Chainbreaker book

awesome book. helped me get my old junker roadbike bandito back in working order for the summer. Must have for any would be mechanic

Perfect timing for me to review this book as I am just now getting my bike ready for the spring thaw. This is a great diy manual for bike repair. At 130 pages for the manual and then 120 pages for reprints of the great bike zine Chainbreaker, you get a lot of content here. I have referred to this book a couple times to help with some complicated stuff. My bike got stolen last summer and I got it back (don't ask), but in the mean time the thief kind of messed some things up. Referring to this book helped me get my brakes and everything else squared away again in no time. This book has a great table of contents and index to help you find the section you need for your repair right away. It is also written in an easy to understand conversational manner explains things in a way that even a novice would understand.

Most DIY repair books tend to be long winded and complicated. Chain Breaker breaks the monotony of such things through sometimes anecdotic explanations of how to’s and what you needs. If you are an avid rider or someone who likes the occasional Sunday ride, this book is something you may want to consider to have on your shelf.

It's an awesome read. Good sense of
humor, and she's got a list of community bike shops in the back, which is surprisingly up to date, what with it having a 2008 copyright date.

Well worth the 12 bucks, and an awesome present for someone you like/love.

This is the new Red Emma's official favorite bike book.

I recently picked up the single best bicycle book I have ever seen, and that's not an exaggeration. "The Chainbreaker Bike Book" is a comprehensive, complete and utterly accessible introduction to the world of D.I.Y. bike repair. The language is informal, but the knowledge is both first-rate and non-technical. The chapters cover everything from buying used parts to conducting a proper step-by-step overhaul, to bike aesthetics and fashion. Unlike many bike books which feature an abundance of tech specifics and sing the praises of needlessly expensive specialized parts, there is nothing intimidating about this book.

Honestly, ANYONE who rides a bike and has half-a-mind to learn about repair and maintenance, who wants to learn some bike building skills, or who is interested in the philosophical cult of beauty and simplicity that surrounds bicycles should spend $14 on this book. In addition to being an extremely practical manual, it's an inspiring and dedicated work of art.

A great book for introduction or just someone who wants to geek out about bikes.

I love the seat-of-the-pants, low-budget guidance offered in The Chainbreaker Bike Book, a new do-it-yourself bike maintenance guide that keeps things simple, straightforward, and, most importantly, real.

This bike repair manual doesn’t just show how to fix things; it provides a lot of encouragement and inspiration as well. Shelley gives several pep talks to women throughout the book, cheering us on to ”stand up and be heard…get to know the tools and language…ask questions and look for guidance, but look to your own sense of logic as well.” That’s good advice, not just for bike repair, but for everything we do in life.

The book is well-laid out, easy to read and understand, and covers information down to the most basic level. All the bike parts and terms are explained for you, so you don’t need an expert translation or dictionary in order to get through the first page. I also found the zine reprints enjoyable, especially the stories about delivering food and working as mechanics in New Orleans. This proves to be a valuable resource even for someone such as myself who knows absolutely nothing about bicycles, and I’d recommend it for bike people or anyone else curious about the subject.

Printed in large type so it's visible when open next to a bicycle, the repair-manual portion of the illustrated book, builds from the ground up. Starting with the ethics and rewards of skill sharing, it moves on to detail parts, tools, and instructions for system-by-system checkups and repairs. The book's second half comprises reprinted issues of the Chainbreaker zine, originals of which were lost when zinester Jackson's New Orleans home flooded after Katrina. The zines complement the how-to portions with a wider view of the bicycle's cultural impact — e.g., the role of bikes in the women's clothing revolution, the democratizing potential of this low-cost form of transportation.

Seriously - on the days my poorly planned neighborhood and its idiot drivers are bringing me super down, Chainbreaker always cheers me up!

Shelley is enthusiastic about all aspects of bike culture. Her writing is packed with personal stories, advice, and historical information on bikes. A great read for anyone who is into bikes or wants to learn more about today’s DIY bike culture.

Shelley and Ethan obviously put a great deal of time and energy into not only riding and thinking about bicycles, but also examining their relationship to them. With warmth, charm, and knowledge to spare, Chainbreaker gives the joy of bicycle maintenance back to who it belongs: The People. I got down and dirty with my bike and this eminently accessible and well-compiled volume moments after bringing it home, and I'm sure to dog-ear many copies of this book in my travels. One of the most inspiring, dedicated projects in the world of independent publishing.