2wheelhigh

Hello, I ride bikes as my only means of transportation, so it is important/necessary for me to having a working bike. A lot of other people don't understand why I would prefer ti fix my bike myself instead of take it to a bike shop to take care of it (especially as a female), but hopefully I don't have to explain myself, here.

I would like a very in depth, thorough manual that can teach me about bikes, their parts and how they operate, how to diagnose and repair issues, as well as basic maintenance to keep my ride in good condition.

I have noticed that Park Tools has multiple editions of books (that I believe are) like this, but it seems like each book's edition is written for the modern bike at the time of the book's release. This is a problem because...

I ride steel, vintage bikes, and I have found it nearly impossible to find information on making derailleur adjustments for friction shifters (which I prefer and I will not switch over regardless of whether people think it's superior! 😉 Has nothing to do with affordability or maintenance requirements - I just like it better).

As far as resources, I feel like everything made for cyclists assumes they will want and own the latest and greatest. I know it's not like there are so many difference between modern and vintage bikes that a manual more geared toward a modern bike rider won't be of use to me (a bike is a bike, with relatively few changes made since its invention), but I was hoping there might be some manual that can be found online in .pdf form or something. Or, a modern publication with vintage bike riders in mind (not necessarily written exclusively for vintage bikes, but at least considers both modern and vintage riders).

Any one know some good resources? I am very much a novice when it comes to home bike repairs, but I strive to get better.

Also, I'm willing to buy tools or a tool set to assist. I know one can only go so far with a wrench and screwdriver.

Thanks!

maddog34

i have an old manual i like.. "Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual" 1973 vintage... search it up online... i found my copy at Powell's Books, Portland, Oregon.
Lots' of step-by-step pics, well written.. i last opened it for adjusting a Coaster Brake hub.. Before that, i was learning Sturmey Archer three speed adjustments... and i picked up some tips on curing squealing brakes too. and they show MULTIPLE coaster brakes, not just one brand... exploded "engineering" views of many things... etc...
yah.. it's VIntage. The Schwinn lubes shown have been long ago discontinued...
By Clarence W. Coles and Harold T. Glenn... Published by Crown Publishers, Inc., NY
the Glenn Books folks have a bunch of other Repair manuals,, kinda like Hayne's Automotive Manuals, but this bike Manual is WAY more detailed than a Haynes, IMO... i have about 100 Haynes and Clymers M/C and Auto manuals in my Library.....

I need to mention my Most Used Bicycle Book... "The Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt. I placed a piece of tape on page 94.. "The first spoke"... i found this excellent wheel building guide at a used stuff store... it was priced at 98 cents..... turned out that it was "Half Price Wednesday".. i got it for 47 cents... the clerk wasn't a math major, eh?
i thought it might be a series of bicycling tales... instead, it IS The Go-To wheel building book of most experts... i open it to page 94 every time, then work my way thru to The last spoke.. outbound on the freewheel side... lace the spokes and install the nips... not thinking i need that book any longer, but i still have it ready...

My first Pro M/C Service Manager always told us to have the proper manual open and available, even if we thought we wouldn't need it... Ever split the cases of a 6 cylinder Honda CB-1000 street bike? i have.... The Honda 1100 Magna carbs removal/install was tougher... And suzuki Intruder 800 carbs are a real hassle.. especially when you can't scratch the Rolling Paper thin paint jobs suzuki loves to sell (masking tape EVERYTHING! Tape is cheap, Paint Jobs cost big bucks!).... Thank you, Jim!.. Best Service Manager i ever worked with, period.

Bill Kapaun

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/

awac

Park tools Big blue book has a lot of relevant vintage information as well as more modern standards, this can help learn the jargon so when looking for parts you get an idea of what you actually want. Buy a slightly out of date one cheap. Watch the videos, plenty that are relevant.

Zinn and the art of road bike/mountain maintenance, nice drawings, clear.

Yep, Sheldon Brown, second that.

Tools. Oh god, be prepared to go down a rabbit hole. Best advice, buy good tools on a regular basis by setting your limit (then blow the budget when that special tool comes along at a bargain price…lol), you can always sell good tools if you don’t want them anymore. Decide what you want to do, service, rebuild or restore, helps focus what you buy first.

Have a look at this Ladys website.ciao.

https://restoringvintagebicycles.com/about/

Chuck M 

This site in conjunction with the Sheldon Brown site mentioned above will help you find solutions and advice for almost anything you come across.

