kpotier16

I do all my own work, none of my 4 bikes have seen a bike shop in the two years I have been cycling. I get my tools from ebay for less than a quarter the price of the name brand stuff to save cash.

rms13

The only thing you need to true a wheel is a spoke wrench. Truing stand is nice but not necessary

79pmooney

Shops do some things I have not the tools to do. Change sealed bearings. Face frame headtubes and bottom brackets. Align dropouts. And the occasional odd job. I do virtually everything else. Build all my wheels. Build up frames. Modify parts to serve better. (Like put real tabs on Shimano 600 semi-platform pedals, put stops on the inside of the pedal to keep my shoe off the crank then weight the front of the pedal so pick-up is easy. Also have a leather shop make me straps of quality leather that I dye, treat and rivet to toestrap buckles. (So those pedals are far from stock. But they are really good fix gear pedals with super pick-up. A clean pedal pick-up on a really steep hill riding fix gear is worth a few ounces easily!)

I see people not buying wheel building tools because of expense. Really cheap stands and dishing tools work just fine unless you are being paid to work fast. My stand and dishing tool were probably not more than $45 and have served me well for the past 30 years. As pointed out by several others, those tools are nice but not essential. I raced wheels built on the bike after hanging the bike from the cellar ceiling. My small investment in wheel building tools and willingness to learn and do it had saved me a lot of money. Many times the investment. I can see the argument of time. For me, wheel building is a near spiritual experience and therefore almost always worth the time invested.

Ben

RoderWrench

I wrench on my own bikes. I'm an automotive technician by trade and I really appreciate the pure mechanical nature of the bicycle after working on computer controlled cars all day.

I love that guys like you exist, I might even be one someday. But don't hate on the Garmin/power-meter guys. Some folks have more testosterone to use up before they can get to their ​Zen state.

JonathanGennick 

That pure mechanical nature seems to be changing with the advent of electronic shifting. I've mixed feelings on that development, but it's the future and is only a matter of time before the trickle-down reaches me. (Well, I'm pretty far down, so it might be a while ).

merlinextraligh

What work can you do on a bike that doesn't involve safety? Just about anything on a bike that's improperly adjusted could cause you to crash. Many things that are over torqued to the point of cracking would be safety concerns. Under tightened parts that slip can cause crashes. Mis-installed tires can blow out and cause crashes.

None of its rocket science, but almost all of it done wrong is a problem.

SnowCYYCling

Sorry, English is not my first language. I leave things like safety check after crashes to the LBS. Frame/fork inspections for any potential failures.

bakes1

I do nothing to my bike other then put air in the tires and lube on the chain. I leave anything else to my LBS as it is convenient enough to get to and has always been fair and reliable

bakes1

You had me at massaging the saddle

RJM

I do all my own maintenance and build bikes up myself but haven't built a wheel in a long time since I just buy them already made. I've never built a frame either and don't have any desire to.

Usually, when I want a new bike I start searching for frame/forks and then go from there...except for my new mountain bike, which I bought whole from an LBS. If shock issues come up, I will either go to the LBS or to the manufacturer to fix those as I'm not comfortable diggin into them. Other than that, I do the work.

Ratzinger

It's in no way unethical to fix your bike yourself rather than taking it to a store.

Seattle Forrest

I like to ride bikes, not work on them. Didn't build my car or my home either.

deacon mark

Repair guitars they are much harder to work on and more delicate. I do I all my own wrenching and build my own wheels, my bike has not seen the LBS and I trust me better than them. I buy the tools when I need them and even buying the tool is cheaper than taking to a shop. I do work on my friends bikes from time to time but frankly I do not like that most of the bikes they bring are older and need more than I really think they are worth. I actually like working on bikes and if it would pay better I would like to try it for retirement but I am guessing they do not pay much and or would pay me more for wisdom and age.

PepeM

Some things I do myself. In some occasions my time is more valuable than my money, so I let the shop take care of it.

big chainring 

I drive and maintain a '77 VW Bus too. No power steering, no power brakes, manual trans, air-cooled, thing of beauty. I did just convert it to electronic ignition. Lost a little purity there.

adrien

I've worked hard on the difference between "can" and "should".

