Recommendations for Learning Maintenance

Ok, I'm kinda stuck between a rock and a tree stump. I bike. I have a lot of bikes and I inherited the contents of a well-stock and well equiped bike-shop when my husband passed, but I have no clue how to do anything as he was the maintenance guy and was supposed to always be there. Our LBS doesn't offer classes or the such (I know this all to well as my husband was the manager and they never got around to organizing them although a group of my friends begged him to have them) - my darling husband had intended to have private lessons for my little group in our home. Anyway, I'm now STUCK. I can put air in my tires, tighten a few things and change a flat on a good day, but I don't even know the recommended tire pressures for different terrains, he always took care of it. I feel like an idiot for not learning it while I could, but I can't change that now. Are there any good books out there that teach everything from tire pressure to truing a wheel to actually switching out components (I desperately need to install a shorter stem on a road bike, I have the stem but no clue how to install it) and even building a bike (I have a Rivendell frame on the way and will need to make it ridable ) Any recommendations on learning without classes would be appreciated. Right now, I'm to the point of trying tears at the LBS and hope they feel sorry enough for me and teach me! I have a feeling tears will have to be shed to get the Rivendell built anyway or some major favor requested.

Thanks in advance -- Lisa:confused:

Sorry about your hubby!!

books: Zinn and the art of (mountain bike, road bike) maintenance
Pual Zinn author

Theres' a really good wheel building book but I can't' think of the name of it.

web: park tools. sheldon brown to name a few

hth

Irulan

Performance Bike has a CD-ROM....

Thanks for the quick answers. I'll go do some research. Lisa:)

PARK TOOL may also have classes in your area. i found out about it through another thread. check their site. i don't know the exact address, but get into google and do a search. it should come up fairly quickly.

Zinn's book is great. I highly recommend it. We have been able to do almost every repair and build out with it. I still don't really trust myself to build a wheelset. I can do a little truing though.

You are in my thoughts, I am sure that your husband would be proud of you for learning.

Post pictures when you're done with it. Because of course you will be able to finish it. :)


Veronica

try surfing through these two sites. lots of information!

http://www.bitrot.de/bbook_intro.html
http://members.aol.com/biketune/repairindex.htm

good luck and i know you can do it!