Did you actually read what I wrote, and then maybe take some time to think about it, before responding?

The whole freaking post was about where to get your bike serviced if you don't know how to do the work yourself.

The whole post.

I cannot give you a very high mark for reading comprehension.

I have to fail you for Economics, too.

try this on for size: if YOU do not know how to do the work, YOU are forced to either find someone who does, or travel to a bike shop that does repairs---even if it is exceedingly inconvenient and expensive for you. I said that in my post. You read that, right?

Here's how it works: if I do not need a mechanic, I will not pay for a mechanic.

You seem to think I need to pay more to buy stuff at a LBS so I can help keep that store open so YOU can have a mechanic close by.

If YOU need a mechanic, YOU pay to keep the bike shop open so there will be a convenient mechanic for YOU.

You decide at what point it makes more sense FOR YOU to pay for the gas and time to drive 100 miles to some larger city with a bike mechanic, versus pumping money into the shop to keep the shop open so the mechanic will be on call FOR YOU.

Don't expect me to fund your lifestyle. I put in the time and energy and money (Not luck) to get some tools and some ability so I can do my own work. YOU have that option. Remember that time I came to you and demanded that you pay for my tools? Yeah, because that never happened. And when you tell me I have to pay for your repairs, that ain't happening either.

It's basic economics of supply and demand. If you demand a bike shop stay open, supply them with cash. I have no demand for a mechanic, so the cost of supplying that mechanic---i.e. the premium a bike shop would charge me for the stuff I might buy there---is pure waste. I would be paying for something I did not use. Why would I do that?

If you want to pay extra to a bike shop then do. I am not saying you shouldn't.

But, if you would bother to read my post ... it was all about what someone like you might need to do if the LBS closed and you therefore couldn't find a mechanic. You would find people in the local cycling community, who were good at wrenching and maybe willing to do a little work for a little money, and you would make private arrangements. Or, you would drive as far as it was to the nearest shop which had a mechanic ... and maybe leave the bike there and drive back again in three weeks.

Or, you would invest the time and money and learn how to fix your own toys.

Getting all aggrieved because I won't pay your bills is about stupid and completely useless. Stupid, because only a less than thoughtful person wouldl think life works that way, and useless, because I will not.