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rshetts1@reddit

I like to get my bike professionally checked over and tuned up annually. Most local shops are a bit particular as to what they will work on these days, especially with so many bargain Chinese no named bikes out there. Living in a larger metropolitan area, I fortunately have several options for repair shops near me that are willing to work on my bike. I do handle basic maintenance and cleaning myself, but unless they are properly maintained e-bikes can be dangerous and I like the reassurance that an annual tune up gives me. It cost me $90 a year for some peace of mind. It's worth it.

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Gold_Area5109@reddit

Just so you know, that's maybe an hour of shop labor in any metropolitan area.

So they aren't doing much of an inspection or anything.

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rshetts1@reddit

Well, the shop I use does a spring special and they do a pretty thorough job. This past spring they even replaced my brake pads in the deal. Not every shop is the same I guess.

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ef247028@reddit

Jeah, I had that done, they didn't find half of the problems of the bike. Never again...

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giganticsquid@reddit

I just replaced the planetary gears in my ebike, and while it wasn't difficult it took me a long time to do over multiple days because I had to learn it from YouTube and buy the tools to get everything apart. This was with my cute 3yo getting into absolutely everything while I was figuring it out, so it's not that easy and it's not that quick

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BazzaFox@reddit

You’re right, there is nothing different about e-bikes apart from they have motors. That is the only bit that really requires specialists. Everything else is just normal bike maintenance.

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Familiar9709@reddit

Depends on the task and you need basic tools at least and specialized for some things.

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terminashunator@reddit

People don't want to do the work. Basic stuff like brake pads, flat tires, people don't want to learn to do it. Simple as that.

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Code_E-420@reddit

Agreed, there's not enough time in the day to add more tasks when life is already too busy.

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ImUsingDaForce@reddit

doubt. Any trip to the city to get the bike fixed will require a minimum of combined 2-3 hours (two trips, mounting the bike on the carrier rack on the car, driving there, waiting for drop-off and pick-up, talking to employees, etc). During that time you can not only fix the bike, but actually watch 5 YouTube tutorials and go get the tools from the hardware store.

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dark_roast@reddit

You vastly, vastly overestimate the amount of work a normal person wants to do on their bike. Most people are quite comfortable with the idea that trained mechanics should be the ones keeping their vehicles in working order. The average person isn't replacing a tire on a car, or changing their oil, or replacing their own battery for that matter. They aren't going to suddenly become experts in bike maintenence.

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GTAIVisbest@reddit

Gotta reprioritize to ensure consistent and sustainable transportation. Learn to do it once and then it will never be that big of a deal, like changing a lightbulb or doing a deep clean of your kitchen

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j5b@reddit

Don’t disagree that many people don’t want to learn to do it, but just to add as someone who doesn’t have a lot of free time and can do a lot of maintenance on my own, I’ll take mine into a shop if I want to save some precious time over a weekend if I’ve got something else going on. Probably 50/50 on self vs shop maintenance at this point.

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LastNightOsiris@reddit

If you have the right tools and the time, nothing is that hard in bicycle maintenance (with the possible exception of removing stuck bottom brackets.) but like any mechanical job, if you rarely or never do it expect to spend multiple hours and lots of frustration on something that takes an experienced mechanic 15 minutes. Not everybody wants to or is able to invest the time and effort to get proficient at these tasks.

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Commercial-Spinach31@reddit

Well said. I currently know nothing about my bike and take it into the shop anytime there’s a problem. But I was planning on learning more about servicing it myself over the summer. I’m mentally prepping for very frustrating days and hours on youtube lol.

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pickandpray@reddit

The one thing I haven't completed is removing the stuck bottom bracket.

I broke my tool and then just said screw it. I'll install a different pedal sensor

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ef247028@reddit

Bosch Motors got a completely locked software (and shity quality) I changed my damn broken motor for a used one. This is configured to a wrong tire size - and I can't change that without going to a shop...

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DrFabulous0@reddit

Some jobs are challenging, some require special tools. Some people have better uses for their time than fixing their bike, and the shop will do it faster, with a guarantee. Some problems can be difficult to diagnose and people want the benefit of an experienced opinion. Some jobs are covered under warranty. Some bikes need plugging into a diagnostic system only available to dealers. Sometimes people need manufacturer support and that is accessed through the dealer. Some jobs require parts, that the shop will have on hand. Some people think they know what they're doing, but their bike is a death trap. Some people have nothing better to do and just want to waste the shop's time socialising. Personally, as an ex shop mechanic myself, I usually take my bikes to the shop, because I just can't be arsed doing it myself. I always encourage people to learn basic maintenance, but there's plenty of good reasons to go to the shop sometimes, if nobody does then the shop will close, and you'll miss it when it's gone.

