[Closed] I paid the LBS to do work I could do myself and felt good about it

No I'm tight.

Absolutely, not much point going out working to earn money if you then feel guilty about using it to make life a bit better. And if a bit better is getting someone to do a brake bleed then that's just great.

Now come spring I need to take my own advice and get someone to do the garden!

Sometimes it's more satisfying to do a job yourself, but if you have someone you trust to do it right for you then that's great too.
Just depends where you are on the time/money rich/poor scale.

Yep, paid a guy to clear all the leaves from my back garden and take them away last week.

Cost me £30. I got to spend Sunday afternoon with my 7 month old daughter instead 🙂

I'm happy to put the bike in if the job is pain but I reckon I can bleed the back brake quicker than the time it takes me to drive to the LBS and back.

Worth it for me as I've less space / time and more cash than I used to have

One of the most liberating things in life is realising that sometimes it's better to pay someone else to do the job that you know you can do, but don't have time for or just keep putting off for one reason or another.

Time is precious for many of us! If I can pay someone else less money to do a job than I can earn elsewhere, then it's money well spent.

I pay for wheel truing, and gear problems, brake bleeds on these fancy road brakes.

Cost is minimal. 5gbp to true my wheels, 2 to sort out my gear issues.

Really nice guy, decent shop and always calls if things are worse than they looked.

You're not necessarily paying to have the job done, more paying to free up the time.

I'm incredibly lazy, if my lBS could be paid to ride my bike I would probably pay.

With two young kids I'm getting more and more tempted. Still haven't got round to shortening a front brake hose and bleeding both front and rear brakes on my new bike. I know it is an easy job, although Hopes do appear more messy than the norm, and the brakes are fine but I know they would be better if sorted. Time off over Christmas is my only chance and if it doesn't happen then I will be getting the bike shop to sort it as I know that trying to rush it in between putting the kids to bed and making dinner will end up in a disaster.

I'm happy to put the bike in if the job is pain but I reckon I can bleed the back brake quicker than the time it takes me to drive to the LBS and back.

This, all for freeing up time, but two trips to the lbs (assuming they didn't do it whilst you waited) could have got you a ride in.

I just find it more hassle to bring a biek to a shop, leave it there, be without it for a period of time, and then have to go back and collect it.

Struggle to think of a job that isn't quicker at home compared to that.

This, all for freeing up time, but two trips to the lbs (assuming they didn't do it whilst you waited) could have got you a ride in.

Not really. I can take the kids into town and the LBS, but taking the 3 of them for a quick off-road ride isn't an option.

They were talking about this this on a podcast I listen too. The example they gave was mowing your lawn. If you do it yourself and from an accountancy view you have saved money but from an economists view you have missed an opportunity to either make some more money or have some free time.

As I get older I get more at ease with paying someone else to do something I know I'm capable of but I'm just not getting around to. Anyone else feel like that?

Agreed, and I think it depends on where it falls on the combination of capability/difficult/arsedness. There are some things I can do that would be difficult, but I'd get some enjoyment out of, so I'll do them. There are others that would be a piece of pi$$, but I just cannot be arsed so I'll pay someone (see, for instance, decorating).

I've not paid for any work I could do on my bike because nothing takes *that* long on a bike, and I rarely if ever spend more time repairing than I would've taking it to a shop and back (plus I can fix things when it suits me/overnight to keep the commuter on the road etc.).

I've done similar for cars though, sometimes it's not all about the cash. You need time too.

I do seem to put off bleeding brakes for longer than I should for some reason though, considering that it really puts me off to have inconsistent brakes and it doesn't actually take long to do!

I have always done stuff myself, but now there are so many bloody standards, it makes it difficult to have the right tools to do the job. Plus I do not have the time these days to be messing with stuff.

So not long back I took a BB in to get changed, and a wheel trued.

Hated parting with cash for something I could do.

I just find it more hassle to bring a biek to a shop, leave it there, be without it for a period of time, and then have to go back and collect it.

Struggle to think of a job that isn't quicker at home compared to that.

Paying someone to fix your bike does seem to be almost looked down on in here as if you have failed in some way. It's just a different set of priorities.

I've done similar for cars though, sometimes it's not all about the cash. You need time too.

agreed i always call rescue for flats on the car even when it is on the drive. That i feel is a saftey thing as well.

