What to do? I’m not mechanically inclined, but there’s no bike shop where I live.

QUESTION: I love to ride my bicycle, but I’m not mechanically inclined, so I have always relied on a local bike shop to keep my bike operating in good condition. But now, I’ve relocated for a new job, and there’s no bike shop in or even near the community where I live. Any suggestions? — O. C.

RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: The first thing I’d try is to look for other riders in your town and ask them how they get repairs done. They may know of someone locally who works on bikes as a side-gig, or they may do their own work and be willing to help you out or coach you to do your own. 

Failing that, other cyclists may be able to tell you where they go when they need a bike shop. I too live in a town with no bike shop. (An internet search for “bicycle shop” in my area brings up “Walmart”) I do most of my own work, but when I do need the help of a shop, it’s an 80-mile round trip to get there — and if I have to leave the bike, which is usually the case, it’s another 80-mile round trip to retrieve it after the servicing is complete. But the drive, while not convenient, is not impossible. 

Depending on where you live, you may be able to call a mobile bicycle repair service such as Velofix or Velotooler, where the bike shop comes to you. At present, these services are not available everywhere in the United States. (Velofix and Velotooler have bases scattered across the nation, but Boomerang, for example, only services customers in Ohio.) However, some of these services also offer an online consultation, so you may be able to get that sort of help even if their vans don’t serve your area.

Since you can’t easily get to a bike shop, that makes routine maintenance of your bike doubly important, for keeping up with that will reduce the number of visits to the shop you are likely to need. And whether you are a DIY person or not, you can surely learn some basic maintenance procedures. (Jim Langley, RBR’s technical editor, provides a good intro to basic maintenance here and here.)

Beyond that, however, think about what you mean by “not mechanically inclined.” If you mean you have real distaste for mechanical work, then you probably don’t want to go anywhere near doing your own repairs. But many people who say they are not mechanically inclined really mean they have no knowledge or experience or intuition that gives them confidence to even attempt their own work. They may even fear that they will do more harm than good. But some of those folks, once given a little guidance and pointed to the right tools, find that they actually can do some work successfully, and even find pleasure and satisfaction in doing so.

If there’s a possibility that you might be in the latter category, consider the following:

• Unlike a car, where most mechanical issues are under the hood or buried in complex assemblies, most bicycle parts that need routine attention are right out in the open and easy to get to.
• The internet has loads of articles, forums (e.g., Reddit’s r/bikewrench) and video tutorials that tell or show you how to accomplish not only common bike repairs but even more complex ones.
• A few basic repairs can be accomplished with common tools you may already have on hand, but bicycle-specific tools are available from online vendors at reasonable prices, and you can acquire them singly as you need them. 
• Bike parts are also available online.

If you think it’s lack of knowledge and experience holding you back from attempting your own repairs, try this: Buy a cheap used bike to practice on. It doesn’t have to be a good quality steed and it’s almost better if it needs some repairs. You may be able to find one for as little as $50 in Facebook’s Marketplace or similar sites. The idea is to acquire a bike in which you have such a small investment that even if you make a “fatal” mistake working on it, there’s no great loss. But look for one that is equipped similarly to your good bike — that is, if your bike has gears and derailleurs, for example, look for one that also has gears and derailleurs, even if they are much cheaper components. 

Once you have the bike, disassemble it, making some photos and notes about where on the bike the various parts belong. If you get stuck, look for online videos that show you how to do the disassembly — which will also show you what tools you need.

Next, reassemble the bike, but if there are things that obviously should be replaced — for example, a broken, frozen or frayed shift cable or a mangled derailleur — order the parts and practice installing them. Consult videos and forums as needed.

You may be able to restore the bike sufficiently so that it’s rideable again. If so, keep it for a bad weather bike, donate it to someone or even relist it for sale online (see some other ideas here). But the point is, you will now have some bike repair knowledge, experience and tools — perhaps enough to attempt the next fix your good bike needs.

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Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.