just curious as to who uses the LBS for their bike maintenance, and why?

My prefference is to do any task myself. I can understand why the LBS charges can seem high at times, but i think part of the enjoyment of owning a bike, is the fettling around with it, to get it running sweet yourself. Plus i think that i do a more thorough job of it.

Anyways, your thoughts?

i tend to take it to urself or taylors!! im crap at it and dont like paying!

DIY unless I’m really stuck.

Which hasn’t happened yet 🙂

Worked in lbs for years, I do it myself, but as I get lazier, getting stuff done is v. attractive.

DIY unless I’m really stuck.

Which hasn’t happened yet

+1 – and unfortunately most of my local ‘buddies’

I started DIY’ing as I wanted to know how the bits worked and to also save money.

Now I enjoy the DIY’ing almost as much as riding…

Brakes and suspension the shop does. I can do most everything else.

99.99% DIY for me although I think it really comes down to how much spare time you have though (I could do with more really)…

My logic is simple I could pay someone to sort my bike, But then the marathon sessions of reality TV I’d have to sit through with the Missus would drive me to murder… Far better to say “I’m not watching this shite! If you need me I’ll be in the Garage”… and spend 3 hours tinkering…

Plus it is generally better to know how your bike actually works, you can’t affect too many trailside repairs with a credit card…

If I went back to owning a full bouncer I’d probably send the Shock to TF or Mojo (Although I’d still be tempted to have a pop at home servicing one maybe) but everything else I know I can do for myself…

LBS Charges are “High” because the poor buggers have to eat and buy tools and pay a Leccy bill, to be honest I can’t see how you could run a bike workshop “On the Cheap”….

eveything cookeaa said. and yep i do the shocks too… (seals and oil swaps)

Most things at home for me. I struggle with suspension though and I tend to leave that and brake bleeds to the professionals.

DIY for almost everything – very occasionally the bike shop for things I can’t do myself like bearing replacement.

The last bike I bought had a free service thrown in but no chance that I’d ever use it because anytime I’ve had a bike back from them (including brand new bikes) they’ve always required susbstantial fettling to get them working properly.

you can’t affect too many trailside repairs with a credit card…

Handy for separating brake calipers though!

As seems to be the general consensus, I do 90% myself, but get spokes replaced/wheels trued and forks/shocks serviced by people who know what they are doing. The former is too fiddly for me to bodge in my usual fashion, and the latter looks like it could end in an expensive mess if I got it wrong.

50-50 for me depending on time and tools.

Just had the shop replace the rear sus bearings as they charged me £10 labour and have all the tools etc to do it properly. Might help that I bought it from them and drop in a lot.

I also work away a lot so while I love tinkering myself, time at home is limited and being able to drop it off and get it a few days later all sorted often works.

Work in a bike shop so DIY but am good friends with the mechanics

DIY apart from BB facing and wheels.

Pretty much all work is done by me, not sure the last time I had anything done by someone else, bit rusty on wheel building though.

All part of the fun!

DIY here…I ride stuff hard and I trust what I ride because I learn’t to build,mend and service it. Wheels are a joy to build and better than watching mind numbing TV with Mrs Stumpy.

I am learning how to do more by myself, bit by bit (or tool by tool).

I do like to tinker and figure out how stuff works; part of that is knowing how to fix/bodge something if it breaks out in wilds.

Also looking to book myself on a course in the new year so I can fettle alongside someone who knows what they’re doing.

I’m picking up my new build today from my LBS, they more or less built it from scratch (through the parts I supplied). Mainly because it was easier and they’d have it ready by the weekend (it needed various parts reaming after a respray).

DIY for me bar suspension service, removing/replacing headset cups and getting very stubborn BBs out!

I know it takes me a lot longer to do stuff but am fairly confident I have done a thorough job. e.g. replacing a caliper the other day, I made sure everything was showroom clean and I did a full bleed…

Mostly DIY for me I don’t have the proper kit to do wheels properly although I did lace the last pair I needed and then sent them to the LBS for trueing. I do forks apart from bushings (so far) but I havn’t needed them done so not bothered looking into it. I will be doing a full oil change on my shock in the next week and maybe messing about with the shims, and after that (hopefully) turns out well I will have a go on a nitrogen charged shock and also reducing the stroke of it so it fits on my Enduro.

