Bicycle Mechanics Handbook

A two-volume working reference for bicycle maintenance, written by expert mechanic Denise Belzil, drawing on more than 30 years of professional experience. Step-by-step procedures with in-depth photography on every major shop-procedure category. Built around how a mechanic actually uses a book on a workbench: spiral binding that holds the page you left it on, laminated pages that survive a grease-stained thumb.

Most bike-mechanic books are read once and shelved. The Handbook is built to be re-opened: the procedure for a hub overhaul is on the same physical page where you set the wheel down on the bench, the photos at the page you flipped to show the part of the procedure your hands are doing right now, and a moment of confusion is two paragraphs of resolution away. The binding format is the difference between a working reference and a coffee-table book.

What each volume covers

The two-volume set splits bicycle service across the natural shop-procedure boundary: the bearing-and-rotation category (V1) and the drive-and-stop category (V2).

Volume 1: hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets.

• Hub overhaul: cartridge bearings, cup-and-cone bearings, freehub-body service, freewheel removal, fork-end and dropout realignment
• Headset service: threadless and threaded headset overhauls, with integrated, zero-stack and tapered-steerer designs explained
• Bottom bracket service: square-spindle cartridge BBs, external-bearing BBs (Hollowtech II), Octalink and ISIS, Campagnolo Ultra-Torque and Power-Torque, press-fit BBs, plus BSA shell threading and surfacing

Volume 2: gears and brakes.

• Gear-system service: shifting and drivetrain adjustment documented across 318 pages of photographed procedures
• Brake-system service: brake adjustment and maintenance in the same photo-and-step format as Volume 1

Each procedure is photographed at the actual step in actual workshop conditions, not in the staged-perfection style most maintenance books default to. The photos show the part of the bike you're working on, the angle the mechanic's hands are at, and the tool's engagement with the work. The visual language is workshop-honest.

Physical features

• Spiral binding that holds the book open and flat on the workbench without you needing to weight the spread. The book stays at the page you left it on as your hands move through the procedure.
• Laminated pages for grease, water, and cleaning-solvent resistance. The print doesn't smear and the page doesn't curl.
• Two volumes, sold separately on this page; Volume 1 is also available bundled with a chain tool and tire levers as the 20/12-BIKE-EN Bike Book Set.

Specs

• Two volumes, sold separately (V1: 274 pages / V2: 318 pages)
• Author: Denise Belzil, professional bicycle mechanic with over 30 years' experience
• English-language edition
• Spiral binding, laminated pages
• SKUs: 627300 (Volume 1, EN) / 627722 (Volume 2, EN)

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. The Handbook is the educational layer of a workshop tool line: the same procedures the World Tour mechanics service on team bikes are documented in the same level of detail in this two-volume reference, with the photo-and-step structure that lets a home or shop mechanic learn the procedure from the page and execute it on the bench.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Read Volume 1 before you do your first hub overhaul, not during. The procedure makes more sense on the second read; once the steps are sequenced in your head, you can follow along on the workbench without breaking flow to re-read a paragraph. The book is the reference, your hands are doing the work; the two-pass read is the difference between a mechanic-in-training and a mechanic-doing.

For the broader picture on what a home or shop mechanic should keep on the shelf, the Handbook included: What bike tools do I need? →.

FAQ

What does each volume of the Bicycle Mechanics Handbook cover? Volume 1 covers hubs, bottom brackets and headsets over 274 pages — including cup-and-cone and cartridge-bearing hub overhauls, Hollowtech II, Octalink/ISIS, Campagnolo and press-fit bottom brackets, and threadless and threaded headset service. Volume 2 covers gear and brake systems over 318 pages.

Are the two volumes sold separately or as a set? On this page each volume is sold separately — pick Volume 1 (SKU 627300) or Volume 2 (SKU 627722) from the selector. Volume 1 is also available bundled with a chain tool and two tire levers as the 20/12-BIKE-EN Bike Book Set.

Who wrote the Unior Bicycle Mechanics Handbook? Denise Belzil, an expert bicycle mechanic with over 30 years of professional experience. Every procedure is documented step by step with photographs taken at each stage of the actual work, aimed at both professional and home mechanics.

Will the Handbook hold up to workshop use? Yes — that is the point of the format. The spiral binding lets the book lie flat and stay open at your page on the workbench, and the laminated pages resist grease, water and solvents, so the print doesn't smear and the pages don't curl.