Any ladies do their own wrenching?

I have worked on my bikes since I was a kid and my sister's Peugeot 10 speed came with a few wrenches, and have always enjoyed it, doing all my own maintenance except fork overhauls. Like you, though, I was a little intimidated starting with a bare frame...I ended up doing the parts I was comfortable with & having the shop do the rest. They also ended up making some good parts picks for me I wouldn't have done on my own, like the carbon bars or choosing the right headset spacers. I tend to hang onto my bikes for a long time, so I was kinda old school & not up on the newer stuff like they were. I've had more trouble getting stubborn old parts off bikes than breaking new ones while wrenching.

Working on your bike at home can also pay off on the trail with knowledge & confidence - once after a minor fall I couldn't get my cleat back in the pedal, but when I looked down I saw it was because the pedal was attached to my shoe and only the axle was on the crank! Even though I didn't have the proper tool (who has C clip pliers with them?), I was able to re-attach it on the trail with a multitool & a rock & it saved me a lot of walking, probably in the dark.

Saw this thread showing in the forum list... From my perspective - learn to do everything you can! No reason why you or anyone (of any gender) who has an interest or any amount of mechanical inclination shouldn't be able to do the adjustments or repairs on your own bike. It can get you "out of the woods" on your wheels instead of your heels, and be a way to get satisfaction if you enjoy the project. As a long-time mechanic I have taught more of my female friends to do repairs than my guy buddies. I have to say one of the "fairer sex" is probably the best mechanic of all my local friends. She competed on a national-level adventure racing team and was the team's mechanic. She enjoyed it and is pretty darn good. Of course, I got a few midnight-before-the-race phone calls with a "how does this thing come off...?" questions, but really didn't mind. Tools and equipment can get expensive, and so can ruining an expensive part, but weigh the cost of having the tool (and how often you'll use it) against the cost of having it done as often as you will need. Also, the parts - as you learn you'll be able to do more. At the very least, know how to change a flat and adjust your gear and maybe brakes (if they are cable operated) for your rides so you can get out on your own. Some basic wheel-truing helps too - it doesn't have to be THAT straight if you have disc brakes! Just do it!

I had tinkered a bit in the past making adjustments and such. Kinda limited skills, but I could do some basic adjustments.

This fall, I decided that I wanted a 29er before next race season. I was shopping around and just happened to see a small Gary Fisher Paragon frame in the classifieds here on MTBR. I decided to go ahead and buy it. From there, I started asking around about parts and also started researching what I might want. I selected every part based on what I thought would work for me.

Now, I'm slowly putting it together. My husband got me a tool set and I've added some items (torque wrench, allen head sockets, etc). I also have a couple books (Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance and the Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair) and will research or ask questions on the internet when I need additional information. It is very slow going. I will spend a couple of hours and just get a few small parts assembled. However, I'm figuring it out and it's very cool to see it coming together.

For me, it's coming down to lots of research and just chipping away at it a bit at a time. I also step away from the project for the evening if I start to get frustrated or confused at all. Usually, when I go back to it with a fresh outlook a day or two later, I have the patience and a clear mind to figure out what was stumping me. I'm hoping to have it done this week....Yay!!!!

This is great! This year for Christmas I asked mostly for tools and a repair stand. I received a lot of raised eyebrows, but I was serious! I made a list of tools I would need for my first build (despite the fact that a lot of people say you can make your own headset press). I got the stand, the Big Blue Book (hooray!), hex wrenches, bottom bracket tool, and shop hammer. I've been slowly accumulating other tools like crankset puller, cable cutters and things like that. I just purchased a star nut setter and crown race setter. Mind you, I don't plan on tackling this all by myself just yet - my friend has generously offered to be around to supervise and offer suggestions. I installed my seatpost collar and seatpost and saddle, and I got my rims lined with tape and installed my tubes and tires on my wheels myself and installed my rotors. Put my grips and brake levers on my handlebars. Next step is to have my bottom bracket faced and chased and the headtube and fork faced as well and make sure they are ready for installation. I never even gave that a thought before coming on here and finding out that unless they say that has already been done before the frame ships out it's a good idea to have it checked/done before installing parts if you want them to go on smoothly and last. I'm a stickler for details and don't want to do anything haphazardly so now it's off to a shop to have that part done. But I'm really excited about the whole process and love learning how to do all of this. I am getting so much satisfaction in being able to do things myself and knowing if it breaks, I can at least diagnose and hopefully fix it.
Great stories - keep 'em coming!

I love wrenching on our bikes and find it very rewarding. I started with shift cables as these have to be replaced often, and have worked into fork installation, hydraulic brake bleeding, and now I can build a new frame up from the ground. The only thing I dont do is build/true wheels, work on frame pivots, or get inside the forks other than to change a spring. The Park book is great and so is their website. Whatever you cant find there can be found elsewhere on the web. The first time you do something it will take 3x longer than it should, but this will improve over time. The advantages are many; no waiting for the shop, no driving to the shop, understanding your bike on a new level, knowing that you did the job right, with none of the distractions that the poor bike shop guys have to deal with all the time.

Yep. Been working on my bikes since the 80's when I built a Scapin SLX frame with Record, then later upgraded to Index shifting.

Now there are newer technologies like suspension and hydraulic brakes and I've been learning as I go. Just did the air shock service on my RP23 rear shock, and bled my brakes.

Best advise I can give is to have the right tools and instructions, and don't try to do more than you are comfortable doing. Manufacturer sites and sites like Park offer instructions; look at those first before deciding if you can do it or if it is better done at the LBS.

At a minimum, any serious cyclist who wishes to do their own basic repair should be able to:
A. Fix a flat and repair a tube.
B. Adjust cable brakes (if you have those).
C. replace brake shoes and center hydraulic brakes.
D. Adjust shifting and replace shift cables.
E. Replace chain and replace bad links.

Many of those things may need to be done on the trail, so I consider them essential to learn even if you don't plan to do regular wrenching. And the best time to learn them is not when you are stuck on a ride.

Just got my bottom bracket faced and chased and had my head tube faced too - so it should be ready to go - as soon as I am ready !

Have most of you installed your own bottom brackets/cranksets before? Mine is external and I've watched it done before - just a bit nervous...I just think about what can go wrong if you cross-thread it or what if I can't get enough torque myself? I have a wonderful guy friend who is more than willing to help - but I'd love to surprise him by showing up with a few things that I did myself...apart from the wheels and rotors and seatpost/collar/saddle.
Another question - have any of you worked in a shop before - or just volunteer and observe? I don't really care so much about getting paid - I just want to learn - and if it did lead to a few paid hours here and there then that would just be gravy. I have never seen women wrenching before in a shop and not sure how someone would take it...laugh and think it's a big joke or get stoked that a woman was interested in that kind of thing?