Editor's Statement
I write a lot of tech pieces for Urban Velo, but here is possibly the best advice there is no matter what your skill level with wrench in hand. Make friends with your local shop mechanics.
Even if you do most of your own maintenance there are inevitably times you are in above your head and need the sympathetic ear or deft touch of a professional you trust. Shear off a bolt, strip out a crankset’s extraction threads, spend a weekend trying to get your bottom bracket to stop creaking only to make it worse, get a seatpost stuck in your custom frame—these problems inevitably arise just before your big ride and are just when you need to know who to call. And they need to recognize who is showing up 20 minutes before closing as someone other than a nameless face looking for a last minute fix.
Spending a few extra dollars on small parts from the shop can add up to big dividends later with your back against the wall and a broken bike that isn’t going to get you to wherever your Point B may be. Ask around the local scene, the everyday riding and racing vets know who in town should be trusted with your bike, and who shouldn’t even be allowed to air up your tires. Find a good mechanic or two in your town and next time you’re at the bar get them a beer, next time you’re out on a casual ride looking for lunch show up with an extra sandwich just to shoot the breeze. The five dollars spent will be quickly forgotten on your end but will be just as quickly remembered by the wrench with the answers when you’re in a bind. Support your local bike shop, it’s just that simple.
Steve Kurpiewski at Iron City Bikes, Pittsburgh, PA. Photo by Brad Quartuccio