Originally Posted by
jpc2001
Is there a reason mechanics don't want to touch this?
My guess is that it's not falsifiable: you can tell if a wheel is true or if a derailer can hold a gear or if a tire holds air. But "bike handles funny" -- who can say if it's fixed? So maybe they're nervous that I won't be satisfied with any repair.
Or are all the shops as busy as they say ("service is booked months out")?
Why not fix it myself. Maybe I could. I'm no mechanic. My first fear is it's not the fork. My second fear is I'll try to buy a fork online and it won't fit on some dimension.
Maybe I could ask a shop for an upgraded fork, instead of phrasing it as a repair for a mystery ailment? At least that makes the job bounded and safer for them to accept.
A good shop will have the tools or a good workaraound to check the alignment on a frame. A better shop would be able to fix the alignment on bent steel frame if it isn't too bad. Straightening forks, on the other hand is hit-or-miss, mostly miss. But on the bright side, replacements are available for almost any application. On the other hand some bikes might not be worth the work you'd need to put into them. Find a shop that will at least look at it and give you a report of what's wrong and an estimate to fix it.