Diy everything

DIY except wheelbuilding & truing. Want to learn how to build a wheel, would probably bottle it when riding the bugger though!

DIY everything, but did run an LBS for eight years.

Usually DIY but might be tempted to take the bike to the LBS if the gear cables needed changing 😀

Thanks all. Much as I thought then.
I have not critisized the LBS charges cookeaa .. something you want to tell us though?

It would seem most people who have been riding bikes for awhile, like myself, enjoy the maintenance side of things as much as I do.

Just bought some middleburn gear cable oilers. About to go into garage to fit them … but the snow is slowing my enthusiasm some!

Chris, you just got too much money fella.

DIY mostly – except forks, but I’m wondering how hard they might be…

the marathon sessions of reality TV I’d have to sit through with the Missus would drive me to murder… Far better to say “I’m not watching this shite! If you need me I’ll be in the Garage”… and spend 3 hours tinkering…

+ drinking beer

I have not critisized the LBS charges cookeaa .. something you want to tell us though?

– Eh?… I think I was sort of echoing your initial point, they do seem high (not that I pay them) but I can understand why they are expensive. no criticism of anyone intended.

DIY mostly – except forks, but I’m wondering how hard they might be…

– The answer is not very, depends on the fork but a basic strip, inspect, change of oil and seals (as required) is not rocket science, service manuals are available online…

Clear some work space, have a few containers to collect old fluids, and keep track of small parts, good lighting helps (don’t do it at midnight with a torch clenched inyour teeth in a cluttered garage basically) and simply be methodical, I’m sure 95% of people could service a fork if they really wanted/needed to…

Forks are easy. Its shocks and the nitrogen in them you should worry about. An air can service is easy as is fixing a stuck down shock.

Depends how well seized the BB is.

Curse the longevity of those old square tapers!

Everything except wheel building and truing.
I’m sure I could learn, but they’re cheap enough and it’s such a rare occurrence that it’s easier to just pay someone to do it for me.

Back from the LBS with my new build (and bill). I will definitely stop being lazy in the future! 😯

I do it all myself and for the wife and for friends. Wheel building, seal changes on brakes, suspension. The only think I don’t do is service pressurized shocks, but that’s only because I don’t have access to the nitrogen.

DIY all but shocks but going to have a go as can’t be that hard really.

how does DIY bearing changes on full suss affect warranties though??

70-30 in favour of LBS I’d say. I don’t actuall enjoy fettling at all. On the rare occasions that an attempted fettle succeeds, it’s a great feeling – but if you’re not mechanically minded and don’t have all the gear, it can be quite a hit and miss affair.

I can bodge stuff but it’s bodged, and it takes me ages. I can spend a day off fannying about with my bike trying to fix it, or I can spend a day off riding it, having had it in at my LBS getting fixed through the week.

My current LBS is very reasonable price-wise compared to others I’ve used in the past and their work is generally of a far higher standard than mine’s would be.

There have been quite a few occasions where I’ve started a fettle myself, made a complete James Blunt of it, and had to hand it over to the LBS to do it properly and finish it off, thus costing myself both the time involved and the money.

valleydaddy – Member
DIY all but shocks but going to have a go as can’t be that hard really.

how does DIY bearing changes on full suss affect warranties though??

You should call who ever you bought the frame from and ask them, if you decide to change your own pivot bearings I will show you how to do the job.

Or more accurately you can start up a thread and I will contribute, if you want to that is?

I do most things myself cos it’s a bike and they aren’t that complex really. I can’t build wheels because I don’t have the spare time and I’m not sure if it’s economic (given the amount of wheels I need and the cost of a decent jig) and I get the LBS to face and fit BBs as well cos that takes proper tools that I don’t have

I also have a hard tail so that negates worrying about shocks and pivot points