Noobert: Some people don't understand that the idea here is to freely share knowledge. Most of us do this happily. But there are always a few critters who think the idea of these forums is to pick on new people and cause them to feel bad. These are called - in psychology - 'social-sadists.' Seems the new social-paradigm is to do this. Look at Rush Limbaugh.

So don't worry about buffoons in the forums. Just realize that they speak only for themselves and do not reflect the feelings of the majority here. I think learning bike-mechanics, regardless of motivation, is an excellent pathway of study. You'll find it comes in handy for many other things you'll encounter.