Rating: 
Summary: Not for the poor
Review: A lot of good basic information and up to date. SOme though, is too basic. His instructions for adjusting derailleurs are so poor as to be barely adequate. For the front deraill. for example he has 3 steps. HI gear-- 1.shift back and forth between the middle and inner rings. 2. If the chain jumps over the big ring, tighten the hi-gear limit screw. 3---(more of the same)the .Yea, this is good basic stuff to get you into very roughly correct adjustment, but that is all. Better info is free on Park tool's site. From the troubleshooting section--Tire is Flat. Cause: tire deflated. Action: pump tire. I doubt anyone is so inept they need to be told that.That said, it is good for those he said it was written for: "(Those) who do not think they are capable of maintaining their bikes." I have the Bicycling magazine book too, and frankly I cannot say one is better than the other. The fact is, once you get the basics down, if you have any mechanical experience or aptitude, most of this stuff is pretty simple. I had hoped for some more advanced tips on making things operate more smoothly or efficiently, but while the Bicycling mags book has some, this has very few. It's a simple book with the basics. Anytime you find a "maintenance" book that tells you ho to chance a tube, you are looking a a very simple book. If you need more, you'll be disappointed. If the basics are what you want, this books is more than adequate.
Rating:
Summary: Nice beginner's book
Review: A lot of good basic information and up to date. SOme though, is too basic. His instructions for adjusting derailleurs are so poor as to be barely adequate. For the front deraill. for example he has 3 steps. HI gear-- 1.shift back and forth between the middle and inner rings. 2. If the chain jumps over the big ring, tighten the hi-gear limit screw. 3---(more of the same)the .Yea, this is good basic stuff to get you into very roughly correct adjustment, but that is all. Better info is free on Park tool's site. From the troubleshooting section--Tire is Flat. Cause: tire deflated. Action: pump tire. I doubt anyone is so inept they need to be told that. That said, it is good for those he said it was written for: "(Those) who do not think they are capable of maintaining their bikes." I have the Bicycling magazine book too, and frankly I cannot say one is better than the other. The fact is, once you get the basics down, if you have any mechanical experience or aptitude, most of this stuff is pretty simple. I had hoped for some more advanced tips on making things operate more smoothly or efficiently, but while the Bicycling mags book has some, this has very few. It's a simple book with the basics. Anytime you find a "maintenance" book that tells you ho to chance a tube, you are looking a a very simple book. If you need more, you'll be disappointed. If the basics are what you want, this books is more than adequate.
Rating: 
Summary: Generally adequate but plenty of gaps
Review: All in all the book is not too bad but there aren't many books against which to compare it. I think that many adjustments and some repairs could be successfully undertaken from following the author's guidelines. But the book is uneven. Throughout the book there is a shortage of technical detail or information that could have easily been given. Sometimes it is critical, sometimes not. For example in dealing with chains, there is no mention of chain identification such as a Hyperglide or HG chain despite the ubiquity of Shimano chains. Or it is stated that nine speed chains are more narrow than those for 7 or 8 speeds. Well, what is the measurement? Or the author instructs to drive the old pin all the way out in doing chain maintenance on an HG chain. Usually it is much easier to reconnect the chain with part of the old pin still in. It is stated that a Shimano tool does not damage the plates of a Shimano chain but others do. Well, Park tools are by the most purchased tool by home enthusiasts. Does a CT3 chaintool tool cause damage? The reader or future home repair person is left to wonder. In fact there is almost total absence of exact tool identification in the entire book. That is the kind of thing that a beginner needs to know. In adjusting derailleurs presetting the barrel adjusters is not done. Setting the front derailleur limit screws before tightening the cable is not done. It is this kind of inconsistency in most every chapter that plagues this book. But the beginner would have no way on knowing this. So that is why I must qualify the chances of a person following this book having success in his or her repair. A more complete book is the Barnett's Manual. But of course it is about four times as expensive and it too is not without its problems. It attempts to cover all types of bikes but its attention to detail and specifications and procedures can often overwhelm rather than really help the reader. The bottom line is that if you know next to nothing about bikes, you can learn a lot from this book. But there is still lots more to learn. Seek out other sources. Use the internet.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the poor
Review: An excellent book in many respects. However, Zinn falls victim to the "newer is better" (or, rather, "old is unimportant.") Lots of great bicycle fixing advice, excellent diagrams -- but you are SOL if you are trying to repair a bicycle older than 1998. For example, Zinn only covers sidepull brakes with a quick release. Only new/expensive bikes have this quick release tab; all other bicycles require you to, e.g., deflate your tires to pull them off. If you didn't know this, you would damage your bicycle. Keeping with this ignoring of those of us who are, e.g., fixing an older bicycle, Zinn gives no help on these issues -- but does spend pages and pages on how to fix the "wireless radio transmitter transmissions". Next time, Mr. Zinn -- try to keep the ordinary folks in the loop, eh?