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Soltea@reddit

Normal people can't do any of that stuff. And then you have the rma stuff and electric stuff too.

Most people should only buy from an LBS imo.

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Inciteful_Analysis@reddit

This forum skews to the mechanically challenged side. But you are right, most maintenance is trivially easy. A modest investment in tools and access to YouTube is all you need.

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AntEaterApocalypse@reddit

I usually bring in my bike once a year to get it checked over fully by someone that knows what they're doing. I am willing to do minor repairs and servicing myself (just changed some brake pads, for example) but I live in a tiny space and am very limited in terms of tools and work space. There are just some things I am physically unable to do and there are also some things I just absolutely hate doing and would rather pay someone else to deal with.

My local bike ships are great places run by great people and I'm more than happy to support them and the local community in general.

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Quercus408@reddit

I imagine they have some sort of warranty involving the bike shop. My partner has a Specialized and everything is covered by the bike shop he bought it from. For the next few years, at least.

I didn't buy my bike through the shop, so I doubt they'll even allow it in the building. They're helpful with advice though. I've been very lucky and all my ebike issues these last few years have been basic bike issues like brakes, swapping tires, re-aligning the derailleur. It really isn't that hard; it's certainly tedious, but not difficult. And bless those Park Tools videos: super helpful for beginners.

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MiKaisr@reddit

For me, there are two reasons to use professional help:

I have a Bosch e-Bike. It is a very good, but closed system. If I have any troubles with the propulsion, only my specialised dealership can read error-codes and reprogram that stuff. Thankfully, that only happened once during the last three years with an sudden issue with speed indication. When I pedaled about 15 mph it indicated anything between 4 an 70 mph, cutting off assictence when "too fast".
I have tubeless ready tires. When on tour, I don't have the heavy leavers with me to get those tires from the wheel. So, a flat tire during a tour will have me check maps for the nearest dealership, hopefully in walking distance. Thankfully, that happened only twice in the three years usage in harsh environment.

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dodonpa_g@reddit

This argument is the same for people who go to restaurants instead of cooking at home. Some people have money to pay and don't want to do it themselves

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Knollibe@reddit

I do all my own maintenance. I have a nice set of park tools.

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Neenknits@reddit

It’s not hard to strip a trike down to the frame, clean everything, wrap the frame in vinyl, build it again, and add a motor.

I did it, with help from my kids. Time consuming, but not tricky. It’s not adjusted better than ever before.

Mostly I used this son pictures when something was too tight for my damaged wrists. And he installed the motor because he WANTED to. I’d have had to fight him off if i wanted to do it myself.

I consulted with my other kid who has done a ton of bike work on adjusting my derailleur and brakes. But, really, you can do everything by watching Park Tool videos.

My son and I watched several Bafang install videos, and it worked exactly as described.

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terraherts@reddit

The only thing I've had my local shop do is wheel builds (because I'm not good at them and it's really tedious if you're not experienced with it), and they were happy to do those.

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Johoski@reddit

I'm 56 yo woman and I'd rather pay someone than do it myself.

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Redm18@reddit

Wheel lacing is an art for sure. Derailleur adjustment I believe can be challenging. Screwing up by not properly torquing a fastener can be catastrophic. Not sure what else is really tough I'm not a bike mechanic but my dad's a decent amateur and tends to talk about those things being tough.

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NotASockPuppet88@reddit

An art?

Thanks but i managed to lace up a rear DD hub motor with relative ease my very first time

Its just time consuming and requires alot of patience. Both of which most people lack.

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Redm18@reddit

I have never done it personally but I have watched my dad do it and I think it's fairly involved, requires a bit of judgment, and having the right tools really helps. It's not like building the space shuttle but its more complicated than a lot of dyi projects.

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lFightForTheUsers@reddit

Having the tools is definitely make or break, even a lot of bike shops may not have a wheel builder on site and rely on ordering wheels or maybe only have one person that knows how to do it.

I've done maybe one wheel lacing when my old ebike wheel got taco'd by an SUV driver trying their hardest to take it out. New aftermarket rim after researching, used a website tool to try to figure out the patterning and spoke sizes needed which I also ordered to length online. Then it was a good 8 hours on and off at the apartment on my off day, just watching TV while working on it. Probably didn't really need to take that long but there was a lot of getting it close then fucking up something, then having to go back and forth until it got done. Then I took it to the shop where the proper tools were so that I could measure tensioning it. Even then though it's still all hand tools, it's not a car shop where you have to be vacuuming out lines and shit.

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optional-omission@reddit

We see some pretty funny stuff from home mechanics. Welders, electricians, engineers. They've got ideas, that's for sure....

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lFightForTheUsers@reddit

eBikes make it more of a pain in the ass. A simple flat repair on an ebike becomes typically having to unplug wiring harness, cut zip ties, remove and note orientation of torque arms, more work on a heavier wheel and fat tire, replacing it all in reverse and plugging back in wiring / orienting bolts correctly.

I ride an ebike daily for my commute so I don't have a problem with it, but I can see where a novice rider would get intimidated by it or a snobbier tech might turn up their nose at it.

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ndyce@reddit

Not everybody is mechanically inclined. Some people can not and will never turn a wrench and if they did the results would be dangerous at best, combine that with a 20 mph 80 lb ebike and you get bad results.

I can turn a wrench but I can't write a symphony, and if I needed, to no amount of time and YouTube tutorials would result in listenable music.

Bike shoops are there for people who aren't handy, or don't have the specialized and expensive tooling a home mechanic to accomplish a specific task, and other stuff too

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Proxy345@reddit

If you're not riding a mid-drive ebike then you essentially really don't need to care about visiting a local bike shop majority of the time.

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dr3w66299@reddit

Checking wheels for trueness, replacing cables and housings, bleeding hydraulic brakes, adjusting brake calipers & truing rotors, new tires or other parts. When I worked in a shop people would come in just for firmware updates.

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James-B0ndage@reddit

If you were to get into a serious accident. You might have to ship it back to the manufacturer to get it fixed. Unless you have a model that your local bike shop can order parts for and is willing to work on.

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jekkies-@reddit

my bike was an expensive purchase to me, i don't want to fuck it up while learning how to do something. so i happily pay bike shop like 25 bucks to tune it up every 4 or 5 months.

when i upgrade down the line, i'll be more inclined to try learning how to tinker n 'stuff on a backup bike 😽

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richj8991@reddit

If you can do the work in your own garage, then do it! I usually just have them cut forks and make tires tubeless, I do the rest at home.

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SwvellyBents@reddit

I was an avid biker up into my 50s and did all my own maintenance and repairs, although I began to struggle with the later model shift systems. I'd lace and true my wheels, pack my bearings, keep my brakes up to snuff and tune my derailleurs.

I dropped out for about 10 years and found when I went back for a spin I was no longer fit to road ride so decided to look at other options.

In the 10 years I was MIA everything changed, and in addition to new bike styles, ebikes seem to have taken over a major segment of 2 wheel society. Some of my old riding buddies whom I expected to be trad bike holdouts were fully onboard with ebikes, but despite us being fairly accomplished amateur wrenchers the addition of all the tech was a big deterrent. After studying up for far too long I opted to pay my local shop to assemble my new bike.

A big part of that decision was the 2 year unlimited tune up plan included with the $75 assembly fee.

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BeePrevious5282@reddit

A few things require special tools. Bottom brackets, cassettes, checking derailleur alignment, disc brake bleeding and so on.

But yes, if you are mechanically inclined and collect the right tools you can do everything yourself.

I do some things myself but occasionally there will be some weird headset I can't figure out, and I won't do shock service because little fiddly bits I will fuck it up every time.

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Slow-Echidna-5884@reddit

Bikes are finiky. To get them really good takes some practice. Depends on how dialed you want it.

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BlakeNimbus@reddit

Parktool YouTube videos can usually get you on brake pads and tyres. This can save you money for general maintenance on e-bikes. With larger maintenance can pay the shop for

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rvralph803@reddit

Remove the battery before you go. As long as the bike has standard replaceable parts they will gladly work on it.

The friction comes from two points: - fire hazards from the batteries. - cheap bikes with non-standard / non-replacable parts.

Don't expect an LBS to work on anything electric. That's something you'd need a specialist shop, or "that guy" to do if you're not confident.

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Temporary-Film-7374@reddit

plenty of cheap ebikes don't make it easy to do things like remove the wheel in order to fix a flat tire, which should be dead simple.