When fuel is unavailable, roads are blocked to motor vehicles, or you need to move through territory a car can’t navigate — bicycles work. No fuel, no registration, minimal maintenance costs, and most households already own one. What almost no household has is the skill to keep it running when something breaks. A flat tire that’s fixable in ten minutes sits in the garage. A slipping chain that needs a cable adjustment goes unridden. This book is what closes that gap.
Lennard Zinn has been a member of the U.S. national cycling team, has ridden and repaired bicycles for nearly 50 years, and has served as the technical authority at VeloNews for three decades. The Zinn series is the best-selling bicycle maintenance library in the world, and the mountain bike edition specifically covers mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, and fat bikes — the types most relevant to a general preparedness household. Hybrids are the most common everyday utility bicycle. The 7th edition (November 2025) runs 552 pages with more than 750 hand-drawn illustrations: basics (flat tires, chain lubing, brake adjustment), easy shifting, wheel maintenance, suspension setup, and full drivetrain overhauls. There’s a dedicated emergency repairs section — broken chain, bent derailleur, broken spoke — specifically for situations when you need to get rolling and can’t wait.
This is a skill reference you reach for when something breaks, or when you’re doing seasonal maintenance before you need the bike. Keep it on the shelf alongside your other preparedness references. Our First 72 Hours guide covers the immediate transportation layer — what you’re getting ready for when you maintain this skill set.
