This book features core bike maintenance fundamentals that every road cyclist needs to know, pulled from The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bicycle Maintenance and Repair and packaged in a portable format. Before you dive into any repair, though, you should keep in the mind the following seven rules for any home mechanic. Keep a copy of this list in your toolbox.
1. Think safety first. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from solvents and grease. Use goggles to protect your eyes when using hammers or power tools. Watch where you put your hands in case a tool slips. And don’t sprint away on a just-repaired bike—ease into it in case the problem isn’t solved.
2. Don’t wait. Small problems will eventually become severe. Preventive maintenance is the best way to take care of your bike.
3. “Righty, tighty; lefty, loosey.” Most parts are turned to the right to tighten and to the left to loosen. The common exceptions to this rule are the left pedal and the right side of the bottom bracket.
4. Check that the threads match. Don’t mismatch threaded parts. And never force things: Always grease threads first, then start threading them together carefully and gently.
5. Tighten gently. Bicycle components are often small and made of lightweight materials. Tighten, check the tightness, then tighten some more if needed. That’s better than stripping threads and breaking parts.
6. Leave some repair jobs to the experts. Recognize your skills and limitations. Learn to make wise choices as to what you can handle and what’s better left to a trained shop mechanic.
7. Have fun out there. There’s no better way to get to know your bike—and build confidence in your ride—than to work on it yourself!