I've learned that I can do almost anything. Doesn't mean I should, because time spent wrenching is time not on the bike, not with family, not working, etc.

As a result I tend to only do the simple things -- clean, lube, and things like tires, brakes, bar tape. The rest -- especially the time-consuming (lacing wheels!) and the stuff that requires special tools (servicing King hubs) I generally don't bother.

I also bring bikes to the LBS for the simple reason that I'd rather have the pros do it. I just got a new ride, and had the LBS build it up. Can I? Yes. But it would have taken me, oh, an hour to get the Red22 FD right, and they did it in about 10 minutes. That's worth money to me.

Finally, I do the bigger stuff at home when the weather gets worse. So for example once a year I completely break down my steel roadie to clean out and rustproof the frame, touch up chips, etc. Does it need it? Probably not. But it's therapeutic in its own way.

dcsix

I'm very lucky to have a great LBS who actually let me help out a bit, and they enjoy teaching along the way. I like doing anything I can handle, like disassembling the headset on my Raleigh and re-greasing it a couple months ago. On the other hand, when I had a rear wheel bearing that needed replacing on my Roubaix, the mechanic pulled the cassette off and handed it to me with a rag, showing me how it comes apart and imploring me to clean it a bit while it was off, he then showed me how it goes back together. He went forward on the bearing, asked me if $12.50 for labor was okay, to which I told him $15 would be more to my liking, and away I went. I'm fortunate to have a very reasonably priced mechanic when I need one, and one that just wants to encourage self reliance and will take the time to explain and teach me stuff.
My wife got me one of the less expensive Park repair stands, and I take care of the family bike maintenance, always learning new things-love it. I really like putting the bike on the stand to clean it well, I use the little Park dummy hub when cleaning and lubing the chain, a great little tool. If and when I do bring my bike to my mechanic I now make certain that it is clean for him.

Neddog

Yes, I always work on my own bikes. I salvage bikes for this reason as well, for parts. I store my bikes (under tarps) and work on my bikes on my deck at my downtown condo. It's not just for money, though that's a big part of it, but also reliability and time. I can't be without a bike for weeks or days, I can't afford expensive labor and new parts, and I don't often trust other people to work on my things the way I would. I work on my own bikes for all those reasons combined.

For things I can't do myself, whether due to lack of tools or parts or expertise, there is a community bike shop in town which is run by volunteers and stocks a large mass of used parts as well as the specialized tools required for every job. They let you work on your own bike with their resources, and will guide you through anything you lack knowledge of.

Oh, and I also sometimes get bikes by putting two or more salvage bikes together to make one good bike. I commute all-year round in Canadian seasons, so I need backups.

series1811

Like others here, I also worked as a professional mechanic. That said, there are certain things I will not do unless I have the proper tools, even though I know how to do it. Most people doing home wrenching that run into problems get there because they not only don't know the proper procedure for installing a certain component, but they also lack the proper tools. I started as a bike mechanic based on experience I had from rebuilding engines - a much more complicated and precise endeavor. Bikes can be very forgiving, but things like properly aligning and installing bearings and races in the steering/head tube and bottom bracket/crank seem to be the greatest source of problems for the home mechanic. Not having the proper reaming and facing tools as well as presses and gauges will pretty much ensure a crappy installation. Other items can and should be completely user serviceable. Adjustment of derailleurs and brakes, for example, should be part of any cyclist's maintenance skills. Get a decent bike stand and invest in tools and learn how to work on your bike. I agree that maintaining and working on your own bike is part of the entire riding experience.

wallrat

I've been riding 4 years and I do all my own wrenching. I'd say that working on a mountain bike is harder than a road bike. There are just more moving parts on a mountain bike. I've replaced bearings, rebuilt wheels, swapped almost all of the components on my mountain bike, and redone all the cables on my 3 bikes. I can also rebuild my dropper post on my mountain bike but haven't tackled rebuilding my fork yet. I've been sending that in yearly to be rebuilt.

