Originally Posted by
s4v8
Thank you all for the replies.
I've been reading some of the reviews on Yelp and I see in a lot of cases where someone rates the shop 5 stars but the shop gets a 1 star rating for bad repair work. I'm not completely relying on Yelp ratings, just trying to weed out some of really bad ones.
How important is the service/repair side or do most of you guys service your own bikes? I plan on learning how to repair mine. It can't be as bad as a car with a motor that's shoehorned into the engine bay.
I highly recommend learning to work on your own bike. The longer you ride the more you save and it will be more rewarding. You'll need to invest in some specialized tools but just get what you need when you need it. Also look into local bike co-ops where you can use their tools and get help from experienced mechanics.
My experience with LBS is similar to car dealers. Service is much better when you are looking to spend $1000-2000+ on a new bike than it is when you are paying $25-100 for service. Not always the case but usually.