The joy of wrenching.

[rousseau]

On your own bikes. If you have the time. To me it adds immeasurably to the cycling experience.

I feel a pleasurable flush of satisfaction from a drivetrain clean and lube job, but what really gets my cranks spinning is a partial or complete strip down and buildup of a bike. Seems like I get the itch for this at least once a year. I'll get some new shifters, or I'll even build up a frame I've had sitting there for a while with accumulated components. It's fun.

I just recently got some groovy second generation Record shifters by mail thanks to a fellow Paceliner, and I've been savouring every moment of the replacement process. It started with weighing the components in my hands and playing with the controls. The mechanical potential of these beautifully crafted items (arguably the nicest-looking of the Record generations, no?) is tantalizing. If you really like watching James May reassemble things, then you know what I mean.

I then fussed over their placement on the handlebar, to the point where I removed my bike from the repair stand and stood over it while fine-tuning the physical position of the shifters so that they were just right. And then, well, this may sound odd or maybe a bit obsessive, but I don't think so...I installed the two brake cables and left the bike to sit there overnight.

For two reasons: I wanted to extend the enjoyment into today, but I also like seeing the handlebar in its stripped-down condition. Why? I think there's a sense of poignancy and anticipation when a machine is in an unusable state of limbo. Like cars with the engines removed. Or the build-up to a vacation. Who said that the best part of a vacation is the day or two before you leave?

So I finished the installation just now. The bike is ready to go, save for the last fine-tuning of the drivetrain that will happen on a test ride. I'll be on the bike tonight for the inaugural ride with the new shifters, and the fact that I did all of the work myself will be part of the thrill.

In short: it seems like there's something primal about the satisfaction gained in tinkering with things.

[Tickdoc]

On your own bikes. If you have the time. To me it adds immeasurably to the cycling experience.

I feel a pleasurable flush of satisfaction from a drivetrain clean and lube job, but what really gets my cranks spinning is a partial or complete strip down and buildup of a bike. Seems like I get the itch for this at least once a year. I'll get some new shifters, or I'll even build up a frame I've had sitting there for a while with accumulated components. It's fun.

I just recently got some groovy second generation Record shifters by mail thanks to a fellow Paceliner, and I've been savouring every moment of the replacement process. It started with weighing the components in my hands and playing with the controls. The mechanical potential of these beautifully crafted items (arguably the nicest-looking of the Record generations, no?) is tantalizing. If you really like watching James May reassemble things, then you know what I mean.

I then fussed over their placement on the handlebar, to the point where I removed my bike from the repair stand and stood over it while fine-tuning the physical position of the shifters so that they were just right. And then, well, this may sound odd or maybe a bit obsessive, but I don't think so...I installed the two brake cables and left the bike to sit there overnight.

For two reasons: I wanted to extend the enjoyment into today, but I also like seeing the handlebar in its stripped-down condition. Why? I think there's a sense of poignancy and anticipation when a machine is in an unusable state of limbo. Like cars with the engines removed. Or the build-up to a vacation. Who said that the best part of a vacation is the day or two before you leave?

So I finished the installation just now. The bike is ready to go, save for the last fine-tuning of the drivetrain that will happen on a test ride. I'll be on the bike tonight for the inaugural ride with the new shifters, and the fact that I did all of the work myself will be part of the thrill.

In short: it seems like there's something primal about the satisfaction gained in tinkering with things.


This post is useless without pics :~P

I agree with everything you said, but I still have this fear of getting in over my head and having to crawl back to the bike shop to have them fix my mistakes.

[sun]

I completely agree. I also feel like I get in the zone mentally.

[Dead Man]

I get exactly zero satisfaction or enjoyment from working on my bike... just another mindless, tedious task that takes away from time doing things I'd rather be doing.

I only do it because of the continual required maintenance on a bicycle and impracticality of having to take it to someone else to do all that, cost, and pride- I'd feel like a lop if I ever had to take my bike to someone else to fix it for me.

Oddly enough, I have no problem taking my motorvehicles in to mechanics. Probably because of how infrequently they require repair and maintenance, and the fact that motorvehicle repairs suck way more ass than bike repairs. Suck outweighs pride on that one.

Although... I guess it also depends on the time of year and how busy I am otherwise. I can recall a few spring tubular gluing sessions that were semi-enjoyable. Garage full of VOC vapors, tasty beer, good music playing in the background, fine cotton tires going on perfectly.. that can be kind of satisfying, if not exactly "fun."

