Complete Idiot's Guide to Bike Maintenance and Repair

In addition to being the author of three Complete Idiot's Guides (CIG to Electrical Repair, Plumbing, and Remodeling Your Home), Terry Meany is a bicycle enthusiast. Although past his bike collecting days, he has rebuilt and assembled an array of interesting bicycles and parts over the years. No estate sale or closeout bin at a local bike shop was safe from his snooping. He has built bikes for commuting, touring, and simply ones that interested him. He still has a soft spot for traditional English bikes and keeps a Holdsworth and an ancient Raleigh SuperCourse on hand for riding.

I. BIKE BASICS. 1. Pedal Power. An Anatomy Lesson. Frames. A Materials World. No Steel Allowed. Strength in Numbers. Distances Matter. Got a Tape Measurer? Changing the Rules a Little. The Sum of Its Parts. You Push, It Moves. Gearing Up ... and Down. Highs and Lows. Stopping Power. Wheels. Hubs, the Centers of Attention. Speaking of Spokes. Choosing the Tires. 2. Two-Wheeled History. Early Bikes. Learning Curves. A Mover and a Shaker. A Penny for Your Farthing. Riding Like a Girl. Safety Arrives. Finally, Some Gears. A Social Revolution on Wheels. Bikes Were Big Business. After Revolution Comes Evolution. Modern Times. English Racers. Leaner and Meaner. Rediscovering the Clunker. It's a New Day. 3. Bike Details. What's Your Type? Cruisers. Mountain Bikes. Rigid Models. Hardtail. Full Suspension. Comfort and Cyclocross Bikes. Hit the Road. Hybrid. Recumbents. Tandems. Kids Only. Weighing. Watching Those Ounces. Wheel Weight. Smart Parts. Nifty Shifters. Getting Your Bearings. Crazy for Braze-Ons. 4. Tools and Parts. Got Tools? Start Small. Spare a Part, Buddy? The Well-Packed Pack. What Do They Do? The Wrenches. Tire Tools. Wheel Tools. Screwdrivers. Cutters and Pliers. Specialized Tools. Yanking Your Chain. When Cranks Can't Be Nice. Bottoming Out. Cassette and Freewheel Tools. Your Own Bike Shop. Bike Stands. Truing Stand. Lending a Third Hand. Solvents, Cleaners, and Lubes. II. REPAIRS LITE. 5. You Need Some Stinkin' Rules. A Lot of Small Things. Get Your Bearings Straight. This Isn't a Muscle Contest. Follow the Clock. You Have a Screw Loose. Keeping Small Problems Small. Observe First, Repair Second. You Hear Something? Know Your Limitations. Nap Time. When You Slip, Paint Chips. Solvent Solutions. Love That Lube. Oil. Spray Stuff. Before You Ride, Inspect. Your Cycle's Maintenance Cycle. Monthly Jobs. Happy New Year! 6. Gimme a Brake! Stopping Is Everything. Breakdown, or How They Work. Hand Brakes. Foot Brakes. Caliper Brakes. Cable Conundrums. The Barrel Adjuster. Adjusting a Brake Cable. Side-Pull Brakes. Center-Pull Caliper Brakes. Cantilever Brake Cable. Rollercam and U-Brakes. On Being Centered. Cantilever Adjustments. Cables and Their Istallation. A Home for Your Cable. Installing Cables. Road Bike Cable Replacement. Mountain Bike Brake Cables. Levers. Leveraging Those Levers. Upright Bars. When Pads Protest. Hydraulic Brakes. Coaster and Hub Brakes. General Maintenance. 7. When Tires Retire. Tire Types. Clinchers. Tubular Tires. Valves. Tread Heartily. You Can't Resist Resistance. Feeling Low? Step 1: Examine the Wheel. Removing the Wheel. Removing Other Rear Wheels. The Wheel's Off, Now What? Reinstalling. Installing the Front Wheel. Reinstalling the Rear Wheel. Installing Other Rear Wheels. Flat Prevention. Watch Out! Tubular Repairs. A Breath of No Air 8. Wheel Therapy. Give It a Spin. Hobbled by Wobbles. Blips. Rim Repercussions. Bending Out Blips. Extreme Damage, Extreme Repair. Hubbub in the Hubs. Hub Repairs. The Overhaul. Tried and True. Small Adjustments Only, Please. Spoke Spoken Here. Spoke and Lace. 9. The Power Train. Powering Up. Those Toothy Gears. Ratio, Schmatio. Connecting at the Pedals. You're Suspended! May the Chain Be Unbroken. Shifters. Derailleurs. Up Front. Meanwhile, in the Back. Rear Gears. Component Groups. When Drive Trains Won't Drive. 