A new cycling maintenance guide gets the thumbs up from Arthur Lamy

I must be gaining credibility as a cycling blogger – I’ve just been sent ‘The Ultimate Guide to Bicycle Maintenance’ to review!

Written by Guy Andrews, the editor of the upmarket Rouleur magazine, this soft pack book covers everything from basic puncture repairs to fine tuning suspension forks, and is comprehensively illustrated with full colour pictures throughout.

In eight chapters it deals with everything that the cyclist could possibly want to do to their bike, including servicing and fitting disc brakes and suspension forks, as well as the more basic maintenance.

In one of the chapters, I was pleased to see a section that dealt with getting the correct position on your bike, and how to adjust the various contact points to achieve this.

At the beginning of each task there is a list of the tools needed, so you know immediately if you’re good to go. The key components of each job are illustrated by a series of numbered photos, so even the more ambitious projects are easy to follow.

Another thing that I found helpful were the numerous ‘Editor’s Tips’, ‘Know How’ and ‘Faq’ boxes liberally spread throughout the book. These give helpful tips, and an insight into how different parts work.

In all, I’d say that this was a comprehensive book that would inspire people to do some, if not all, of their bike maintenance and upgrades.

Sprint Bonuses

• The London Cycling Campaign has launched the ‘Beat the Thief’ campaign to reduce the ever increasing problem of bike theft in the capital. A recent survey reports that 80% of cyclists have had a bike stolen.

See more: http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1808

• What might puzzle non-cyclists is why the Tour of Italy is starting in Amsterdam this weekend, and the Tour de France, is starting in Rotterdam on the 3rd. July this year. The answer is, of course, money. If you are an area that would like a gigantic boost in tourism, put in a bid to start a major tour in your town. As an example, the Tour de France entourage is well over 4,000 before you begin to add the spectators.

• The Tour of Italy got off to a good start for British Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins. He won the first stage, a 8.4 kilometre time trial, at an average speed of just under 50 K.P.H.

• Ah nostalgia, nearly everyone’s favourite, if you’ve been cycling for a while, and we are only talking the last 20 years or so, or are getting into the retro look, take a look at this site: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/

• National Bike Week runs from June 19th to June 27th this year. I don’t know if there’s anything planned in Jersey yet?

• The first part of a UK wide community art project, initiated by Sustrans, has gone up in the Afan Valley. It is one of 80 Portrait Benches that will go up around the United Kingdom. Each will have three life-size steel sculptures of local heroes beside them. At Cwmafan, the three local heroes are Richard Burton, Rob Brydon and forest ranger Dick Wagstaffe.

• If you are a cycling evangelist, and you’d like to share your passion with others at your work, take a look at this: The Workplace Cycle Challenge is organised by the CTC, and it’s billed as the ‘best way to get non-cyclists to cycle to work’. Find out more at: http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/Press_Archive/ChallengeBrochure.pdf

• Buy a new 2010 Kona bike of over £1000 over the next few weeks, and get £100 of free Kona clothing.

• Cratoni, the cycle helmet manufacturer, have started building a new company headquarters at Rudersberg in Germany. The new building will house the marketing department, the R and D facility and warehousing.

And finally,

I’m sure we’ve all wondered what it must be like to win a major cycle race; savouring those last few metres to the finish; the adulation of the crowd; the post race interview.  Here are three riders for whom the dream came true!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOur8qXvpnk

Arthur Lamy is a freelance writer and tourist guide.  www.cycleinjersey.com