[thwart]

Oh, yeah.

A part of the enjoyment of a ride (for me) is the pleasure of using a well-tuned tool.

Sure, it's mostly the endorphins, but this part is important as well.

[seric]

I fall into the camp that dislikes working on my bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles. If it's a new task, I usually force myself to do it once as a learning experience. If it's something I already know how to do, I weigh the opportunity cost of doing it myself and then decide rather or not to pay someone else to deal with it.

I do enjoy other hands on activities such as jewelry fabrication/casting, building movement systems for optics used in photography, and lock picking. Wrenching on vehicles just doesn't make the cut. Probably due to frustrations in the other hands on activities I enjoy lending themselves to pivoting towards different solutions or discoveries more readily.

[KJMUNC]

I enjoy wrenching, to a point. Over the years I've learned the limits of my patience and knowledge. There are some things that I just have no desire to learn (wheel building), even though I think it's interesting and a good still to have....just can't get myself interested.

I wish I'd have taken much more hands-on trade classes when I was growing up. I took a couple auto shop classes in high school and loved it, but had to give up the time to things like AP classes in subjects that have zero relevance to my daily life.

The practical skills you get from knowing how to work on a car, build something from scratch, or just develop a craft is something too many people have overlooked in favor of earning useless degrees from universities and taking on tons of student debt.

Sorry.....rant over. I like to work on my bike too. :beer:

[gdw]

Having to maintain the A Unit's bikes as well as many of those belonging to her friends has killed off any joy that I might have derived from wrenching.

[Dead Man]

Let's put the question into some context...

OP, and anyone else who likes working on their bike...... what do you do for a living, and how much "free" time do you have in your life?

I strongly suspect very busy people as well as people who work with their hands already will tend to not particularly enjoy working on their bikes. Folks who have to be deliberate about finding ways to occupy their free time, or for which "working with your hands" involves pen or keyboard.... getting out the hand tools and doing something immediately physical and tangible is a rare novel treat.

[rousseau]

I wish I'd have taken much more hands-on trade classes when I was growing up. I took a couple auto shop classes in high school and loved it, but had to give up the time to things like AP classes in subjects that have zero relevance to my daily life.
Me too. All of the "intellectual" stuff I learned and still use in my career I gained on my own time away from the teachers and professors in the classrooms. I'm a total autodidact, and in retrospect I wish I'd gotten full-on training in some kind of trade.

Because working on my bikes is the absolute limit of my mechanical skills, and even then, I can only do road bikes with Campy components. Throw a Shimano-equipped bike or a cantilever brake at me and I'm lost. I did house-framing for a year or two back in my early twenties, but any conceptual skills I may have gained from that are long gone.

This is probably why I romanticize the bike wrenching so much.

Edit: post above me explains exactly what I was thinking.

[radsmd]

I see it both ways, depending on the task at hand.

Really enjoy working on the bike or car if i am building it up or getting it ready for an event, such as putting on different wheels or swapping out a fork or cassette. Even swapping out bar tape to a different color. Similarly, I don't mind putting on the race pads on the car and track tires if I'm getting ready for a weekend at the track. It is all part of the journey culminating in an actual event.

However, I hate doing the mundane maintenance items, such as changing the oil on the car, or cleaning and lubing the chain. That is just stuff that needs to get done that nobody else is willing to do and I'm not willing to take it to the shop for.

[Llewellyn]

I enjoy wrenching, to a point. Over the years I've learned the limits of my patience and knowledge. There are some things that I just have no desire to learn (wheel building), even though I think it's interesting and a good still to have....just can't get myself interested.



This is me to a T. I get some satisfaction out of doing something that I never thought I'd be able to do, but I don't get a real buzz out of it. There is some satisfaction in knowing that I don't have to deal with the hassle of taking the bike to a shop.

[rustychisel]

I wouldn't read too much into it, as it happens, but then again the OP is Rousseau, so there's probably some kind of 'sweat of the brow' righteousness going on. Or not. :hello:

Me, I'm a tool, but an intellectual one. Oh, and I've worked on my own bikes since age 5 when my dad found me reversing the handlebars on my first 20inch singlespeed. Driving and replacing cotter pins took a little longer, so I guess I was about 10 or 11 before I managed to botch that job*.

I like working on bikes. I like working on my bikes. I like knowing every single component and fastener was worked by me, and along the way I've discovered I can identify and diagnose issues immediately. If something on my bike goes 'kerplunk' mid-ride I instantly know what it is and how serious a problem it is.