10. Clean-Up Time. Metal Finishes. General Cleaning and Gunk Removal. Not-So-Mean Cleaners. Detergent Degreasers Without the Jingles. Polish Makes Perfect. Polishing Practices. Wax Facts. Leather Saddle Savvy. Tire Care. Restoration Rules. No Time for Refinement. Rust to Dust. Dry Storage Is Best. III. BIGGER REPAIRS. 11. Your Bike's Steering System. The Front End. Headset Hassles. Threadless or Threaded? Overhauling a Threaded Headset. Threadless Headset Overhaul. Installing a New Headset. Stems. Getting a Handle on Handlebars. Threadless Adjustment. Handlebar Angles. Installing Handlebars. More to Install. Get a Grip. 12. Bottoming Out. Overhaul Time. Attacking an Ashtabula. Cottoning to Cottered Cranks Cotterless Crank Clues. Sealed Bottom Brackets. Upgrades. Chain Ring Checks. 13. Chain Gang: Pedals and Chains. Chain Facts. Keep It Clean. When Chains Come Off. Removing Special Pins. Hi-Tech and Low-Tech Cleaning. Reinstalling the Chain. When Chains Go Bad. Missing Links. Slipping and Sliding. Meddling with Your Pedals. Toeclips: Old Technology That Works. Clipless Concerns. Pedal Problems. 14. Derailleur Systems, Part 1. How They Work. When Push Comes to Shove. The Shifters. Friction Shifter Fits. Cable Connections. Cable Conundrums. Bar End Shifters. Integrated Shifter/Brake Levers. Mountain Bike Shifters. Twist-Grip Shifters. All Thumbs. Chain, Chain, Chains. 15. Derailleur Systems, Part 2. Sizing Up. A Shift Too Far. Front Derailleur. Adjusting the Front Derailleur. Shifting to the High Ground. Just a Trim, Please. Cleaning and Lubing. Bringing Up the Rear. When It's Out of Whack. There Are Limits! What's Your Angle? Cleaning and Feeding. Click, Click, Click ... A Sense of Attachment. Other Adjustments. 16. Cassettes and Freewheels. Cassette Capers. Pulling Them Off. Cleaning Caveats. Sprocket Replacement. Freewheels. Cleaning and Lubing. Disassembling and Servicing a Freewheel. @PARTHEAD IV. SPEACIALTY AREAS. 17. Saddle and Seatpost. Saddle Selections. Leather. Living in a Plastic World. This Isn't Hair Gel. It's a Cover-Up. Seating Arrangements. Taking It in the Shorts. Seatposts. Installing Seatpost. Removing an Almost Permanent Seatpost. 18. Frame Affairs. Frame Fitness. You Can Fix This? The Usual Suspects. Paint It Yourself? Every Frame Has Its Limits. When Hangers Hang Loose. Parts Can Bend, Too. Alignment. Packing It with You. Rack 'Em Up. Pack Rats. Let There Be Light. Fenders. Pumped Up. Kickstands. 19. Mountain Bike Specifics. Mountain Bike Features. These Aren't Road Frames. Crashproof Components ... Sort Of. Wheels. Off-Road Stopping Power. Suspension Systems. Bringing Up the Rear. Look, Ma, No Suspension. Read the Instructions! Hard Riding, Unavoidable Maintenance. Retro Retro. 20. On-the-Road Emergencies. Before You Ride ... Carry-Along Tools and Stuff. Neutral Switzerland Makes Great Knives. Wallet Tools. Roadside Mechanics. Unchained. Slipping Away. A Crimped Rim. Chain Ring Crisis. When Cables Collapse. Bottoming Out. Loose Headset. Tire Troubles. Frame Fractures. APPENDIXES. Appendix A. Glossary. Appendix B. Buying a Bike. Appendix C. Riding Your Bike. Appendix D. Resources. Index.