Complete Bike Book

Chris Sidwells is a journalist and author, a former bike-shop owner and a racer of road, track, mountain and cyclo-cross bikes. His previous titles include Mr Tom - a biography of his uncle who died in the 1967 Tour de France - and Shay Elliot: the Story of the First Irish Yellow Jersey. He also writes regularly for Cycle Sport, Cycling Plus and Cycling Weekly. Chris lives in Cornwall.

Introduction: the early years; evolution; cycling today; discovering the world on two wheels. Getting started: why cycle?; buying a bike; equipment and accessories; clothing for road riding; clothing for off-road riding; road proficiency skills; sharing roads and trails; teaching a child to ride; family cycling; basic touring; road touring; off-road touring. Bike gallery: anatomy of the road bike; the race-level road bike; the entry-level road bike; the time-trail bike; the track bike; the triathlon bike; anatomy of the mountain bike; the race-level cross-country mountain bike; the entry-level mountain bike; the downhill mountain bike; the slalom mountain bike; anatomy of the hybrid bike; the folding bike; the touring bike; the Audox bike; the cyclo-cross bike; the tandem; the bicycle motocross bike; the trials bike. Better cycling: road riding - adjusting position; road riding - braking and changing gear; road riding - cornering on the flat; road riding - hairpin cornering; road riding - climbing; road riding - descending; road riding - pedaling efficiently; road riding - cycling in traffic flows; road riding - making maneuvers; road riding - cycling with care; road riding - road surfaces; off-road riding - adjusting position; off-road riding - improving your balance; off-road riding - braking and changing gear; off-road riding - open cornering; off-road riding - riding single track; off-road riding - bermed cornering; off-road riding - climbing; off-road riding - descending; off-road riding - bunnyhopping; off-road riding - riding a drop-off; off-road riding - trail jumping; off-road riding - adverse trail surfaces. Health and fitness: improving your fitness; warming up and cooling down; exercising off the bike; eating for maximum performance; using a basic training programme; using an intermediate training programme; achieving advanced-level fitness. Competitive cycling: competing on the road; road racing skills; triathlon skills; competing on the track; track racing skills; competing off-road; cross-country racing skills; endurance racing skills; downhill racing skills; extreme riding. Maintaining your bike: tools and workshop principles; cleaning your bike; making routine safety checks; replacing road bike cables; replacing hybrid and mountain bike cables; adjusting a front and rear mech; replacing a chain; removing a chain set, a cassette, and a block; removing bottom brackets; adjusting a caliper brake; adjusting a V-brake; adjusting a cantilever brake; adjusting a cable disc-brake; bleeding a hydraulic disc-brake; repairing a puncture; servicing an open-bearing hub; servicing a cartridge hub; adjusting a handlebar, a stem; and a headset; maintaining pedals; adjusting suspension forks; tuning and maintaining suspension forks; adjusting rear suspension.