Originally Posted by
Esteban32696
It does sound like you have an honest bike shop to work with. Get a bike repair manual, get a junk bike or 2 to practice working on. Online repair videos help, too.
Riding in foul weather a lot & not maintaining the bike's drive system , is probably why it is worn. I would replace the worn parts with decent, but not too expensive parts , & ride it , again. Keep the bike clean & maintain it better.
Incorrect maintenance was part of the problem, I had been pressure washing my chain and sprockets at the coin operated car wash. the shop owner told me not to wash the sprockets because that forced water into the rear hub and shortened its life. He also recommended shifting to both small sprockets after riding to release tension on the derailleur spring.