Originally Posted by
veganbikes
I am not opposed to D.I.Y. and learning things on your own but to say shops are all closing and not needed is absolutely and utterly ridiculous. However I wish you well and please if you ever need help on your bike come on down to my shop and we will take care of you, we have plenty of tools and knowledge from many years of doing this and many different people from many different backgrounds in cycling who have picked up a thing or two that don't come in a book, a video or riding sometimes.
Not gonna lie, ripping apart, rebuilding, and then tuning a four bank carb system on a motorcycle is considerably more difficult than anything done on a bike, yet I also did that at home with minimal specialty tools. Bikes simply are not that complicated. I've trued numerous wheels using nothing but zipties and felt pens with the wheels on the frame, to very good success. Yes, some special tools are required, but every special bike tool that is truly needed to do 99% of what a normal person will ever do on a bike will cost you less than an hour's labor at a shop.
I have no doubt that a bike shop can do anything I can faster, I have many doubts the kid that is working a summer job can do a better job though. And, with the expectation of turning around as many bikes as possible, as you have already stated in this thread, mechanics sometimes have the pressure to get stuff out the door without verifying their work, and without having the attention to detail that I will put into my own bike.