Home Wrench: Don’t be such an internet mechanic

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So you're tech savvy and like to do some of your own maintenance? Great. It’s likely that at some point you’ve been working on your bike, found something isn’t quite right and reached out to the World Wide Web for rescue. Often it provides a lifeline, but hunt for something a little more complex, obscure or older and you may well be scrolling forums for hours. Below are my tips on when to look online, and when to resort to 'old fashioned' resources like local shops or books.

Related: Home Wrench – Dave Rome's collected workshop ramblings

Don’t get me wrong – the internet has made it possible for many to fix their own bikes successfully. The likes of YouTube, large online stores, media and tool brands that provide detailed ‘how to’ guides, and helpful mechanics who browse forums are all great. However, occasionally there are times where the internet is as useful as a fax machine without paper. 

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Now, I understand the irony of ranting about the internet on the internet as an employee of an internet-based business. But stay with me for a few minutes.

Finding oddball information

If you’re dealing with an older product, you’re swimming upstream against the search-engine river. Because of the way Google works, it’s highly likely these older component manuals, how-to’s and exploded diagrams are absolutely buried beyond the first 10 pages (and you stopped looking after page 2). 

Shopping

1. Just as you shouldn’t believe everything told to you by strangers in person, don’t believe everything you read online. 
2. If your go-to online bike store doesn’t have a part, never assume it doesn’t exist or can't be obtained. 
3. If a repair procedure calls for a specific and expensive tool that you don’t own (nor want to buy), consider paying someone that does own that tool to do the work (in other words, a shop).
4. Exploded diagrams offered by the relevant brands are great. If there’s a part number, chances are your bike store can get the part. However, if you can’t find the right exploded diagram, it may be something hidden from public view. In this case, call the brand or visit a shop that stocks the brand.
5. Certain repair-help books as Zinn & the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance remain an invaluable resource for reliable and organized content on certain repair tasks.
6. Plenty of old (non-mechanical related) goodness can be found here. Goodbye productivity!

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