I have done almost 100% of my own bicycle repairs and maintenance since I was in high school. I do most of my own home repairs, all of my own appliance, stereo, and computer repairs, and all maintenance and light repairs on my family's cars. I do have enough sense to outsource certain major items, such as power steering rack replacement or the slab, framing, and roofing of my 2-car garage addition.

When facing a given repair, I ask myself:
1) Would I enjoy tackling this?
2) Do I know what I am doing?
3) Do I have the right tools, or can I rent or buy them at a justifiable cost?

In addition to money saved and skills, control, and satisfaction gained, the big payback has been spending quality time with my two sons, now 17 and 22. The elder one, who is starting his senior year in Physics at UCSD, is (slowly) restoring my late mother's 1969 Camaro, and the younger one maintains a 1996 Audi A4 Quattro which looks 10 months, rather than 10 years, old. This month, my elder son and I are completely rebuilding his 1992 Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike, and he is getting very excited about doing more offroad cycling in addition to campus cruising.