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Old 11-12-10 | 01:36 PM
  #20  
LupinIII
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Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,014
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From: Davis/Lafayette, CA

Bikes: too many

i'd have a hard time sending a new guy on his way with a hundred bucks worth of tools and the interwebs to fix his own bike. I did that at first and most of my techniques leave a lot to be desired.

i hang around a lot at the local shop and the owner lets me use his stands and tools when there isn't much business. he gives me pointers and tells me how to do some of the procedures i don't know how to do.

the bike build shouldn't really cost a hundred, maybe 70. When you pay for it, tell the mechanic or whoever you want to watch so you can learn how to do the maintenance yourself. if they say no, take your business elsewhere. go to harbor freight and pick up a set of metric allen wrenches, metric open end wrenches (you'll especially need a good 15mm), and at the bike shop get some tire levers, chain tool, and a pump. that'll cover a huge majority of what you'll need to do. (that's actually closer to 60 bucks in tools, but about half of that is the floor pump and chain tool. floor pump is essential, and you won't need a chain tool often if you have a quick link)
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