Summary

Knowledge is power, a wise old cyclist once said. So when it comes to swotting up on first class fettling and learning your ferrules from your freewheels, we've found seven paper paths to enlightenment

>>> How to clean your bike

Products

Van Der Plas, bicycle maintenance books

Bicycle Repair, Rob Van Der Plas

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

We review Bicycle Repair by Rob Van Der Plas

£16.95

Score

Bicycle Maintenance, bicycle maintenance books

The Ultimate Guide to Bike Maintenance and Upgrades, Guy Andrews & Stuart Clapp

We review 'The Ultimate Guide to Bike Maintenance and Upgrades' by Guy Andrews & Stuart Clapp

£9.99

Score

Big Blue Book, bicycle maintenance books

Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair, C Calvin Jones

We review 'Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair' by C Calvin Jones

£24.99

Score

Bicycle Repair Manual, bicycle maintenance books

Bike Repair Manual, Chris Sidwells

We review the 'Bike Repair Manual' by Chris Sidwells

£12.99

Score

Zinn, bicycle maintenance books

Zinn and the Art of Bike Maintenance, Lennard Zinn

We review 'Zinn and the Art of Bike Maintenance' by Lennard Zinn

£17.99

Score

Haynes, bicycle maintenance books

Haynes The Bike Book ? Complete bike maintenance, Mark Storey

We review 'Haynes The Bike Book ? Complete bike maintenance' by Mark Storey

£16.99

Score

Bicycle Repair for Dummies, bicycle maintenance books

Bike Repair and Maintenance for Dummies, Dennis Bailey

We review 'Bike Repair and Maintenance for Dummies' by Dennis Bailey

£13.99

Score

Verdict

Despite the plethora of bike standards and the constant turnover and trickle-down of fancy new parts, bicycles remain, at heart, rather simple creatures. Because of this, total maintenance newbies may be comfortable with a simple, straightforward guide to the basic concepts, such as Haynes and For Dummies.

Remember, you can always check YouTube and manufacturers? own websites for extra instructions and videos to ?top up? your knowledge on individual manufacturer standards.

Nevertheless, the stand-out book here was Lennard Zinn?s excellent Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. It manages to be all-encompassing enough for the beginner without patronising the more advanced fettler.

It?s text dense, but the writing style is both clear and digestible. OK, it?s one just for the roadies, but for off-road rangers, there?s also a Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.

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Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.