Also, apologies, but I rather dislike the term 'wrenching', a peculiar Americanism, since it sounds coarse and agricultural to me.


* Cotter pins. A world of pain, loathing, and filing and hammering. If you have to ask you're too young.

[gngroup]

On your own bikes. If you have the time. To me it adds immeasurably to the cycling experience . . .

In short: it seems like there's something primal about the satisfaction gained in tinkering with things.

I agree 100%.

I build up and tear down multiple bikes per year. Some to clean. Some to service. Some partial. Some full. Some I keep. Some I sell.

I can go down to the garage and start fiddling and get so engrossed that I completely forget about everything else - which is a huge stress reliever for me. Almost like meditation; the mind is blank for that period of time. I also derive great pleasure from seeing the finished product and reveling in all the attention to detail that I am able to give (and that most mechanics just wouldn't bother with).

In the end, it's all about riding but I definitely get a huge amount of joy out of the 'wrenching' process itself.

The only thing I don't do yet is building wheels. Maybe next year . . .

Great thread!

[adub]

I scored a deal on a frame, bought parts over a few months, di2 hydro, and did the build myself (with exception of the wheels, had a great local shop do that). Very satisfying and not not as difficult as I originally thought it would be.

[Tickdoc]

I work with my hands for a living, and am mechanically inclined....to a point. I am also keenly aware of my lack of proper training when it comes to maintenance, so that prevents me from diving in too deep....sometimes.

Bartape change? No prob.

Tubular gluing? Got it.

Bottom bracket swap? No prob

Hub/bearing maintenance? No prob, so long as it doesn't need to be chased/faced.

My deficicncies are in derailleur adjustment/settup, cable install, crown race/headset seats, and wheel building....and any of the number of install/repair tasks that require expensive tooling, which I don't have.

Would love to spend more time in a shop or even take. A class to learn more

[rousseau]

This post is useless without pics :~P

No pics of the shifter replacement I just did, but here's the frame when I first got it two years ago:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j209/rousseau1901/2004_bianchi-ml3_2015-02-23_zpsahcwnoy6.jpg~original

And here's how the bike looked after building it up.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j209/rousseau1901/2004_bianchi-ml3_2015-03-06_01_zpsr7pkf78i.jpg~original

And yes, if you're wondering, I did build those wheels myself. I've built about a half-dozen wheelsets since downloading the online instruction manual by Roger Musson. I really do enjoy it, but these days I find I really like the look and feel of Campy wheelsets, so I my hands-on wheel activities are limited to the odd truing operation or maybe replacing a spoke here and there.

[SleepyCyclist]

OP - I couldn't agree more.

Time wise - between work, family, etc - it gets done in increments. But I'm ok with that. There's an enjoyment in taking your time.

M

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161130/29a4cd5d13d0ee481ceb434d2a57b049.jpg

[rousseau]

Tubular gluing? Got it.
Funny, I tried tubulars once and simply could not get them on right. No matter what I did the ride felt lumpy and bumpy. I gave up and went back to clinchers.


My deficicncies are in derailleur adjustment/settup, cable install, crown race/headset seats, and wheel building....and any of the number of install/repair tasks that require expensive tooling, which I don't have.

Would love to spend more time in a shop or even take. A class to learn more
I love having the tools for the job. Even the proprietary ones limited to one particular model. I've built up a small war chest over the years. Those $80 Campy tools that make you grit your teeth at the expense? Well, I've used them once or twice a year, so why not have them, I figure?

It's nice having them, they're the right ones for the job, and this is for the hobby that keeps me healthy by keeping me off the couch. That last justification is the one that works with the wife!

[Tickdoc]

No pics of the shifter replacement I just did, but here's the frame when I first got it two years ago:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j209/rousseau1901/2004_bianchi-ml3_2015-02-23_zpsahcwnoy6.jpg~original

And here's how the bike looked after building it up.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j209/rousseau1901/2004_bianchi-ml3_2015-03-06_01_zpsr7pkf78i.jpg~original

And yes, if you're wondering, I did build those wheels myself. I've built about a half-dozen wheelsets since downloading the online instruction manual by Roger Musson. I really do enjoy it, but these days I find I really like the look and feel of Campy wheelsets, so I my hands-on wheel activities are limited to the odd truing operation or maybe replacing a spoke here and there.

Nice! Thanks for the pics and the post. Nice use of white there too, btw.

