A professional shop charging money to do a job is a good thing. Just because you can do it at home doesn't mean a shop shouldn't charge what they charge to do the work. Pulling off everything and cleaning in a parts washer and re-installing is work but in addition it is money to pay the employee, pay for the parts washer, keep the lights on, pay the distributor for the parts, pay taxes and other business fees... Unfortunately a lot of folks think that bicycles should be repaired purely out of charity and may not fully understand the cost of business and things like inflation and different places will be able to charge differently based on location and costs for their space and employees and such. Sure back in thickety two it costs two nickels and you got 82 gumballs, a full tank of gas and a meal for the whole family at Robert's Enlarged Male Child but sadly things do change. I am all for paying someone to do the job right and hey if someone is going to clean my drivetrain and put it back together so I don't have to get dirty and spend that time, that is not a bad thing. Time is money and especially on a heavily used commuter bike I would rather let a mechanic do it as I rely on that machine and don't want to have it laid up for a while at my place while I try to fix it. Granted not talking me specifically because I work at a shop and have many tools at home and enjoy working on bikes but sometimes I do give work to my co-workers either because I want it done better than I could or because I am not as skilled in that area or just need a second opinion or second set of hands getting it done or would rather buy a 6 pack of good beer than do it myself for time issues..

In terms of chains I would replace more frequently but certainly keep things clean and properly lubed and check it regularly with a chain checker as others have mentioned. I am not looking for max life on a chain I am looking for practical life so I can continue using my chainrings, cassette, pulley wheels...If absolutely needed be I could save the chain, clean it super well and wax it and put it away for an absolute emergency but honestly chains are easy to get (beyond these pandemic/bike boom shortages) and having a spare or two isn't a bad thing. If you are like me and have