Originally Posted by
FrontShocks
Any tips for a novice bicycle mechanic? Anything helps. Literally, even basic stuff.
There's Barnett's in your backyard. But they might be a bit steep.
Something that no one has mentioned yet is the
Park Tools Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair. It's a good source and not terribly expensive. It's also up to date. Park offers much the same advice on their
bicycle repair pages but you don't need batteries nor a wifi connection with the book. The book...and lots of practice...will go a long way.
I don't find any co-ops in Colorado Springs but
Bikes Together in Denver offers a soup to almost nuts master mechanics class. It's a 6 week class that meets once a week in the evenings and costs $250 for the class. I know that's a lot of driving but you would learn a lot.
On the other hand, you can learn a whole lot by just doing. The difference between a novice mechanic and a master mechanic is just the value of parts that they've ruined