Take it to the shop or DIY- a Poll

DIY Jacqui.
Good luck with the radio broadcast.

diy all the way

DIY, except for headset and BB (I do my MTB bottom bracket, but that only needs basic tools).
Oh, and tweeking gear indexing I go to Paul at Bob Jackson, just to marvel at his skillz.

He can re-index my gears from Winter-commute dreadful to buttery-click perfect in about ten seconds. He's grumpy but he's good!

Good luck on Jack's show, Jacqui - careful not to fall under the spell of that smooooth voice!

DIY. Keeps you connected and you gain transferable skills. Takes time to learn and use skills, once done you save time.

I've yet to encounter a bicycle problem that a toolbox full of bits and bobs, a couple of beers and internet tutorials can't fix!! So DIY.

there isn't a both button. just pick the one you think suits best i guess.

Bit of a vague poll.
What do you want ?

I want to replace my 3 year old road bike brake + shifter cables with the Yokuzuna Reaction compressionless system. I will be taking this to a shop.

DIY (albeit really badly, it must be said) on everything but headsets (I managed to remove a Shimano BB then install a Campag one into my polo bike last weekend, a very proud moment as they've always been a bit of a block for me) and I'm really crap at wheelbuilding, I have all the bits to build some new polo wheels but fuck all skills... Or patience...

At the end of the day it's about having the tools tho', innit?

I've been (successfully) putting together my latest bikes, and riding them, without any major
mishaps. I do think though, that DIY without any specific knowledge of what you're getting yourself
into, usually = di$a$ter. i.e: Crank extracting tool/chainwhip/lockring too, headset press, etc...
all famous for the ability of pissing me the right off, and have made me spend stupid money.
I'm also quite stubborn, which mixed together with being able to figure out the way of 'things',
goes all the way with what bodieanddoyle said.

Has anyone ever called out bicycle repairman e.g. http://www.mobeone.org/index.html ?

The price list is Lulz:
Fit lock - £5
Fit Quill stem- £14
Fit ahead stem - £7
....

[QUOTE=not4sale;1828916]

Has anyone ever called out bicycle repairman because there was a specific job that you could not DIY and you did not fancy the idea/cost of carting your bike x miles across London on public transport to a bike shop ( and probably back again) ?

I work in a bike shop on Saturdays basically just for the discount it gives me and the access to the workshop.
Anything I can't do myself just magically gets done by one of the mechanics, in return I buy some cake or make a tea, but make sure I watch how they did it because I don't want to be 'that guy' who never learns how to do the really awkward jobs.

So I answered DIY...

If the jobs to big to the shops but otherwise diy

Pffffffffzzzzzz Shop! My hairy hoop. It's a bicycle. My gran used to make one everytime she needed one.

Without wanting to sound like a nob, I doubt most shop mechanics know anything I don't.

There's a rule on this. If the job requires a tool that costs twice as much as getting a shop to do it,
get the shop to do it. (If the tool costs more than £50.)

But if you are not going to enjoy doing it, or don't feel confident doing it, don't do it, and pay for the service. This stuff should be fun.

Headset and bb cutting / facing / thread chasing, and some 'frame alignment' jobs, require huge tooling costs upfront, so shop job for them.

The rest of it requires some good cutters and a toolkit. HTFU, and enjoy.

[Edit; I'm not in Dov's boat in terms of experience, and many people in many shops are hugely more knowledgable, as are many people here. But the process of fixing your bike shouldn't be daunting or off-putting with a cautious, sensible approach.]

I am DUI mostly,

its great to put a frame in my bike stand and put all the bits on it,not so great when you count the cost the build ;-).learnt a lot from the peeps on this forum specially when i had probs with a old uniglide cassette.DIY all the way

I'm rubbish at working on bikes and should learn more. I've got as far as doing brakes, chains, cogs, cables (although still hit and miss, I did manage a successful gear cable re-install recently), bar tape, etc. I have two frames sitting around waiting to be built up. The intention was always to learn in the process, but I still haven't go round to really committing any time and energy to it. Hopefully, that'll happen early next year. In the meantime, it's still shop for me for most 'difficult' things.

The only thing I haven't changed on a bike is the headset, the tools to do that cost a bomb too.

I'm too much of a tight arse to fork out the prices shops charge for work, and it's way more satisfying doing things yourself, if massively more time consuming. It doesn't work out much cheaper at first because of the outlay for tools, but they'll be with you forever.

I wouldn't touch a proper BB or headset, but I do want to learn to build my own wheels someday. Managed to true up my olf MTB wheel recently, I love reading up on stuff and slowly taking the time to get it right, sites like here and Sheldon's are invaluable, then next time it's a piece of piss.

I try and do all work myself now, apart from fitting headsets.

It's all pretty primitive stuff really. Mainly tightening/Loosening various bolts. The only part which I find daunting of any bike build is the bar tape - It's usually the last step of the build and you mustn't mess it up! Getting it right takes practice and patience.

Contador's Mech makes it look so easy.
http://sram.cyclingnews.com/highlights/faustino-munoz-srams-bar-tape-campeon/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFY-J9FVo9s#t=6m40s

I also find working on my own bike very relaxing, almost therapeutic. I also get great enjoyment from riding a bike I have put together/fixed/bodged myself.

The shop for stuff thats complicated - i.e. trueing wheels. Most other things - a hammer and an adjustable spanner in my hall way.

like your style, n3lson