Fix It

Aside from the routine tasks of inflating tires, adjusting brakes, and installing accessories (e.g. baskets, lights, etc.), I should first let a professional take a look at my bike before deciding on a course of action for adjustment or repair. The following are my experiences in the past month.

1. A wobble in the rear wheel. I first thought the cause was worn bearings. I replaced the bearings and didn't even realize at first that what I had was a broken axle.
2. A knocking sound in my rear wheel. I thought I hadn't packed the hub/bearings with enough grease. So I removed the wheel and added more grease. The sound remained.
3. A derailleur that went from bent to broken. By this point, I had the sense to take my bike to the shop and pay for a professional repair job.
4. Apparently, the knock was due to an over-tightening of the rear wheel while trying to get rid of the wobble, in example 1 above.

I would stress to anybody that you may be better of paying a mechanic. I wasted a lot of time thinking that I was gaining valuable experience by tinkering (perhaps, to some extent, that is true), but the end result was still a messed up bike. It also seems like every new problem requires a new, specialized tool. Wow, a bike seems so mechanically simple. Yet this is my experience