I'm coming around to that way of thinking.

I'm pretty tight, and frankly poor most of the time - but I've found a LBS I'm fairly happy with now and it always comes back perfect rather than my 80% good at best efforts.

philjunior - Member
I do seem to put off bleeding brakes for longer than I should for some reason though, considering that it really puts me off to have inconsistent brakes and it doesn't actually take long to do!

Mine has been getting elastic bands on the levers between rides for around 6 weeks now - gets me through a ride at a time (just)

docgeoffyjones - Member
agreed i always call rescue for flats on the car even when it is on the drive. That i feel is a saftey thing as well.

But it takes more time waiting for the rescue folk to arrive and swap the wheel, then you have to go to the garage to sort the tyre anyway? Or am I missing something?

Not for me. Rightly or wrongly, I don't believe they'll do a better, more conscientious job, so I'm loath to pay for it.

This year I had the realisation that the bike shop could do my bar tape for me and it would actually look neat.

They have way more patience than me.

Yep - the LBS who do my spannering run a maintenance course that I did last year and I can do more stuff myself, but the prospect of a cold night in the garage replacing gear cables and trying to bleed brakes just seemed like more time and effort than I could spare.

He even fitted colour coded cable end jobbies to match the highlights on my frame. 😉 Like he did with my old road bike last year.

I'm happy to pay for quite a lot. It helps that the LBS is basically at the trailhead, and if I leave the bike with them I can take a faster ferry home 🙂

Having just been out at lunch to pick the car up from having some winter tyres fitted, another reason for getting the LBS doing these jobs occurred to me. Change.

Days vanish in a blur of work and being a Dad, so just taking 30 minutes to nip to the LBS with some work for them and a quick chat is a very welcome change to the Monday to Friday routine.

Onzadog - Member
Not for me. Rightly or wrongly, I don't believe they'll do a better, more conscientious job, so I'm loath to pay for it.

This kind of contributes to my doing everything myself too. And if I do bodge it, I know what the bodge is for next time it needs a proper repair.

Depends on time and tools. Taking the bike to a decent LBS takes me an hour after parking and driving home. Then another hour to pick up another day or later that day. So if it's less than a 2 hour job I'll do it myself. Some tools I don't Hove though so I don't have a choice there.

I tend to bodge everything from bike repairs to fairly major home repairs because I'm time rich and cash strapped.

As a result, everything [i]sort of[/i] works but nothing is perfect. Had I the cash to pay someone to do all these things properly, I'd happily shell out. So I say, go for it and bask in guilt free braking brilliance.

But it takes more time waiting for the rescue folk to arrive and swap the wheel, then you have to go to the garage to sort the tyre anyway? Or am I missing something?

I don't see what the time saving is in doing it myself. Last few times it has been sat on the drive when i found the flat so the wait is not a issue. If I was on the road side i would not even consider doing it myself anyway just wait for rescue we have young kids so are considered a priority.

Interesting comments about calling the breakdown services to replace a tyre. I'm more than happy to swap tyres on a car and - in theory - it means I'm back on the road quicker than waiting to be "rescued". Unfortunately the last two times I've had flats (1) the locking wheel nut adaptor was missing and (2) the wheel was seized on. Both times I therefore needed to call the services. It took some fairly serious and brutal hammering in both instances to get the wheel off.

docgeoffyjones - Member
I don't see what the time saving is in doing it myself. Last few times it has been sat on the drive when i found the flat so the wait is not a issue. If I was on the road side i would not even consider doing it myself anyway just wait for rescue we have young kids so are considered a priority.

The wait is an issue if you'd rather be doing something else (which seems to be the main point in the thread). At the side of the road I'd rather be on my way within a few minutes than hanging around the roadside waiting.

Each to their own

mikewsmith - Member

Paying someone to fix your bike does seem to be almost looked down on in here as if you have failed in some way. It's just a different set of priorities.

Yeah, can certainly understand the different priorities thing, and there's no way I'd look down on someone for it.

Just for me, it's rarely a quicker option, I (for the most part) find the tinkering a relaxing and enjoyable thing to do, and being the fussy git that I can be, I hate the idea of other people doing somethign differently to how I do it.

At the side of the road I'd rather be on my way within a few minutes than hanging around the roadside waiting.

