquerer?

Retro Grouch 

Nope. 6 years before his time.

Davet

IOnly half jokingly I'll say if you and your bike ever make over to Los Barriles (just south of La Paz) I'll set up my shop for you and try to teach you what you need to know.

dengidog

You just gave me my biggest laugh for the day!

fietsbob

Dervla Murphy cyclist adventurer and an Excellent Writer .. Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy ? Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists