Are tuneups worth it?
 

i bought my bike while i was on a consulting gig in San Diego from an independent shop. real good guys. but now i'm back home fulltime in the Bay Area, and am no longer able to get my lifetime free tuneups from them. is it worth paying the $70 to get your bikes tuned up, or can you/should you just do the work yourself? any resources out there on the steps of what you can do to self-service/tune your bike? thanks.

I dont think its worth it, but you have to have the know how and the tools.... Look at parktool.com for good repair/tune up help.

Learn to do the basics it's very simple and you will also enjoy your bike more knowing you have tuned it yourself.

Depends on how good you are with that stuff. I can't get the rear derailleur to tune properly to save my life. And although I *can* replace spokes myself doesn't mean I'm willing to spend the time to do it when the guy at the shop can do it for a fiver in ten minutes.

Most everything else I take care of myself though. I just get a good tune up once a year, and that's good for me.

I do all tune ups myself. It's very therapeutic for me, and the bike.

If you get into this sport, you should know how your equipment works. At least have knowledge enough to get you home in case of a flat, broken chain, etc. However deeper you go will depend on your inclination for such things. It is not rocket science. But do not be fooled by the simplicity either.

70$ thats pretty pricey. For a basic it should be much less. I honestly bring it to my shop. I dont yet know how to do anyof that stuff yet.

Time v.s. Money
How much do you have of each.

It great to have a bike in good working order
It is great to work on your own bike
It is better to ride the bike v.s. working on the bike.

So the question is do you have the $'s or do you have the time.

Joe

I'm 50/50 depending on my schedule. I enjoy doing my own repairs and maintenance but sometimes I'm just too busy or tired so for convenience I go to the LBS. The Bike Gallery in Beaverton is pretty friendly but a little pricey.

If your like me, I'd end up screwing something up and them it would cost me twice as much to get it fixed right. I'd just pay the $70 and have the piece of mind that your bike is tuned up correctly. Besides, what is $70 once a year? $1.35 a week.