I would rather wait for a little bit longer than be messing about with jacks and wrenches on the road side.

I thought the point of the thread was identifying things you can do but would rather pay someone else to do.

Like I said before the last few times this has happened to me I have been at home so it makes sense to have someone do it for me whilst i get on with other stuff.

I thought the point of the thread was identifying things you can do but would rather pay someone else to do.

I started the thread. Not sure I had a point 😆

In the context of "what would I rather be doing instead?" it is about what you'd rather pay someone to do than do yourself. I suspect some would rather not be sat at the side of the road waiting for the AA when they can get on their way quicker by doing it themselves.

I used to love being in the shed tinkering with my bike. Now my time is much more precious to me, I'd rather be riding my bike of an evening than spannering with it.

Only things I pay for bike-wise are suspension servicing and wheel truing as I'm not yet totally confident in my own ability to do either properly.

Could quite easily pay for other stuff to be done, but for me the tinkering is a big part of cycling, and it's something I really enjoy.

Drop bike off on easy to work pick up evening, no riding time list

I've never paid anyone to do any work on a bike for me, nor for that matter on trials and enduro m/cycles when I had those.
But then I enjoy doing it anyway.

Never feel bad about paying someone for work you cant, or don't want to do yourself.

It's your money, spending it how you wish.

As I've got older, there's more I can do, but there's a lot I just can't be bothered to do. I'll quite happily work on my motorbikes, but the car just goes to the garage. I might work on it in the summer, but who wants to save a few quid changing brake pads on a cold winter's Saturday morning. Not me!

I recently picked up an alpine five after looking for one for ages, the paint work was shocking but the frame was in great condition, after speaking to the Lbs about the costs of stripping it and rebuilding it Inc brake bleeds and swing arm faffery with bearings and cables I was stunned

So I stopped it over 3 days got the frame sent off re sprayed and built the bike back up over a week Inc all the rubbish faffy bits.

Saved over 200 quid and totally enjoyed every bit of it.

As for the garden.. Sod that someone else can do that

there are only 3 people i trust to work on my bike.

any time ive let someone other than those 3 people try ive been let down badly.

I received a new built bike from an independant shop earlier this year - was sounding them out for repairs. I wasnt impressed simple things like bar clamps closed up on one side , The hubs were over tightened by a long shot almost indexed - not a drop of grease or antisieze on the whole bike - not the seat posts not the QR Skewers etc.

I also paid 140 quid for the guy who mots my car to wire a button into my horn so it would pass mot . i was in a bind he was helping me out to an extent

when i got it back i found twisted wire pairs in insulating tape - not even a scotchblock or crimps (which had i found id have removed and soldered it as due course anyway)

Great if you have found someone you can trust , I've yet to find those people where i live now.

yes i'm a nightmare customer 😉

When we moved to our last house which had a MASSIVE garden, I realised a life long ambition and bought a ride on mower. It used to take about 2 hours to mow the lawn and in summer it needed doing weekly ideally. Did it religiously for 2 years, often with a child on my lap before someone pointed out that for the price of the mower I could pay someone to come and do it for the next few years and spend the same time with my kids doing something more fun! I work far too hard to spend my precious spare time doing jobs someone else can do and now happily pay for lots of things to be done by others. The gardeners get nice stripes on the lawn too which was never possible with my ride on, so every time I look at the lawn I am reminded that I made a good decision one day!

Happy to spend money with my LBS for the same reason. I love to tinker and took great pride in building up most of my Hightower build myself, but didn't think twice about taking it to them to finish off the tricky bits like chopping down the steerer and carbon bars.

On the flip side, I once spent £150 at a different LBS getting my bike serviced and felt thoroughly fleeced as they fitted a cassette badly with one small cog the wrong way round with a spacer, so I ended up fixing it myself at 6am before driving to an uplift day. There is nothing worse than paying someone to do something you can do yourself and they make a mess of it.

With the exception of press fit bearings and wheel truing carbon bling after (another) race crash, I do all the bike work myself.

With the exception of putting out the bird seed and jetwashing the decking, I have a gardener who makes our garden look fantastic. Worth every penny for the 50 hrs/year I don't have to tend the place. "We only have a garden because it came with the house". Actually Mrs tired takes the Victorian head gardener role for our Victorian house.