Originally Posted by claire
Last thing to add, the bike shop was mostly aimed at commuters. Maybe people who do a lot of riding and longer distances are better at doing minor repairs themselves.
There are commuters who ride because it's that or walk, and it's easier to ride... but their committment is to making their lives easier, not to cycling as part of a way of life.
And there are commuters who put in 100+ miles a week just commuting, who have multiple bikes and a complete system of living that's built around bike commuting, and who know more about bike repair than most bike shop employees.
I guess you're talking about the first kind.
RichC