Originally Posted by lauren
Something could get REALLY screwed up and need a wrench
. All depends on if you want to get your hands dirty or not. After gluing my fingers together enough from previous hobbies a little grease was nothing to me, but I see people at the LBS in suits dropping off their precious road bike for a tune up after work.
That's me! For me it's a question of the value of my time versus money. With a full time job/house/family/ and all of the attendant responsibilities it's hard enough to find the time to do the things I enjoy. The last thing I want to do is spend time wrenching when I could be riding or spending some quality time with my family. I don't mind spending a little more at the LBS if it means less time spent wrenching. There are many things I could do myself that I would rather pay someone else to do just for the convenience of it, and bike maintenance is one of them.
If you enjoy wrenching and have the time, then by all means, have at it, but it's just not for me.