Rating:
Summary: Not for the poor
Review: An excellent book in many respects. However, Zinn falls victim to the "newer is better" (or, rather, "old is unimportant.") Lots of great bicycle fixing advice, excellent diagrams -- but you are SOL if you are trying to repair a bicycle older than 1998. For example, Zinn only covers sidepull brakes with a quick release. Only new/expensive bikes have this quick release tab; all other bicycles require you to, e.g., deflate your tires to pull them off. If you didn't know this, you would damage your bicycle. Keeping with this ignoring of those of us who are, e.g., fixing an older bicycle, Zinn gives no help on these issues -- but does spend pages and pages on how to fix the "wireless radio transmitter transmissions". Next time, Mr. Zinn -- try to keep the ordinary folks in the loop, eh?
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Reference
Review: I bought this book as a newbie cyclist. It is without a doubt the best I have found. Lennard's simple diagrams are cleverly deceptive. They are not so fancy that they detract from the text (which is the meat of the topic), yet are VERY well labeled and documented. I fixed chain dump for the first time (something nobody had ever been able to do for me). Photos of bikes always are, in my opinion, TOO specific to the bike photographed, and do not easily extrapolate to the one I own.
I photocopied the emergency repair section and shrunk it down to carry in my saddle bag at all times. Thiss has come in handy on more than one occasion. My book has more yellow highlighting in it than Pam Anderson's hair!
If you need a second book on bike repair, then I recommend you buy an ADDITIONAL copy.
The appendices about gearing, fbike itting, and torque settings are invaluable. Too much torque and you've got a stripped bolt; too little and you've got stripped skin (from crashing when the bolt falls out on a downhill). While "feel" for many mechanics, I need numbers, and Lennard supplies them.
I also changed my rear cog cassette based on his gearing chart to better fit my riding needs.
Lennard has taken what is basically a VERY simple, efficient, and delightful machine and applied the very same principles to this authoritative repair manual.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I love to complain about manuals, but Zinn's book is thorough, well illustrated, and well organized. I built my Lemond Zurich up from scratch and rebuilt most of my components including hubs and wheels using his book and it was my first time. That was two months ago and I haven't had a problem yet. Bicycling Magazine's manual is good too, but I feel it isn't quite as comlete.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I read this book from cover to cover the day I got it, even though this is a reference book!
The instructions are very detailed. It even guides you through steps in a logical way and tells you to jump to different steps depending on the result of the previous step! I would have given it 5 stars...but I bumped it down by one because a lot of the diagrams are not on the page that references the diagram so I found myself flipping back and forth a lot...this is a bit annoying when you're working on your bike...
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I read this book from cover to cover the day I got it, even though this is a reference book!
The instructions are very detailed. It even guides you through steps in a logical way and tells you to jump to different steps depending on the result of the previous step! I would have given it 5 stars...but I bumped it down by one because a lot of the diagrams are not on the page that references the diagram so I found myself flipping back and forth a lot...this is a bit annoying when you're working on your bike...
Rating:
Summary: Great book from a great team
Review: Lennard Zinn, revolutionary in the field of custom bike design, regular contributor to Velo-News, and sponsor of a women's racing team, joins up with well-respected wildlife artist Todd Telander and world-class racer Jonathan Vaughters to create a road bike manual that is not only clear and detailed, but manages to be an interesting read as well. This manual helps you identify the problem, lets you know which tools you will need, and takes you through each repair with simple steps. Whether you are building up a bike from scratch, fine-tuning your derailleur adjustment, or simply fixing a flat tire, you'll find that the book has easy-to-follow instructions for your task. Todd's accompanying illustrations are works of art in their precision, and further clarify the text instructions. There are so many benefits to repairing and maintaining your own bike, not the least of which is saving money. Invest in 'Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance' and you'll find that this task can also be quite enjoyable!
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