I have a theory: my mechanical limitations when it comes to bike maintenance are directly linked to the amount of space available.
I have friends who have enormous garages at their disposal that are laid out like a shrine to common sense and elbow grease. There are bike stands on which to hang the thing as you work on it, rows of neatly ordered tools, a well placed piece of foam to kneel on, and plenty of space for all manner of spares, replacements and other unidentifiable bits and bobs. Some people even have lights and heating.
Oh, the luxury. Carrying out bike maintenance in these conditions is surely a pleasure, not a chore.
Me? Due to current lack of space (I’m working on that, a house with a garage is on the shopping list) I have a shed and a back yard.
In the shed, I am expected to fit two bikes, spare wheels, tools, and all manner of other bike related paraphernalia…and my shed is smaller than two bikes, spare wheels, tools and other bike related paraphernalia, so organisation and order is out of the question. To carry out any small piece of work on my bike I have to empty the entire contents of my shed just to find whatever I need, and then ferret about on the floor of my yard as I work in the cold (often) and dark (sometimes).
(Image: elyob – Flickr CC)
Some might say that I’m simply making excuses, and that even were I presented with a bike shop full of shiny tools and a pristine and professional workshop to use them in I’d find some other excuse not to work on the bike (too much time spent sitting writing about this stuff, and not enough doing it perhaps?)
Don’t get the wrong idea; I’m more than happy to do the basics, and will happily replace cables, change a cassette, or service the brakes, but anything too complicated (or time consuming) often results in a visit to my local bike shop where I can hand my trusty steed over to a man who knows his stuff (a Zen mechanic, no less).
I used to be keen to tackle any job required, but I once tried to ‘true’ a wheel a couple of days prior to an 80 mile ride and it ended up going ‘ping’ half-way up some unforgiving back-road of Yorkshire. Struggling home across wild Northern moor lands with a back wheel displaying the sort of ever increasing wobble reminiscent of some kind of comical clown bike does have a way of focussing the mind.
In other words, I know my limitations.
ROAD THEORY 
I have my limits too. I work on my bikes in the spare bedroom or living room though or if I need a stand I built one with 2×4’s that I keep on the back porch. I can do a lot of stuff but every third true I take it in so they can work out all of my mistakes I made. The shed would be cause for many more trips to the shop than I currently make.
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But hey, you’re still learning how to true the things and maybe you’ll reach the point where there are no mistakes to iron out!
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Yeah, I don’t know… There’s a lot of patience needed for that. Patience is not one of my shining qualities. 😁
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When I’m not riding or drinking coffee, my next favourite pastime is tinkering with the bikes. Seriously love it. I live in a rented flat, no storage outside so I have 3 bikes in my front room, wheels on hooks on the wall, tools, spares and empty boxes (just in case) in cupboards, under the bed, on top of wardrobes. Great stuff! 🙂
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We have enough room in our house for me to indulge in my own little coffee obsession, but bikes and bits all over the place…I’d never get away with that!
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Nothing better on a wet day than to be tinkering with a bike in the man-shed
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