I've been searching online for bike maintenance, but it just so complex and every video and every site seems different. I don't know where to start. Now I do have free tune up for life with my LBS. Do I trust them and how often do I bring it in? Do I bring it in all the time or just every few months? I ride almost every day unless it's raining hard.

See I don't want these little things to add up and start ruining my bike. So far I think the bike is doing good, but you never know. I'm just not the sharpest tool in the shed obviously. So learning is hard.

The best way to learn is hands on, with an experienced person at your side to guide you. Maybe you have a cycling friend who knows his stuff? If not, join a club and find someone.

Also, some bike shops offer mechanical training classes. I know of two near me that do.

Bike Co-ops are a great source for these. Many larger cities have them and even some smaller ones have them, also. Try Googling for your local.

Cheers,

bike performance has spin doctor classes for free on Thursdays. I'd start there.

The best way to learn is hands on,you can ask a more professional cycling friend tune up bike with you.He will teach you effectively.If you don't have a friend like this,maybe you can youtube "how to tune up a bike"
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+tune+up+a+bike
Good luck!!

Up until about 3 years ago I didn't even know how to use barrel adjusters for my brakes or derailleurs. I could oil my chain and pump up my tires and that's it. Now I can take a bike (1990's and earlier - not up on all the more modern electronic shifting, etc) apart and overhaul.

Parktool.com has a fixit section and tells how to do things. Start with something simple like rep,acing a chain or brake pads. Read reputable sources on how to do it, then give it a go. Slowly, as you want to do other things you will look it up or buy a book or check out at your library, and follow the instructions.

Its incredibly rewarding to not have to rely on a bike shop for every little thing.

There's a sub-forum specifically for bicycle mechanics. Why don't you take your trolling there for a while? I'm sure they'd be delighted.

Find an interesting old $100 to $200 bicycle that is past its prime. And, tear it down and build it back up.

Take a class.

An inexpensive used bike is a great place to start, but a full tear down and rebuild might be a bit much for a newbie. That's usually how a garage sale "bike in a box" is born.

Bike co-ops or bike maintenance classes at an LBS are great ideas if they are available in your area. If you are going completely DIY, I highly recommend getting one of the good bike maintenance manuals like Park Tool's Blue Book or Zinn's Art of Bike Maintenance. Park also has a good online blog where you can point at any portion of a bike and get links to articles on maintenance and repair for that part. There are a lot of good maintenance and repair videos on YouTube, watch for the good professional looking ones from Bicycle Magazine or other reputable sources, some of the amateur ones are a bit hinky.

I suggest learning one system at a time, ie, replace your shifter cables and adjust the derailleurs one session, then tackle replacing brake pads and adjusting the brakes another time, on a third evening practice truing the wheels, etc. A set of screwdrivers, a set of metric hex (allen) wrenches, a set of metric combination wrenches or a metric socket set, and a chain breaker will get you started. I found that it was better to buy individual bike specific tools as needed, the pre-made kits often include tools you will rarely if ever use or which may not be correct for your bike. This is another place where bike co-ops shine, you get to use bike specific tools to determine which ones work and you really need, and which ones are used so seldom that it is better to use the co-op or LBS.

Get some class.

Screw up.

Just do it. Get a book like Zinn's or check on line like Park Tool for guidance. You're sure to make some mistakes along the way but, the greater the frustration, the greater sense of accomplishment after you figure it out.

I don't think the OP mentioned what kind of bike he had.

I agree, one can "screw up" a bit as part of learning. But, I'd much rather screw up a $100 bike than screw up a $5000 bike. Plus, I'm more willing to take risks on a cheap bike.

But, yes, just take the plunge. Like going swimming. One never gets in if one thinks the toes are too cold to take another step. Plunge in and start swimming.

I almost got sucked into replying. Thanks. Your post kept me from feeding him and make it worse.

I LOL'd. Thank you, Dreamrider.

I learned by doing. I've done 100% of all my car repair and maintenance for over 15 years now, most of which I learned by watching and helping friends, and the interwebz. Repair manuals have helped, also. I built up a repertoire of tools over the years. Now with cycling, I was no stranger to wrenching but some of the finer aspects of bike "mechanitry" were beyond my knowledge when I first started. So I joined here at BF, read a lot, and asked questions when I couldn't find the answer. BikeForums and YouTube have gotten me through pretty much everything. Co-ops are a great resource also, but unfortunately the Memphis co-op isn't anywhere near or convenient for me. And like my automotive tools, I have built up a decent stable of bike tools as well.

The main thing I still want to learn/try is wheel building.

I found a couple bike repair books at the library. I bought a real nice repair book at half price books. 10 bux

Is there a community cycling non-profit in your city? Often they do things like working on kids bikes for Christmas or maintaining a fleet of bikes for a bike safety unit in schools. No, you don't work on a carbon fiber whatever with luxe components.. but you do some good, and you learn basics.
In Portland there is the Community Cycling Center and North Portland Bikeworks. I don't know the rest of the country, but years ago, Times Up in NYC had something going. look around