Learning to do it myself stemmed from an incident I had on my mountain bike when I first started riding. I had a flat, flipped my bike over, and removed the wheel. After I repaired the flat I attempted to reinstall the wheel. I depressed my brake lever and the calipers on my disc brakes were clamped shut. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to expand them. I had to remove my front brake to get my wheel back on. After that I vowed to learn how my bike works so I don't get left in the boonies due to mechanicals.

roccobike

I don't have the tools to hold the blades in place while adjusting. I tried a home-made block, but it didn't work as expected. Considering I've only had to true the Ksyriums I ride once in around three years, it's just not worth investing in the correct tool to hold the bladed spoke(s).

Jiggle

I just used a Dremel cut off wheel on a spare piece of aluminum. To call such a thing a "tool" is being generous.

RoadLight

Hi Eyenigma,

I do almost all of my own bike service for my two road bikes and my family's bikes. I started at the LBS but was shocked by the poor quality of work. They ruined a bottom bracket without telling me---I had to discover it the hard way (when it broke). Yet they are a reputable shop that sells some very high-end bikes.

I also ride a lot of miles and we live near Lake Michigan. Even though I ride on nicely paved, clean highways, the wind and sandy soil means that lots of sand gets in our drivetrains no matter where we ride. So the maintenance schedule for the bikes under my care is fairly high. We would easily need to spend several hundred dollars per year at the LBS for routine maintenance. A lube job of both wheel hubs and the bottom bracket costs $75. And most of the services that we need are not profitable for the LBS, anyway. That's probably why they will sometimes stick inexperienced employees on these jobs (as evidently happened with my bottom bracket).

The combination of the poor service from the LBS and the need for a lot of service prompted me to do it myself. After three years, I estimate that I've already "broken even" on the money I've spent buying bike-specific tools and such compared to hiring out the work. So from here on out, I'm beginning to save money.

Before I started, I already had a lot experience with automobiles---so mechanical jobs are not usually a problem for me. I began by reading Park Tool's famous "Blue Book". Then I picked up Zinn's book on road bike maintenance. In three years, I've assembled a fairly complete set of tools and two repair stands. All I really need next are a truing stand and associated tools for wheels. Oh, and a second toolbox (I've outgrown my first one).

The only things I haven't done yet are true wheels and repair a frame. One of my bikes has a carbon frame and the other has a vintage Fuji quad-butted steel frame from 1985. The steel frame started showing signs of stress last year (a micro fracture in a seat stay and a separating shift cable guide). I sent the frame to a frame specialist (Assenmachers in Michigan) who did an excellent job repairing and refinishing it. But I did all the disassembly and reassembly, myself. I expect to tackle wheel truing in the near future---I've got three pair of vintage Ukai aluminum road wheels that need attention now.

It is very satisfying to service and/or fix a bike. But I wish that I didn't have to do it because I have too many demands on my time as it is. If it wasn't for the joy of riding fast down the highway, I probably wouldn't make the effort. But riding a well-tuned bike for several thousand miles each year forces me to. So I guess you could say I've become a bike mechanic of necessity---but I enjoy the work.

Kind regards, RoadLight

TheLibrarian

No desire to do any favors for any lbs, most of them have been thinly veiled jerks to me. I dont look rich or like the typical cyclist so dont get very good customer service when i go in. One or two young guys have been a cross between nice and uninterested which i suppose is better than a smarmy attitude. The place i did buy a bike from I found online, picked up in the store but called before hand and worked it all out. By the time i went to get the bike, they were eating lunch and did not care. I saved money so I didn't care much either. They even seemed rather annoyed that i interupted their lunch to buy a bike. Yea, so no hard feelings about letting them twist in the wind.

I do my own work so far. Changed 2 tubes, adjusted brakes. My brakes always need adjustment. Thinking maybe be a good idea to have a shop do it to see if there's anything wrong with them. The Trek shop near me has mostly been cool, the one kid maybe his son is totally disinterested but as i say thats better than many.

OldsCOOL

I do all my own work. Because of this, they are well maintained.