6TH MOUNTAIN BIKE MAINTENANCE Integrated shifters CHAPTER 5 FOR ALL Carbon frames Integrated headsets MOUNTAIN Dropper CHAPTER 17 + seatposts CHAPTER 12 HYBRID CHAPTER 14 BICYCLES Shock rebuilds CHAPTER 17 Through-axle forks CHAPTER 16 12-speed cassettes CHAPTER 8 Hydraulic Electronic disc brakes shifting CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 6 Carbon wheels CHAPTER 8 PressFit CHAPTER 11 Tubeless tires CHAPTER 7 Chain care CHAPTER 4 Clip-in pedals CHAPTER 13 Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, 6th Edition Text copyright © 2018 by Lennard Zinn Illustrations copyright © 2018 by VeloPress All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or photocopy or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations within critical articles and reviews. 3002 Sterling Circle, Suite 100 Boulder, CO 80301–2338 USA VeloPress is the leading publisher of books on endurance sports. Focused on cycling, triathlon, running, swimming, and nutrition/diet, VeloPress books help athletes achieve their goals of going faster and farther. Preview books and contact us at velopress.com. Distributed in the United States and Canada by Ingram Publisher Services Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Name: Zinn, Lennard, author. Title: Zinn & the art of mountain bike maintenance : the world’s best-selling guide to mountain bike repair / Lennard Zinn. Other titles: Zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance | Zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance Description: 6th edition. | Boulder, Colorado : VeloPress, [2018] | Earliest edition bears title: Zinn and the art of mountain bike maintenance. Identifiers: LCCN 2017058778 | ISBN 9781937715472 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Mountain bikes—Maintenance and repair—Handbooks, manuals, etc. Classification: LCC TL430 .Z56 2018 | DDC 629.28/772—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017058778 This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper). Cover and interior design by Erin Farrell / Factor E Creative Cover photographs by Brad Kaminski Front cover bike built by Lennard Zinn Custom paint job on front cover bike by Spectrum Paint & Powder Works 1983 Ritchey “Faux Lugs” Competition courtesy of The Pro’s Closet, Boulder, CO, www.theproscloset.com Illustrations by Mike Reisel and Todd Telander 18 19 20 / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Introduction xiii MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR 1 Tools 1 2 Basic Stuff 15 3 Emergency Repairs 33 4 Chains 49 5 Cable-Shift Transmissions 67 6 Electronic Shifting Systems 113 7 Tires 139 8 Wheels 153 9 Disc Brakes 183 10 Rim Brakes 211 11 Cranks and Bottom Brackets 235 12 Handlebars, Stems, and Headsets 263 13 Pedals 293 14 Saddles and Seatposts 311 15 Wheelbuilding 329 16 Forks 349 17 Frames 389 APPENDIXES A Troubleshooting Index 415 B Gear Development 421 C Mountain Bike Fitting 429 D Torque Table 437 Glossary 451 Bibliography 463 Index 465 Illustration Index 479 About the Author and Illustrators 484 I.1 Believe it or not, you will be able to put all of this back together! INTRODUCTION Peace of mind isn’t at all superficial, really. It’s the whole thing. That which produces it is good maintenance; that which disturbs it is poor maintenance. What we call workability of the machine is just an objectification of this peace of mind. The ultimate test’s always your own serenity. If you don’t have this when you start and maintain it while you’re working, you’re likely to build your personal problems right into the machine itself. —ROBERT M. PIRSIG, ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE This book is intended for people who have an interest romantic can follow the simple step-by-step procedures in maintaining their own mountain bikes. I have written and “exploded” diagrams in this book (of which Fig. I.1 is it for mountain bike owners who do not think they’re an extreme example and is the only one not intended to capable of working on their own bikes, as well as for be simple and clear!) and discover a passion for spread- those who do and who want the how-to details at their ing new grease on old parts. fingertips. Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the organized in such a way that you can pick maintenance late Robert Pirsig explores the dichotomy between the tasks appropriate for your level of confidence and inter- purely classical and purely romantic views of the world, est. The repairs in these pages require no special skills a dichotomy that also applies to mountain biking. Riding to perform; anyone can do them. It takes only a willing- a mountain bike is generally a romantic experience of ness to learn. emotion, inspiration, and intuition, even when solving Mountain bikes are admirably resilient machines. the complex physics of how to negotiate a technical sec- You can keep one running a long time just by changing tion of trail without putting your foot down. Mountain the tires and occasionally lubricating the chain. Chapter bike mechanics, however, is a purely classical structure 2 is about the most minimal maintenance your bike of underlying form dominated by reason and physi- requires. Even if that is the only part of this book you cal laws. The two practices—mountain bike riding and end up using, you’ll have gotten your money’s worth by mountain bike maintenance—fit eloquently together. avoiding some unpleasant experiences out on the trail. Each is designed to function in a particular way, and to This book is intended for home enthusiasts, have one without the other would be missing out on not professional mechanics. For that reason, I have not half the fun. included the long and precise lists of parts specifica- The romantic can appreciate how success at bike tions that a shop mechanic might need. Nonetheless, mechanics requires that the procedures be done with when combined with a specification manual, this book love, without which the care you imagined putting into can be a useful, easy-to-follow reference for bike shop xiii your mountain bike would be lost. And even the pure mechanics, too. xiv WHY DO IT YOURSELF? rather than being reluctant to ride for fear of breaking There are a number of reasons why you would want to something. maintain your own mountain bike. Obviously, if done Also, if you share my stubborn unwillingness to right, it is a lot cheaper to do yourself than to pay some- throw something out and buy a replacement simply one else to do it. This is certainly an important factor because it has quit working—be it a leaky Waterpik; a for those riders who live to ride and have no visible torn tent; a duffle bag with a broken zipper; or an old car, means of support. Self-maintenance is a necessity for dishwasher, clock, or chainsaw that is no longer running that crew. well—then this book is for you. It is satisfying to keep an As your income goes up and the time available to old piece of equipment running long past its prime, and maintain your bike goes down, this becomes less and it’s a great learning experience! less true. If you’re a well-paid professional with limited There is also something very liberating about going free time, it probably does not make as much economic on a long ride and knowing that you can fix just about sense to maintain your own bike. Yet you may find that anything that might go wrong with your bike out on the you enjoy working on your bike for reasons other than trail. Armed with this knowledge (which begins with just saving money. Unless you have a mechanic whom learning to identify the parts of a mountain bike, shown you trust and to whom you take your bike regularly, you in Fig. I.2) and the tools to put it into action, you will have are not likely to find anyone else who cares as much more confidence to explore new areas and to go farther about your bicycle’s smooth operation and cleanliness than you might have otherwise. as you do. You may also need your bike fixed faster than To illustrate, an experience from way back in 1995 a local shop can do during its busy season. And you comes to mind, when I took a day to ride the entire 110- need to be able to fix mechanical breakdowns that occur mile White Rim Trail loop in Utah’s Canyonlands National on the trail. Park. It is quite dry and desolate out there, and I was It is a given: Breakdowns will happen, even if you completely alone with the sky, the sun, and the rocks for have the world’s best mechanic working on your bike. long stretches. I had a good mileage base in my legs, so For this reason, it takes away from my enjoyment of a I knew I was physically capable of doing the ride during ride if I have something on my bike that I do not under- the limited daylight hours of late October. I had checked, stand well enough to know whether it is likely to last the replaced, or adjusted practically every part of my bike ride or how to fix it if it does not. in the weeks before the ride. I had also ridden the There is an aspect of bicycle mechanics that can be bike on long rides close to Moab in the preceding days extremely enjoyable in and of itself, almost independent and knew that it was in good running order.