Bicycle Selection / Maintenance / Repair Manual: Contents and Introduction





== CONTENTS ==

CONTENTS / INTRODUCTION

Introduction

PART ONE: GETTING STARTED

1 • SELECTING A BICYCLE AND ACCESSORIES

  • Types of Bicycles
  • How to Shop for a Bike
  • Judging Quality
  • Accessories
  • Installing Accessories

2 • FITTING THE BICYCLE TO YOU

  • Basic Measurements
  • Adjustments
  • Experimentation

3 • RIDER PERFORMANCE

  • Getting Started
  • Traffic Sense

4 • TOOLS AND SUPPLIES

  • Basic On-the-road Tool Kit
  • On-the-road Repair Materials
  • Equipping the Workshop
  • Cleaning Parts
  • Setting Up the Home Workshop
  • Organizing and Planning Your Work
  • Avoiding Hazards—Steering, Braking, Jumping
  • Riding with Other Bicyclists
  • A Review
  • Bicycling Horizons
  • Bicycle Magazines
  • Books/Websites

PART TWO: BASIC REPAIRS

5 • MAINTENANCE BASICS

  • Avoiding Creeping Decay
  • Periodic Maintenance
  • Some Basic Mechanical Theory
  • Lubricants and Lubrication

6 • BASIC REPAIR PROCEDURES

PART THREE: THE DERAILLEUR DRIVETRAIN

7 • THE MULTI-SPROCKET DRIVETRAIN

  • Drivetrain Problems
  • Inspecting the Drivetrain
  • Chain Maintenance and Repair

8 • SERVICING SIMPLE FRONT AND REAR HUBS

  • Types of Hubs
  • Service Note
  • Overhauling a Nutted Front Cup-and-cone Hub
  • Overhauling a Quick-release Front Hub
  • Overhauling a Freewheel or Fixed Rear-wheel Hub
  • Sealed-cartridge-bearing Hubs
  • Overhauling a Cartridge-bearing Hub with Sleeve Nuts
  • Overhauling a Cartridge-bearing Hub without Sleeve Nuts

9 • GEARING IMPROVEMENTS

  • Planning the Derailleur Gearing System
  • Recommended Gearing Progressions

10 • SERVICING FREEWHEELS

  • Service Procedures
  • Sprocket Removal and Installation
  • Servicing Sprockets on a Lugged Freewheel
  • Servicing Sprockets on a Fully Threaded Freewheel
  • Freewheel Removal and Installation
  • Shimano Freehub Body Removal and Installation
  • Overhauling a Freewheel Body

11 • SERVICING REAR DERAILLEURS

  • Service Procedures
  • Removing, Installing, and Adjusting the Derailleur
  • Servicing Shimano Rear Derailleurs
  • Servicing SunTour Rear Derailleurs
  • Servicing Campagnolo or Simplex Rear Derailleurs
  • Servicing Sachs-Huret Rear Derailleurs
  • Servicing SRAM Rear Derailleurs

12 • SERVICING FRONT DERAILLEURS

  • Service Procedures
  • Overhauling a Parallelogram-type Front Derailleur

PART FOUR: THE NON-DERAILLEUR DRIVETRAIN

13 • THE SINGLE-SPROCKET DRIVETRAIN

  • Problems with Single-sprocket Drivetrains
  • Lugged Sprockets
  • Threaded Sprockets
  • Gear Ratios
  • Single-sprocket Chain

14 • GEARED AND COASTER-BRAKE HUBS

  • Service Notes
  • Servicing Coaster Brakes
  • Overhauling a Shoe-type Single-speed Coaster Hub
  • Overhauling a Disk-type Single-speed Coaster Hub
  • Overhauling a Sturmey-Archer AW or Similar Three-speed Hub
  • Overhauling a Shimano Three-speed Hub Overhauling a Sturmey-Archer Four- or Five-speed Hub
  • Overhauling a Sturmey-Archer Three-speed Coaster Hub
  • Overhauling a Shimano Three-speed Coaster Hub

15 • CRANK HANGERS AND PEDALS

  • Hanger Sets
  • Pedals
  • Parts Interchangeability
  • Overhauling a Cottered Crankset
  • Overhauling a Cotterless Crankset
  • Overhauling a One-piece Crank
  • Overhauling Rubber-block Pedals
  • Overhauling Metal Pedals
  • Sealed-bearing Bottom-bracket Units
  • Cartridge-bearing Pedals

16 • BRAKES

  • Types of Brakes
  • The Braking System
  • Servicing Rim Brakes
  • Overhauling Side-pull Caliper Brakes
  • Overhauling Center-pull and Cantilever Brakes
  • Overhauling a Hub with Expander-type Brake or Disk Brake

17 • WHEELBUILDING AND WHEEL REPAIR

  • How Spoked Wheels Work
  • Building a Wheel
  • Wheel Repair

18 • FRAME AND STEERING

  • Checking for Damage
  • The Bicycle Steering Mechanism
  • Frame Repair
  • Parts Compatibility
  • Overhauling a Headset

INTRODUCTION

WHY MAINTAIN YOUR OWN BICYCLE?

Why should an average bicycle user learn to do maintenance work which could be left to professional mechanics? Or, asking the question another way, why do many bicycle shops conduct repair classes which might seem to take work away from their mechanics?

One answer:

If you ride a bicycle, you are in the best position to maintain that bicycle.

Since you have to propel it with your own strength, a bicycle is built light. A bicycle's peak performance depends on frequent fine-tuning, not just an occasional overhaul such as a washing machine or power lawnmower needs. Bicycle maintenance is not very difficult or time-consuming, but your involvement is part of the prescription for keeping your bicycle running well.

The moving parts of the bicycle are mostly on the outside, where you can see and hear them. You feel them through your hands, your feet, and your rear end. You, the rider, get to know your bicycle better than anyone else; you are with it every moment that it is running.

In the peak riding season, you may have to leave your bicycle at a bike shop for a week to wait its turn for a repair which takes a few minutes with simple tools. You'd probably rather be riding your bike.

Working on your bicycle makes it more useful, and has additional rewards as well.

There is probably no better focus for learning basic mechanical skills than a bicycle. To work on bikes, you need only a small collection of moderately priced tools. A bike is small; you don't need a big workspace. Without an engine, it is relatively clean; the dirt of bike work can be easily managed. Bicycle maintenance rarely requires brute strength; more often, it requires skilled hands and a fine touch.

When you're out on the road on your bike, your mechanical skills can keep you rolling. Getting to your destination is rewarding enough, but the sense of accomplishment is an even greater reward.

The common repairs, like fixing a flat tire, are simple; yet there is no limit to the skill you can apply to mechanical work on bicycles. With time and patience, you build from one accomplishment to another. Given a bit of patience, almost anyone can learn to maintain his or her own bike; for those who wish to go farther, designing and building bicycles can be a lifework for a talented artisan.

And you don't have to worry about putting the bike shop out of business. People who maintain their bikes use their bikes, and are valued customers.

However far you wish to go, the road begins here.

Another answer:

Buying or selling bikes on eBay or Craig's List ... if you wheel and deal bike stuff online, you can get the most for your investment if you know the difference between a viable fixer-upper and an unworthy junker.

Yet another answer:

Developing skills-set for a career as a bicycle mechanic ... either as an independent entrepreneurship (i.e., work for yourself) or at a local shop.

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