After a few comments, a couple topics of bike shop let downs, I figured it would be nice to see who else wrenches their own bikes here.
Cycling consistently for 23 years, multiple bicycles and about 150,000 miles on the bike, I've learned to wrench my own bikes. Why? Too much wasted money and time as mentioned in other threads. I encourage everyone to give it a try. As they say, it's not rocket science. I've wasted money on shop labor, wasted money labor charges for wheel builds. In all fairness, I am a 220 lb Clydesdale climbing rides of 10,000 ft gain, 12,000 ft gain max on timed events and many many 5,000-7,000 ft gain training rides. So I've been known to tear up rear wheels.
I have paid $100 labor for one high end shop to build a wheel that did not last the first 40 mile ride. I took the wheel back being able to squeeze the spokes nearly touching one another only to have the wheel builder tell me to put 200 miles on the wheel then he would true it. ARE YOU KIDDING!!!! I'm guessing the guy had no concept of tension and some weird reason, though he was a wheel builder. I took the same wheel, same components, stripped it down totally apart after reading Sheldon Brown wheelbuilding instructions.
That same wheel, same components, after I built it correctly, lasted 20,000 miles and the only reason I retired the rim was because the brake surface wore thin. Still true, but a danger with a thin wall, not taking risks.
I then went back to a set of wheels I had hanging in a closet for 7 years. 28 rear, 24 front Mavic cxp33 rims (30 mm deep) that a shop told me that at 220, I was too heavy to ride. I had taken the wheels back 3 times after the new bike purchase and they could not keep them true for more than 100 miles.
So, my other wheel was a success so I stripped the hubs. I bought new spokes and built these wheels. Holy cow! I had 14,000 miles on them with no issues. FTR, I check and adjust the tension after the first 200 miles and true if needed. Maybe a hair but not much at this point. Both sets of wheels I have built at this point needed one small minor true at 12,000 miles. THIS WAS ON WHEELS THAT THE BIKE SHOP PROS said I was too heavy to ride.
Lesson learned. Wheel build is about quality and attention to details. Not many bike shop mechanics know squat about wheels. Most turn the nips with a spoke wrench till it's true then think they have done a good job. Not true, many of the free tuneups and wheel adjustments I have had done at the shop result in broken spokes because the guys bind the spokes and again, many don't know squat about what makes a good wheel. FTR, I make a black dot on my spokes while building so I can see if a spoke starts to bind. I've never seen a shop guy mark my spokes while making an adjustment.
So, wheelbuilding has been the number one benefit since I started cycling.
Also, I could purchase a front and rear 10 speed Ultegra hub set online for $124 delivered. At the local shop, the rear was $150 alone.
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$60 online ($85 in the shop), I chose online for the rim purchase. Another $20 for spokes. Total price of wheel about $160 and good for another 20,000 miles!
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I also did everything possible to make the wheel perfect. Even as Sheldon Brown suggested, trailing spokes on the inside of the drive side hub flange to support the spoke stress and keeping the derailleur from diving into the spokes.
I saw a set of wheels a builder assembled at a local shop. I mentioned that I myself build the trailing spokes inside the hub flange. He said, "what? Wait What? What are you talking about??". To think this was one of the guys who I previously paid $100 to build a wheel for me. Now I know why it sucked!
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I started by making minor adjustments, then sparked my interest. Why was the shop telling me that I needed expert service, and if so, why do my bikes keep crapping out on me? I looked online and figured things out for myself. Since then, I hate taking my bikes to the shop. If you want something done right, do it yourself!
Not to say there aren't some mechanics that know what they are doing, but honestly, none give my bikes the TLC I put into my own. Heck, I have had the number one wheel builder in the area promise to have a wheel built for me as I left the components 4 days earlier. I showed up after 5 PM on the day the wheel was promised. Only to find he was out, then ran in eating a big burrito and it was then he sat down to build my wheel. Expert friendly service.
Then I had a frame crack on me. The component swap via warranty cost me $75. Not bad for the time. The assistant manager did the swap for me. He said my 105 front derailleur was not working properly so he sold me a new 105 front der.
Looked beautiful when I picked it up, pleasing to the eye! But upon the first ride, the front der was not shifting properly. New cables, new front der, WTH!!!!
When I got home I looked at the bike and turns out, the dude installed a crimped cable. Turns out it wasn't my der, it was the fact he installed a crimped cable hidden by the insulation. I went and got my money back, his incompetence!
Then on a second ride, there was a snapping in the headset. I had never messed with the headset before but it was very annoying. I took it apart and looked for a couple of minutes to figure it out. OKAY!!! The bearing race was upside down. I had never seen the inside before but common sense says bearings don't roll on the concave side of the bearing race. I flipped it and the noise was gone!
Wow! This was the assistant manager and head mechanic!
Sadly, that frame cracked after 13,000 miles and again Trek investigated and replaced the frame free of charge.
At this point, a different shop wanted $210 for the component swap. ARE YOU KIDDING??? Shop guy says, but it's expert service and all the little hardware I would need. Yeah, like the last shop. I told him the story, then he asked about my mechanical ability. I told him I had already built my other bike and that I had about 10 wheels under my belt. He said if I could build a wheel, I would have no problem with the bike.
I had to strip down the old bike and bring in the cracked frame. It took me 30 minutes to strip the frame slowly taking note of what things looked like as I tore them down. I took the frame in, made the switch then went home to build it up. It took me about an hour to build it up.
And I must say, it is a much better build than the last one I paid for by the experts. No issues, no noisy headsets. All lubed, moving parts and bolts and as smooth as can be!
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I had already did a component swap so it was fairly easy. I actually convinced myself to give it a try when I was stiffed by a shop manager. The Ultegra on my Cannondale had crashed out so I was going to upgrade a few things to Dura Ace. It was going to cost me $650 at the time. I asked him to make an appointment for me to come in and do the swap. He set the appointment, only problem was he did not show and failed to inform me. Then had some shop dope try to help me out.
NO! I had an appointment with the dude and he shafted me, screw you guys!
I ended up going to a local sale, found DA components at great prices. Like a rear DA derailleur for $64 no tax. I bought 2 and still have one sitting in my tool box. Brifters $199. I ended up getting everything I wanted, including the tools to do the work for $350.
Wow, it was so easy and I didn't have to hassle with shop workers standing me up. Biggest thing I learned is that if you want something done right, do it yourself!
Now I have built 3 of our bikes, built tandem wheels and about 10 other wheels for our roadies.
AND I save a lot of money and the stress the expert service at the local shop puts on us poor customers.
So, how many of you have had similar experiences that convinced you to give it a try
