DIY Bicycle Repairs; Do's and Don't's!

I have come across quite a few bikes lately that people try to repair on their own, either because they had to to get it to the repair shop, or because they think they know how to, or they had someone else work on it that thought they knew what they were doing.  I have seen everything from tubes being patched with duct tape to pedals being put on wrong.  If you don't absolutely know how to do it, DON'T DO IT!  It not only saves you time and money, but it doesn't make the job for the bike mechanic harder.  If you want to know how to do something, have someone knowledgeable show you how to do.  Don't just try and learn from online sources.  Repairing a bicycle is not always easy, it takes some practice.  I have been doing this for 4 years now and it took me up until a year ago to learn everything i know today, that's 3 years.

Do's:

-Take it to someone that knows what they are doing, if you do not.
-Learn form them on how to do it in the future.

Don't's:

-Don't repair it if you don't know how to do it.
-Don't learn from someone that doesn't really know what they are doing. (Learn from someone in a bike shop)


I have how-to videos on this site, but don't try to do it with out the supervision of a knowledgeable individual.  They are there to show you what is done, and what it all entails in the repair.  When all else fails, bring it to your local bike shop and ask if you can watch them repair your bike, and see if they will explain what they are doing.  Some bike shops will and some won't, so do not get mad when they say NO, they have the right to say no.


Keep on Biking....