[Ronsonic]

I prefer to do my own work and enjoy it. I'm a tech by trade so none of this is outside my abilities or understanding. BUT ....

I recently brought my used UT CT Crank, new bearings and bits into the LBS. After evaluating the learning curve and toolbox for a job I might do once or twice more in my life ....

[OtayBW]

I strongly suspect very busy people as well as people who work with their hands already will tend to not particularly enjoy working on their bikes.This, to me, sounds like saying that people who eat food shouldn't enjoy working in a garden. It depends....

Part of the enjoyment of riding for me is zoning out; getting out of my skin for lack of a better description. I maintain my bikes to be clean, efficient, and silent. The end-goal is not the maintenance itself, but maintenance in service of the ride.

[GParkes]

Having to maintain the A Unit's bikes as well as many of those belonging to her friends has killed off any joy that I might have derived from wrenching.

Years ago I would have to maintain my bikes, my wife's and my son's (he was early-mid-teens) and I dreaded the post rain ride clean up. My current SO doesn't ride so it's just me and my training partner's bike - she's hard on it, but always wants to learn, so sits in on the work session, and she appreciates the work so I don't mind.

Always easiest on Friday night with an Allagash and Buddy Guy playing in the background.

[paredown]

Bikes--this was the first area where I developed my own chops--more or less out of necessity.

My dad was the master of pretty much everything mechanical, so it was always intimidating working with him, although I learned a massive amount working as the 'gofer'. But efficiency meant that it was most often him leading the charge...

I then got a job in a sporting goods department of a local store, and became their bike person. I was a person well-prepared in a way, but nothing gets you better faster than having to do a whole lot of something--bar taping, limit screws, bent dropouts from shipping, and yes--even cotter pins.

In those days the warranties were such even on cheap bikes that they were coming back in for "warranty work" almost as fast as we were shipping them out the front door. I then did piecework wheel building and kept my own bikes in shape for racing. Even got to the point of bidding on a bike store that was for sale (still think of that as one of the 'paths not taken'...).

A dear friend who was with me through the contract work assembling, and early racing has recently gone back to work in a bike shop--he's 64 (same as me) and is doing the Shimano training and everything. Owner loves him to death, since he is personable, responsible, knowledgeable until he isn't--and then he will read like crazy and ask a lot of questions.

Sometimes I think I should do the same thing.

[oldpotatoe]

Let's put the question into some context...

OP, and anyone else who likes working on their bike...... what do you do for a living, and how much "free" time do you have in your life?

I strongly suspect very busy people as well as people who work with their hands already will tend to not particularly enjoy working on their bikes. Folks who have to be deliberate about finding ways to occupy their free time, or for which "working with your hands" involves pen or keyboard.... getting out the hand tools and doing something immediately physical and tangible is a rare novel treat.

I really enjoy building wheels(both mine and others). I enjoy OVH ERGO levers. BUT 2 things I'm not a fan of.

-Tuning other peoples bikes-reminds me too much of inventory control in the shop. I do a few Campag bikes, here and there but not keen on it anymore. Real pain to be almost finished then see the need for something fairly obscure, like a front der, and the 'promise' to try to get it done on time, out the window.

-working on my own bikes. Just don't really like it. I do drivetrain removal and clean about once per month on dry day Merckx..hardly ever clean wet day Moots(friction shifters, $20 rear der..works fine).

[chiasticon]

Let's put the question into some context...

OP, and anyone else who likes working on their bike...... what do you do for a living, and how much "free" time do you have in your life?software engineer for a living. so yeah, I guess I enjoy wrenching on my bikes because it's (usually) immediate problem solving with tactile feedback. and I'm the one that gets to enjoy the fruits of my labor. no kids, so I have a decent amount of free time to enjoy the wrenching.

I'm not so into the idea of building a bike up slowly though. I'm more into collecting all the parts for the build, taking a day off from riding, turn on some music, crack a couple beers and get the job done. I immensely enjoy it, of course, but spreading it out will just mean waiting longer to ride the bike when it's SO close to being there. the only difference was when I built my Sachs; I spread that out over a few weeks, but only because I had a broken hand and couldn't ride anyway, plus I had to slowly gain the strength and ability to do some of the tasks.

[shovelhd]

I enjoy building up and maintaining my bikes. They are beautiful pieces of machinery that warrant attention.

[Pierre]

As a rule, I don't let anyone touch either of my bikes or my two Volvo's.

