Originally Posted by
polymorphself
Unfortunately, I did take one class there some time go and wasn't into it. While they have lots of good equipment the place is very popular and they are understaffed. As a result, you don't so much get one on one help but people running around trying to get to everyone with not enough time. It just wasn't a comfortable process. Also, they don't offer a setup where a mechanic will do everything for you, they make it a rule to be as hands off as possible while they watch you do the work.
That being said, I'm sure I'll be dropping in as certain difficulties pop up.
Thanks for all of the other advice. As for the rear derailer isssue, there is nothing on the other side.
Sure, co-ops aren't perfect, but I don't understand where you got the idea that they'd do all the work for you. I thought you wanted a project?
Buy a bicycle repair book (park's big blue book of bicycle repair is $10 used), read the relevant section to your job at hand, watch a bunch of videos of people doing the repair job, and then go to the co-op to attempt what you want to do. If you decide to buy all the tools necessary to do a full overhaul of your bike then you could quickly go over budget, and that's where the co-op comes in handy. If playing around with old bikes is your thing then buying the more expensive tools outright is a good investment.