If I were to recommend one resource for repair of vintage bikes, it would http://www.sheldonbrown.com. Until two years ago I had not built a single wheel, much less replaced a spoke, but with guidance from the concise yet detailed article from Sheldon's website, I have since built several pairs of wheels, all strong and reliable. He has great information on bearings, bottom brackets, headsets, freewheels--a world of knowledge compressed into a convenient space. I also learned everything I needed to know about fixed gear bikes and fixed gear riding from his site, as have many hundreds of others.
The Park tool website is excellent for many things, as are Leonard Zinn's books. Like any new subject, the learning curve seems steep at the start, but with practice one's confidence and knowledge improves. Ditto the previous comments about proper tools, which make everything much easier.
There are, however, many thrifty workarounds for expensive tools; my "repair stand" is a stout piece of maple, wrapped in old rags and clamped to the top of my woodworking bench. Placed under the top tube at the seat cluster, it elevates the rear wheel so I can make many repairs conveniently. It is primitive, admittedly, but it works. For a nice article about other home-made solutions to the bike stand, see this, from the triathlon discussion list:
Cheers,
Robert Aguirre Windsor, ON
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