I've often wondered about why. In most cases I do enjoy the work and really like the sense of satisfaction of completing an especially difficult task. In part I think it may be a touch of OCD. For my bikes I honestly don't believe anyone else can tweak the settings on the drivetrain as well as I can given that I'm on the thing daily and get continuous feedback from the bikes. All they get is feedback from a 10min inspection. I also get a huge sense of satisfaction from hearing/feeling each of my machines running EXACTLY as they should. For me that increases the riding pleasure.

For the cars more than for the bikes $'s do come into play. My kids burn up a lot of our funds and I have a lot of trouble giving my local mechanic big $'s when the work is not often that complex. Even when it is, the reality is that forums like this one also exist for Volvo's and everyone's contributions allow us all to complete DIY with minimal to no risk.

for the cars, there is more of an element of remaining "zen-like" - not unlike golf, there are moments where you just want to kick the car, burn it, or sell it but there is a weird sense of satisfaction that you get from recovering from these moments and pulling s$%t off.

[pcxmbfj]

I work on bikes by necessity as no shop can remain in business in my hometown.
The shops in the adjacent cities are not great and most have another line such as fitness equipment to survive.
Personnel turnover is pretty constant.
Do repairs for friends but I like building bikes rather than repairing them.

[El Chaba]

I really can't imagine letting anybody else touch my bikes unless there was some need for something under the framebuilding category....and as time goes on I seem to have inherited he job of doing certain types of repairs for my riding buds. I agree that rebuilding an ergopower lever is very satisfying as is wheelbuilding. On the whole, though, it is WAY more fun working on vintage stuff than modern.

[cash05458]

I agree as well with the OP. I had never been a mechanical guy...doing my own oil changes was about the limit. Actually didn't think I could do my own work but I started reading and trying stuff and gaining confidence. What a joy it was to take that first frame and build it entirely into a working bike and thereafter being able to do all my own wrenching (for the most part)...have since built up 5 bikes and am now working on building a new one (slowly, over winter) for my girlfriend...

[rousseau]

I really enjoy building wheels(both mine and others). I enjoy OVH ERGO levers. BUT 2 things I'm not a fan of.
Acronym alert! What's "OVH"?

I'm not so into the idea of building a bike up slowly though. I'm more into collecting all the parts for the build, taking a day off from riding, turn on some music, crack a couple beers and get the job done.
Oh sure, I totally get this, and I've done the same, having built entire bikes in one sitting.

Not meaning to brag or anything, but I've also replaced G-strings and other internals on Centaur and Record shifters. What I do is find the Youtube instruction video and perch a laptop on my work table in order to follow along with it. There are some tricky moments, but the satisfaction you feel from reassembling those suckers is magical.

For those who find this thread resonates with them, you really need to watch James May's fantastic program The Reassembler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMXOGjGZnGU

Review here: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/04/the-reassembler-james-may-perfect-slow-tv

[oldpotatoe]

Acronym alert! What's "OVH"?


Oh sure, I totally get this, and I've done the same, having built entire bikes in one sitting.

Not meaning to brag or anything, but I've also replaced G-strings and other internals on Centaur and Record shifters. What I do is find the Youtube instruction video and perch a laptop on my work table in order to follow along with it. There are some tricky moments, but the satisfaction you feel from reassembling those suckers is magical.

For those who find this thread resonates with them, you really need to watch James May's fantastic program The Reassembler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMXOGjGZnGU

Review here: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/apr/04/the-reassembler-james-may-perfect-slow-tv

Overhaul=OVH.

[Hindmost]

Let's put the question into some context...
...how much "free" time do you have in your life?..

Yeah, a lot of this pertains to personal priorities, what to you have competing for your attention?

When I was working and riding/training with a "racer" mentality, I would get back from a ride, stash the bike, and didn't really want to look at the bike again until it was time for the next ride. Bike maintenance was readily deferred until something became a problem.

I have always been a DIY guy as much as is possible. Now that I have time for bike wrenching the pleasure of taking time and doing things right returns. I look in a box of some old stuff I abused many years back--old bottom brackets, worn hubs--and am a little embarrassed.

[purpurite]

More than half of the enjoyment of cycling for me has always been the mechanical side—building, tuning, repairing, rebuilding and perfecting the machine. It might sound strange to most here, but I love working on bikes more than I enjoy riding them. I always have. I used to spend most of my time at a NORBA National even hanging around the team vans watching the mechanics. It was my favorite part of a race.

