The Official Tour de France Bike Maintenance Book

This book goes exclusively behind the scenes with the finest professional cycling mechanics during the most gruelling and high-pressure bike race in the world. Includes maintenance tips for modern and classic bikes.

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The Official Tour de France Bike Maintenance Book goes exclusively behind the scenes with the finest professional cycling mechanics during the most gruelling and high-pressure bike race in the world. Working at the cutting edge of bicycle technology, Tour mechanics expertly maintain high performance race bikes every day throughout the Tour. The highlight, for many fans, is watching the bikes being prepared before a stage and serviced after it.

The reader is put in the fans' shoes, with exclusive insights and images from the life of a Tour mechanic, with in-race stories and technical advice. Practical sections in each chapter show the home mechanic how to perform essential maintenance tasks and personalise their own bicycles to Tour de France standards. Even if bikes are serviced by shop mechanics, vital checks and regular adjustments are covered in these pages and, to make a bike stand out, there are professional tricks of the trade as well as the small but telling detailing jobs to enhance the bike's looks.

Another feature of The Official Tour de France Bike Maintenance Book focuses on the growing interest in classic racing machines, which are collected, ridden and displayed in 'Eroica' festivals, events celebrating the heroic age of cycling. These, of course, include Tour de France bikes from the past 75 years and there are features on these classic bikes, with maintenance tips using traditional tools and techniques.