I am mechanically adept but I was still amazed at how fast I picked up on bike maintenance once I had bought a fairly nice set of tools. I've put the money saved on labor into tools and upgraded parts. So the bike has been much improved, which is real nice. The thing I like most about DIY is that the bike is always in perfect tune, clean and well lubed. Once you get the hang of fine tuning a rear derailleur, you are home free. bk