[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I started to learn how to do some basic maintenance on my bikes. I already knew how to do some easy stuff, like change a tire, clean the bike, clean and oil the chain (without taking things off), etc. I bought some tools and a book, and watched a bunch of YouTube videos. My goal was to replace two chains and remove and clean two rear cassettes. Everything took so much longer than I saw on the videos, and it wasn't done as well. The good news was that it got a little easier the second time. I feel confident that it will go smoothly the next time I do it.

The funny part is that after I "fixed" both bikes, I took them into the bike shops for repairs. I don't know how to fix disc brakes, so I'm getting one bike done there. The other bike had a gear cable snap, coincidentally when I was working on the chain, so that needed repairs. I get why people just take these things in and pick them up later.

I used to be really afraid of working on anything on my bike, but I did like you and watched some youtube videos and worked on some small things.

I actually wound up taking the bike maintenance course at UofC and it was a great course. Once you've done most of the basic tune up stuff, you'd be surprised how simple it is.

The Pros are obviously a lot quicker, and probably do a better job, but learning how to do all of that stuff is fun, cheap, and you can do damn near as good of a job as the pros.