Bike Gremlin

In addition to the above-recommended resources by other members, my 2c (to be taken as: what's worked for me so far):

Observe, and try to understand.

For example, you mentioned friction shifter adjustment.

Basically, the principle is the same as adjusting indexed shifters, only you stop once you've configured the derailleur limit screw settings, and attached the shifting cable. As there are no "gear clicks" to fine-tune (you do that by ear as you ride).

Observing and trying to figure out what does what gets you very far, especially with simple mechanical stuff like vintage bicycles. In other words, as you try to figure stuff out, you'll become your own best teacher.

andrewclaus

If there's a bike co-op in your area, you won't be able to beat that for hands-on experience, help, and parts.

wheelreason

Adjusting friction and indexed shifters is esssentially the same thing, the only real difference, is on indexed, you adjust the cable tension, and on friction you adjust the shifter tension. Similarly, most other aspects of bike repairs aren't that different.

Iride01 

If you DIY often enough and have any mechanical aptitude at all, then you'll learn by doing. ParkTool also has some pretty good videos that cover most of the the stuff you want to do. And other info can be found out online too. Shimano has a lot of information about it's old products online including the old user and service instructions and exploded views of the component.

https://si.shimano.com/en/#/

Other manufacturers have online documentation for their old products too if you dig hard enough on their sites or can be found with other search engines.

HillRider

Another useful repair book is "Bicycling Magazine's Complete Guide to Bicycle Maintenance and Repair" published by Rodale Press. Most are long out of print but Amazon seems to have several of the revisions and updates. Mine is the 1994 edition and spans the transition years from freewheels and friction shifting to freehubs and indexing and should be a good version for you. Amazon also has the 1986 edition which will cover "vintage" bikes in more detail.

freeranger

All of the above. And will add that many of those on Bike Forums (this site) have greatly impressed me with their depth of knowledge. I maintain my own bikes, but none are vintage or something I can't research. But if I was stuck on a repair, this site in where I would turn. Thumbs up to the knowledgeable and helpful mechanics that contribute here!!

smd4

Several good ones mentioned. I'll throw in "The All New Complete Book of Bicycling," by Eugene A. Sloane.

smd4

I really like this one too. Bicycling produced some great books back then.

Chinghis

Same here, I have learned lots from that book.

smd4

You'd be surprised! It also depends on how in-depth you want to go: A screwdriver and a couple wrenches will allow you to do 90% of basic repairs, like adjusting cables or attaching water bottles. Do you want to get into bearing adjustment--hubs, bottom bracket (the crankset axle), headset (the steering bearings)? Then you'll need more specialized tools.

Once you get a few of those "obsolete" manuals, and educated yourself a little, then you can determine just how heavy or light you want to get into repairs.

Crankycrank

I really like this guy's YouTube vids. He's got a bunch of vids and most may not apply to your bike but many do. Spend awhile scrolling through his vids a pick out what looks useful. (1) RJ The Bike Guy - YouTube

Aardwolf

Not manuals, but something everybody with a vintage bike should know about

Velobase https://velobase.com/
Disraeli Gears https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site/home.html

kcjc

Besides the above, try Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (never use it but heard good reviews). If you're near a university, see if they have a shop on campus. School I went to is part co-op and part LBS.

dedhed

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grumpus

If you can find an old copy of Richard's Bicycle Book (probably the 1980s one with him wearing a Nordic sweater on the front cover) that might be a good start. It's usually available on eBay or online bookstores.

oldbobcat

Once you learn how to overhaul a loose-ball bearing it's just like on a modern bike, but easier.

philbob57

Sutherland's manual can be found online. For example, I believe Scribd gave me a free download of this: https://www.scribd.com/doc/45037747/...cs-6th-Edition.

Jean_TX

You've already gotten some great recommendations. I especially like Sheldon Brown's site and the Park Tool site. Also, Barnett's Bicycle Repair Manual used to be a major source of info. You can get a free pdf copy from https://www.scribd.com/document/2726...-Repair-Manual

This free version may be somewhat outdated, but if your bikes are vintage that may not matter. (A word of caution, if you choose to download it, be sure to check for the file for malware.)

Schweinhund

The best sounding production internal combustion engine ever. (IMHO) So sweet.

smd4

I’m partial to the B-17 Pratt and Whitneys, personally.