I've been to a LBS for mechanic service once in the past 18 years and many thousands of miles. I decided that biking was a hobby of mine and I would invest in making it work. I bought a bike stand, truing stand, and tools for about $235. I bought all the components to build a 15 pound road bike, and put it all together. Oh Yes, the most important part . . . . . I look for answers on YouTube if I have questions. All the information for bike building and maintenance is right there on You Tube.
I think it's kind of scary to ride a bike without knowing how to maintain it and fix problems. I'm not comfortable with having someone else do the work. I saved tons of money by doing the build and maintenance myself. Yes, it takes time. But, Hey It's my hobby. I'm willing to spend some time on my favorite machine(s)
My awesome 15 pound bike cost $2300 to build. Anything off-the-shelf would have been at least $5000.
Bad me. I did most of my shopping over the internet. I basically had to do this to find the lightweight components.
The biggest reason that I avoid the LBS is that 18 years ago I was not given the courtesy of express service on my bottombracket when my bike was my only means of transportation. I swore then to leave the LBS out of the loop. I do believe that my LBS has experienced and very competent mechanics. I just think I can do a better job for far less money because I'm not in a hurry when I'm maintaining my machine.