Is it always cheaper to do your own bike maintenance? We do the sums to work out when the bike shop is best

Tried most things but gave up on self extracting cranks - could not shift them. Was also worried id round something off if I tried too hard.

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a soft mallet won't cost much - you can even use the one you bought for camping many years ago.

You haven't seen the state of it - I wouldn't let it anywhere near my bike after the toll years of camping have taken on it.

I can do the basics, but largely I prefer to take my bike to the LBS when it needs a service, when they check all the big things and sort them out at the same time. I don't get bike grease all over my flat, I do my bit to keep the LBS in business, and I know someone who is more mechanically minded than me has made sure my bike's in good shape to ride.

Yes, sometimes you need specialist tools or equipment. But some of the examples above are laughable. Fixing a puncture. Bear in mind you may need to buy a pump / repair kit the FIRST time you do it, but then you have it. From there on you're at worst halving the cost to the bike shop, and if you can manage to patch, you'll be able to fix dozens of punctures for £3.99, or worst case each puncture for the cost of a tube, instead of £10+ EVERY time. 

I do most of my own work but I just had one of the bikes into the shop for new headset bearings, BB and rear derailleur.  I've done it all in the past but my circulation after chemo is terrible and I didn't really consider it an indoor job. Washing the bike is hard/sore enoughat this time of year

I used to fear bike maintenance, now I find it a pleasure. Youtube is your friend, my advice is to watch the videos a few times first and to keep your phone handy whilst you work. Parts and tools are always an obstacle for the bigger jobs, and you will often encounter a small delay in sourcing them, plus if you're like me, you'll probably forget where they are next time. I bought an £80 Park Tool cone wrench set only to find I had a brand new Topeak set in the garage a while later... but it becomes addictive, there's nothing like quality tools and the feeling that you have done something yourself.

Then you move onto lacing wheels, headset and wheel bearings and customising your ride, I've changed my 27 speed Specialized into an electronic shifting 8 speed, which may sound bonkers, but actually has made it lighter, quieter and far more durable. Would you ever get a quote from a bike shop for that? My parting advice is to have a basic spare bike to use whilst you're 'working' on the other!

I usually have a go at maintenance work myself, even if it means buying new tools for the job. That way I learn how to do it and don't have to buy the tools the next time.

But, I do occasionally screw things up. I managed to break a hydraulic brake trying to bleed and refill the fluid, and ended up having to buy a new one. I did fit and fill the new one, but I decided that hydraulic brakes were a bit of a pain so that might be a bike shop visit next time.

If you compitant, everytime, some, not all, say or replace things that dont need replacing, PLUS if they do, it will be at top level price, which can be purchased on line much cheaper, (The curse of shops) trying to find GOOD repair shop is near impossible now ???

I can certainly solve the bar tape one:

If it's 15 quid labour, to rewrap your tape, that's effectively two rolls of bar tape. So, buy two, instead of one, and don't worry about getting that first wrap perfect. Do a dry run - get things wrong, work out the process. Take your time. Keep unwrapping, and rewrapping. At the end of it, it probably won't look brilliant - but so what. You just take it all off, bin it, and use the second roll of tape. Every lesson you just learned, you'll put into practice. You'll get it looking way better, you will be able to breeze through it, next time around, and even though you might have "wasted" 15 quid, you won't have to bother paying someone else to do it, ever again. 

(and maybe, just maybe, you watch enough Youtube tutorials, so the first wrap actually looks great. If that's the case, you've already got your next roll of tape, for whenever you need it)

I do most of my own servicing and maintenance. But a good bike shop is a godsend when I encounter something new or especially tricky.

For example, I ran into shifting problems after changing a chain. Nothing I did seemed to help, so I took it to my local bike shop. The mechanic took one look and said "your chain is on backwards."

I didn't realise that some Shimano chains are directional!

The shop never charged me for the advice either. One reason I've been a loyal customer for 20 years.

(BTW: It's the Friendly Bike Shop on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Run by the inimitable Jacky Chan -- master of Bike-Foo)

Cheers

the key is having a decent LBS, one you can trust to do the work, and not invent things to do, or start overcharging you, and not everyone has that within practical distances, its just the way it is. Theres always the thought that well theyre the experts at this doing it every day, so theyll just do a better job than I can, and maybe the hassle is still worth it, but that isnt always the case either.

The consequence is people learn to do the work themselves out of necessity rather than primarily efforts to save money, though its surprising how much some bike shops charge thesedays, almost like some are trying not to do the work anymore.

