Some of that sounds good Hillrider. And like I said - I'd like to live where you do!

Well, maybe not literally, but I'd like to have the same access to those sources. Unfortunately I'm in Canada and parts here not only typically cost more than in the US (for no reason I can understand), the companies you listed don't offer free shipping to Canada.

I also find some of these postings more than a little difficult to answer.

I can see where working on multiple bikes as well as your friend's stuff might justify keeping a repair shop, but do we recommend that the guy that bought that $7 bike earlier and wants to keep costs down also buy a bunch of tools to do his own work?

And here in Montreal most people that own bikes in the city aren't even allowed to bring them in the apartment building let alone work on them. Not everyone owns their own house or have a garage and I'm sure some people in the US have similar limitations. As well as the expense, not everyone is has a high mechanical aptitude so personally I'm usually reluctant to simply recommend everyone start doing their own stuff.

In fact I've seen so many people do really dumb things and make things worse by attempting their own repairs that in many cases I really think they'd be doing themselves a favor taking it to the shop.

And you've also stated that you personally do work for your friends and family. IMO that would put you in the same category as a 'shop' so clearly you don't expect everyone that owns a bike to buy tools. Here we also have co-ops that work the same way. The whole idea is to manage overall costs effectively.