Okay, so after a 4 plus year hiatus, I'm back to cycling and am really enjoying the crap out of it. I've been upgrading a few things and last week made the big leap. I'm upgrading my groupset to '09 SRAM Rival. When I ordered everything, it was my intention to do all the labor myself. Part of the logic being that long term, I'd rather be able to service the wife's and my bikes annually. As the anticipated arrival date of the new components draws nearer, I'm having second thoughts on doing my own wrenching.

I have good mechanical apptitude and think that I'm capable of doing the work but my concern is that it is more complicated than I'm anticipating and I inadvertently cause the ruin of the nice new parts. I realize to learn, everyone has to take a first step, but am I leading myself down a path to ultimate disappointment? I realize that there is a sizable upfront expense in getting the necessary tools, but if I can do most of the annual maintenace on the three bikes in the house, I figure I'm better off in the long term.

Are there any special considerations or tips anyone can offer to make the experience go smoother?

Your helpful input is greatly appreciated.