It was Roy Keane wasnt it who had some mechanical issue with his bike, and just went and bought a new one instead to avoid fixing it, not everyone can do that of course, but the cost of some components thesedays, plus the cost of fitting them at an LBS, sometimes replacing the whole bike could be a better option based on total age of your bike and its other worn components.

and the thing about psyching yourself up to hit your bike with a mallet to replace a BB, dont forget taking it to a LBS, your letting some complete stranger whose skill levels you dont know hit your bike with a hammer instead. Ive walked in a bike shop once where two mechanics were busy hitting a bike with a hammer, my bike never went near that place again.

I don't think anyone should be riding a bike who can't fix a flat on the road.  Fixing a flat is easy, and a person should know how to do that,  You can go to You Tube University and watch how it's done, it's not rocket science.

I was taught about 66 years ago, when I was 7 by my neighbor who showed me how to fix a flat without even removing the wheel from the bike!  First find the penetration point and move the wheel so you can remove part of the bead without the frame being in the way, then remove half the bead with the hole in the center of the half, then pull out about a quarter of the tube with hole in the center of that, buff/glue/patch and put it all back together.  Of course that won't work every time, but I estimate I can do that with about 75% of my flats.  To fix a flat you will need 2 tire irons, I like Lezyne Power XL levers, for a road bike the Lezyne Road Drive mid size pump is the best one, because the smallest one is way too much effort, you need a spare tube, and a patch kit.  

Cables is not a once in a year thing, unless you have either a Shimano 9001 STI levers, or a 6800 STI levers, those ate cables for breakfast, otherwise all your cables should last at least 10 years.  I know that 10 years goes against the bike shops all telling you to replace your cables every year, but that's nonsense.  If you know how to check your cables for wear or damage then there is no reason to change them.  I have a 12 year old bike with about 40,000 on it and the original cables are still fine.  I do once a year put some Tri Flow lube on the brake cable at the housing to help keep crud out of the housing and make the cables operate smoothly by holding the bike in a position that will allow the lube to flow down into the housing, then work the levers.

I think you're missing a major cost factor (in time and money): Getting the bike to a bike-shop, getting back (without bike), returning to the shop (without bike) and returning from the bike-shop. What a faff!

And then you may have to wait for weeks to get a workshop-appointment. And you  have to hope that they have the right part (brand, dimension, group-set) in stock. 

Personally, I cannot think of getting anything done in a bike-shop other than swapping a headset or getting an emergency repair on a long ride, far from home, having forgotten to bring spares...

My only maintenance regret was replacing the headset bearings on my 2015 Synapse in about 2021. Everything fine until torquing up the stem bolt to the specified torque. Heard a small crack .....end of original carbon fork. A few months and £300 later, LBS found a best fit Cannondale fork and pretty much saved the bike. It did make me wonder though. The original cannondale stem wall thickness was about 2-3mm thinner than the one the LBS sourced from Cannondale UK distributors.... hmmm..

I do a fair amount of my own maintenance on the fleet, for me it's not really about saving money, especially once the equipment cost is taken into account, it's about doing it at my own convenience rather than having to book in elsewhere, and the enjoyment and satisfaction of working on bikes as a hobby without the pressure of having to do it as a day job. I also keep a few consumables in my workshop (chains, cassettes, tyres, cables, brake pads, etc), and did a Cytech training course a few years ago too. As well as my own stuff, I do the odd job for friends & family if they can't afford to take something to the shop.

Decent LBS around my way were a bit scarce for a while, up until a few years ago the two nearest shops I trusted were an equidistant 30 miles in opposite directions from home. However a new place has recently opened in town which I go to for certain jobs (use it or lose it), for example, things that only need doing on occasion such as hydraulic brake bleeding, frame facing, etc, it's worth booking in and paying for. 

Finally, one point not mentioned in the article, which can make a huge difference in running costs and can save a lot of money - is having the facilities and know-how to carry out timely servicing on the drivetrain. Keeping it clean and properly lubed, and knowing how to use a chain checker can make the difference between just replacing a chain, and facing a bill for chain, cassette and chainrings. 

I do as much of my own maintenance as I can because I like to learn new stuff. Also it means I can operate independently if I need to and can get repairs and maintenance done when it's convenient for me.

For my press-fit bottom bracket I use a blind bearing puller to avoid whacking the frame with a hammer, £20 on ebay

I've just bought new brake calipers, hoses and brake levers all separately, bought the hydraulic oil and put the lot together and bled it myself. Why didn't I use a bike shop? Everything is on youtube. In fact I've not been to a bike shop for over a decade because of youtube.