Originally Posted by
ericbaker
I am my LBS
Short of machining parts, there isn't much I wont or cant do.
I think quite a few of us are in the same situation. The last two times I got mechanical help at a bike shop were heavily nicked aluminum BB lockring removal on the Bianchi and [really]fixed BB cup removal on the 1959 Capo, in preparation for painting at CyclArt, which also had the best weaponry for coaxing seized fixed BB cups. Otherwise, I do all my own work, including timing belt/water pump jobs on the cars (1996-2002 Audi A4s and S4, 2001 Passat).
As for machining parts, one of my friends runs a 3D printer lab here on campus -- the mind reels with possibilities ... .
As for knowledge, I think I know the older stuff better than some of today's LBS mechanics (I worked at a bike shop while getting my master's degree at UCLA in the early 1970s), but they admittedly do know the specifics of some of the newer components.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069