[CR]was why cranks strip, now DIY vs shop repair.

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 08:47:44 -0800 (PST)
From: "Tom Dalton" <tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com>
To: smwillis@verizon.net
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]was why cranks strip, now DIY vs shop repair.

Steven Willis wrote:

How about another view. I think it is great that you fix your own bike that is how I got started but for every hour you spend fixing your bike that is one less hour riding. Some people around here, given the fast pace of life, would rather have that hour riding not fixing their bike. I have finely given up changing my own oil for that reason. Have fun and keep that Campy peanut butter wrench it still sits in my tool box and yes I have spread peanut butter with it and even stirred my coffee too. Steven

To which I say:

That's all well and good, but where do you draw the line? I can see where a guy who is otherwise capable of building a new bike or a set of wheels might let a shop mechanic do it for him in the interest of time. I can even see bringing a bike to a shop a couple times a year for overhaul, to the extent that you actually overhaul the newer stuff. But beyond this, relying on a shop can take up as much or more time than in saves. If a rider needs to drag his bike to a shop every time it needs a drivetrain cleaning or new handlbbar tape, isn't he spending a lot of time carting the bike around and a lot of time without his bike? Honestly, the newbies who are too busy and too important to work on their own bikes are just being kinda decadent, IMHO. It's as much a matter of preferring to shuttle the ol' C45 atop of the ML 350 to actually touching it, as it is a matter of preferring riding to wrenching. At a minimum, a semi-serious rider needs to be able to fix flats, true wheels, adjust brakes and gears and clean his drivetrain. Either that, or he can just get used to riding on a very expensive bike that operates like a very cheap one, keeping that cell phone handy for roadside pick-ups.

Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA

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