Nerull

I never understand this attitude coming from people who are busy pissing away time on forums.

brianbeech

They're probably "pissing away time on forums" while at work. That would be my guess.

noise boy

Uhh, 3 NM (the bottom of the shimano units range) is 26.5 in/lbs. The microtorque wrench (first link) is 25-250in/lbs. In other words, they are identical in spec. If you only looked at the second wrench, that is in ft/lbs which is good for crank bolts and the like.

noise boy

I've never seen an in-lbs beam type torque wrench, it is such a small unit that most beams won't go that low. As long as you reset the clicker type wrench to zero when you store it, it shouldn't need to be re-calibrated more than once every few years if that often.

CHAS

Have had lousy work done by too many bike mechanics. I do my own or check what was done very carefully.

popeye

I have had many more instances of dangerous maintenance from the LBS than myself.

ciocc_cat

I can't think of any reasons, but then again I was a shop mechanic in the mid-to-late 1970s. Frankly, I wouldn't trust anyone who didn't have some gray hair and ride a bike with a lightweight steel frame to wrench on my beloved Ciocc.

vtc12ip

I do most of the cleaning, lubing, and hunting squeaks and such, but I like the idea of having a LBS in town. And if I don't support him...

hhnngg1

I'm not klutzy, but I have to say that wrenching my own stuff takes me 5x as long (if not more) than the LBS.

Sure, it's a "learning experience", but it definitely isn't worth it to me for a time/money standpoint. That said, I keep doing my own service, praying I'll get better at it. (Nothing complicated - brakes, cables, etc.)

I just don't get the chance to do it enough. I'll change my brakes, maybe 2x / year? Bottom bracket - ever? Even chains - probably 2-3x/year and cassette with it. At that rate, you NEVER get good at anything. You kind of fudge through it every time, and hope for the best.

Seriously, it took me an HOUR to replace my brakes to my satisfaction last month, and that was with excellent videos online telling me exactly what to do. Trouble is, one thing goes wrong, leads to another, and then it gets complicated fast. In retrospect, $15 to the LBS would have been well worth it, especiallygiven that I have no faith in my ability to correctly install them so they're well toed and aligned again.

Nerull

So it took you an hour to install brakes. How long would it have taken you to drive to the LBS, drop of the bike, drive home, drive back to the LBS, pick up the bike, and drive home again? There is more time involved than just what it takes someone to install a part.

hhnngg1

I used that reasoning originally to justify doing the repair/replacement myself.

Turns out I would have saved a LOT more time (and mental worrying afterwards) by just paying the LBS $150 for a top-to-bottom pro rebuid/clean of ALL parts (chain, BB, brakes, derailleur adjustment, solvent tank for all greased parts) at the start of the season considering how infrequently I do this sort of stuff. In fact, I've put off some things longer than I should have because it's so painful for me to do it myself.

If I had to do things more than 4x/year, it would be worth it financiallly and timewise for me to do it myself, but in retrospect, I would have been fine and possibly better off just paying someone to do the overhaul once or twice a year - far better than I've ever done it myself piecemeal.

I'm still praying that my time investment in basic wrenching will pay off, but it's looking to me that it won't until a few years more or unless I opt to build up a bike from scratch, which with my work/family schedule, doesn't look like it's happening any time for the next 5+ years.

aham23

because PSIMET does it and does it better than i evar could. later.

Daytrip

I want to echo the sentiments expressed about safety. At 45 mph, I like to know, with some certainty, that everything's been done right. The only way to know that is to do it myself. The end.

rkelley23

I have just been described quite well.

djohannsen

Time... I am already way too busy and have to work too hard to find time in the saddle. If I attempt a repair myself, it can take me forever (since I don't know what I am doing). A recent stem and bar swap took me far too long to do (a couple of times I had mounted everything, only to find that I still didn't have the cable routing correct). I shudder to think how long it would take me to fiddle with something like derailuer adjustments and to get things working correctly. Also, I have a local shop whose mechanic does absolutely top-notch work. If I swing by on a weekday evening, he will often do whatever is needed while I wait. So, I spend far more time on my bike, by leaving the work to someone who knows what he's doing.