I have built every one of my own bikes form the frame up since the second bike I owned in 1991. The only time I have ever used a bike shop for service was to chase & face an aluminum BB shell that I had no interest in acquiring the tools to do myself. Other than that, I take pride in the work I do for myself and others that need help with their bikes, and I enjoy acquiring the tools to do the job correctly. It's a big part of my hobby.

I'm not the type of person to pay someone else to do something mechanical for me. It's not in my DNA. If I don't know how to do something, I'll figure out how to do it. It's therapy for me, and is one of the few things that has calmed my ADD over the years.

I'm currently assembling the parts to build my first wheelset, and I honestly can't wait to dig into the project. The satisfaction I get from knowing every nut and bolt on my bikes is immeasurable to me.



OP, and anyone else who likes working on their bike...... what do you do for a living, and how much "free" time do you have in your life?

Wow, generalize much? Seems to me you are insinuating that only people who enjoy working on things somehow have tons of free time and no other responsibilities. For me, working on bikes, motorcycles, cars, etc. is an escape from my home & career responsibilities. It's alone time when I can make it, and allows me to escape from the high stress of my day-to-day. I'd crack completely if I didn't have other outlets to occupy my brain away from work.

[Dead Man]

Wow, generalize much?

I strongly suspect...

will tend...

.

[jzisk]

"Strongly suspect..." is like hedging your bets.

Incidentally, I teach HS science in a small, high-needs community, so I have no free time for 10 months, the time when I rebuild the 8-10 serious rides in my quiver.

One day (during a scant prep period) I brought a handful of spokes, a rim and a hub into my dear friend the art teacher's room and said "watch this..." When I was done 15 minutes later, the kids were in awe. I showed them the logic and repetitive patterns, and explained the joy as a sort of meditation with purpose. The art teacher called it a beautiful process.

I love riding, in may venues and ways. I also love wrenching, and for 45 years, since an early tuteledge under Sheldon, have considered it sacred.

De gustibus non est disputandum.

Dr. Z in Candor.

[jh_on_the_cape]

I used to. Now working on my bikes cuts into ride time.
I still do it because I do enjoy it. It is often less time consuming to just do something myself than drop it at the shop and have to pick it up later.

I do have new in box parts that I never got around to installing, though.

If you have the time.

[fuzzalow]

I work on all of my own bikes, always have. I have, up to this point, only ridden a bike on wheels of my own design & construction. This last remark may come to an end soon as people I respect here have urged me to experience Campagnolo Bora.

I do it this way because I like the work, I can and I know how. Including Campagnolo Ergo-10 overhauls for their less-than-great design reliance on the wear-n'-tear G-spring. I do my own mechanic work because I can do it better than almost any other mechanic out there except Y @ Conrad's NYC. I should because I don't need to know very much as due to only needing mastery over a very small subset of expertise: Campagnolo only, roadbike only.

I have always had the time to do this. I don't watch TV and I don't require much sleep usually marking 2AM as habitual bedtime. Doesn't mean 2AM always working on bikes though, most of the time I'm reading. My career has never suffered from lack of sleep as a detraction.

My work and career is based on intellectual capital. I desire the physical reality of handiwork to affirm and maintain grounding. A pretty complex human metaphysical desire fairly easily fulfilled via the elegant simplicity of the racing bike.

Kinda like the commercial for Apex Tech where after completing the course "you get to keep the tools" - after completing the wrenching "I get to ride the bike".

[cash05458]

I certainly understand why some folks don't do their own wrenching...for time, inclination...whatever...I don't think it needs any justification either way. For me, it has been part of the whole process of being a rider...that and being poor (owning 5 rides entails that I thought it a good idea to learn)...that as well as in this world of getting other folks to do something for you, paying them for something I care about like the bike seems to miss something...we can all go buy vegetables, but there remains a nice feeling to growing your own...prolly not real, but seems to taste better...

[acoffin]

I find wrenching very relaxing. For me it's a time to slow down, be in my own place, and take a bunch of random parts to make something functional and beautiful.

There have been times when life has been to hectic and I went to a bike shop to do a repair. Every time I have regretted it, be it due to the high cost, unsatisfactory work, or damage to my bike. Honestly, nobody is going to love your bike like you do. There are instructions out there for everything and tools are little compared to the cost of constant maintenance.

One thing I was never sure I would enjoy though, is working on bikes that were not mine. However, I have recently started volunteering at local non profit that refurbishes bikes, and I am loving every minute of it.