An eternal dilemma? Well, not really.
Back when I was in high school, even working part-time I only made about 4,000 to 5,000 yen a day.
When there was something I couldn’t do myself or when I was stuck, I’d take the bike to a shop.
I understand now, but back then, when they’d quote me 5,000 yen just for a little work! or
15,000 yen! I’d think, “Are you serious? That’s two days’ pay… three days’ worth of my part-time job!”
That’s when I started collecting cheap, odd tool sets and doing the work myself.
The benefits of doing it yourself are
“incredibly fast turnaround,” “no labor costs,” “you learn about maintenance,” and “it saves you when you’re in a pinch.”
The downsides are “you can’t tell if the work turned out okay,” and “you bear all the risk,” I’d say.
This “can’t tell if the work turned out okay” thing means
it’s not just “the engine that wouldn’t start now starts,” but rather this weird, subtle feeling—is it a fault? Do I hear a strange noise sometimes? Is it abnormal? Is it normal? Is it a sign of something worse? Those are the times when you and everyone else start to wonder.
“You bear all the risk” means
parts falling off, stripped bolt holes, dropping the bike, assembly mistakes that damage the bike or parts, buying the wrong thing.
Doing it yourself is a wonderful thing.
But if you don’t think carefully and work with the risks in mind, you could end up with something you can’t take back, so take on the challenge in a way you won’t regret.
If you want to keep your bike costs down, I’d recommend doing the work yourself (‘ω’)ノ