Dave

davids0507

I'm trying to learn, but I'm afraid of overtightening things on my newer bike and don't have a torque wrench. I'm also very bad at truing wheels, and I'll get better, but to do it well really is an art form that I don't have as much patience to perfect as I should.

Daytrip

I don't think truing wheels is in the same category as most other bike repairs and maintenance. Not being able to true a wheel (I can't) doesn't disqualify you in any way from doing just about everything else. There are some things best left to the pros, and in my book, wheel work (on expensive wheels) is one of them. Fitting is another.

roadwarrior

No time. A very good friend of mine is a former pro wrench and can use extra cash and so he's my mechanic.

7bmwm3gtr

I don't know how.

Paul Y.

I know my limitations. It's not much, but I enjoy watching
the guys working on my bike.

petiegolfer

I think it comes down to the being able to do it gene...I have friends who look like they are going to hurt themselves with anything they have in their hands.

I went to college with a guy who was on the genious level...scary bright...couldnt do anything practical to save his life he actually commented once that he wished he had an ounce of the practical ability I had.

Doing stuff well with your hands is a gift..often something that is looked down on by people who cant. I had a neighbour who fitted kitchens, he was/is SKILLED and a great problem solver.

Everybody has spare time, unless you earn stupid amounts of money it is often a money saver to do things your self. The difference between a pro and an ameteur is the time it takes and the cheaty techniques learnt and picked up after time doing something.

A quick look on a forum a bit of courage and I think people would be surprised at what they could do....but if you are totally clueless (and you know who you are) get someone else to do it.

I drive a desk for a living but... I landscape gardens, build decks, fit kitchens and bathrooms alter stud work, put up stud work, fit windows, make all sorts of stuff, do lots on the cars because it saves me a sh1t load of money and because I can..and I enjoy it.

Wrenching on a bike is not difficult there is plenty of info out there to help you. Turn the TV off get down in the garage put the radio on and spend an evening dicking around with the bike...be one with your machine!!

Piers

Campag4life

Time is a big factor...some don't have or take the time. Some have a lot of money and can afford to just drop their bike off and have it tuned or repaired. For some like me, I really like working on my bikes and building them from scratch. Judging by all the crappy work coming out of bike shops, I prefer to do it myself anyway. But...setting up a bike real well...I mean finely tuned is a developed skill. Most can't set up derailleurs properly or even get the head set right.
But if you are a gearhead, then tuning a bicycle if you take the time to learn, buy a stand and get some basic tools, it rewarding and will save you a ton of money and the trouble of dropping the bike off and having it repaired on their schedule.
Pros and cons like anything.

Campag4life

Truing wheels isn't hard at all. Building wheels takes skill however...perhaps the most daunting of all bicycle related mechanics.
If your wheels go out of true often however, likely you have poorly built wheels. They don't have to be custom built wheels either to stay in true...I have good luck with production machine built wheels.

CCrew

If you're not doing MindStorms you're not doing it right . I'm a computer geek, those things ROCK!

As to working on your own bikes, I think some people have it and some people don't. I do all my own, but my brother who's an MD and PhD couldn't change a flat tire if his life depended on it.

siberian

Nowadays with resources such as youtube, you can pretty much find a video on how to fix just about any part of your bike. I myself just got back into road cycling a year ago after about a 20 year break, and had to re-learn all of the new technology from where I left off years ago. I picked up a couple books on bike repairs, watched some videos on specific things on youtube, and asked some questions at my LBS. I slowly invested in some basic tools, such as a bike repair stand, cassette removal tool, bb removal tool, cable cutters, pedal wrench, torque wrench, hex bits, chain tool, etc... and recently tore down my entire bike and rebuilt it with a complete new group set. I have always been very highly mechanically inclined so it wasn't a big deal for me... but it is very rewarding to be able to do your own repairs.