I've been riding road bikes for close to 10 years but I've never cared enough to learn the mechanics. I've always relied on my bike shop to do everything for me. I'll fix a flat on my own but that's about it. I've recently developed an interest and moreso a curiosity in learning about road biking. I've completed a few triathlons, but now I've come to a point where I want to do everything I can to improve my time. I understand i have a long way to go. Often, I'm intimidated by snide remarks at the bike shop and on the internet which discourage me but I do my best to ignore them. We all have to start learning somewhere and luckily for me, humans have a pretty decent ability to learn new things.