I could probably live without my car more easily than my bike. Quite simply it’s my primary means of transport. It gets me to the station and back each work day, and it takes me to the market and back at the weekend.
Love it though I do, my car gets driven twice a fortnight, and then sits on the drive for the next two weeks, looking pretty but feeling a little forgotten.
The bike is a key component in the whole idea of self-sufficiency. It doesn’t take petrol, doesn’t eat oats like a horse would, and is an efficient, low-impact means of transport. The shocking thing, though, is how little I know about how bikes work and what to do when things go wrong.
This book fixes that.
Its 192 full-colour pages walk you step by step through common tasks like fixing a puncture and replacing a chain, and tackle more complex tasks – like changing your gear cogs – with well-delivered, easily followed advice that gives even a dunce like myself the confidence to tackle the job. It could be a real money-saver, keeping you away from the nearest repair shop.
Perhaps the best thing about it, though, is the fact that it’s completely model-agnostic. This isn’t like a Haynes car manual, which relates to only one line from a set period from a single manufacturer; instead it treats bikes as a general mode of transport, meaning that whether you’re riding a mens’, womens’ or kids cycle you’ll still be able to follow along and get years of use out of the book.
I’ve got the fifth edition here and while it’s unlikely I’d be upgrading every time a new edition comes out, it’s good to know that should I want to buy some new kit for the bike it’ll most likely be covered in this single volume.
Highly recommended.
Title: The Bike Book
Author: Fred Milson
Publisher: Haynes
ISBN: 978 1 84425 421 7
Price: £14.99 (£10.49
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