Friday, March 19, 2010
52. Bike Mechanic
Never been much of a bike mechanic. A little oil; change/adjust brakes--that's about it. But a couple of days ago my bike fell over and now I can't shift the rear gears. Should I take it to a bike shop and have a tune up that will cost half of the bike's original price? Or do I take up bike repair at this late stage in my life? I'll see what the weather's like tomorrow.
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DIY, brother. You'll save a lot of money in the long run by doing your own maintenance. You should know, however, that some of the more involved projects will require special tools that are not cheap. Bike maintenance is pretty simple to learn, but there are up-front costs for tools (and time learning).
ReplyDeleteFor example, it sounds like you might be looking at a problem with your rear derailleur. If you needed to do serious maintenance on the derailleur (or even replace the derailleur), you'll need some special tools. Assuming you've already got a normal set of wrenches and allen wrenches, at a minimum, you'll also need a chain tool, which can run you anywhere from $10 to $60 depending on what quality you're looking for.
I think I paid about $200 for a basic set of tools from Park Tools and it's served me well. It's had the majority of things I've ever needed.