The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: Imustacheyouaquestion on December 15, 2014, 08:36:09 AM
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I do most bike maintenance myself, but a nagging creaking sound was driving me nuts lately. This weekend, a local bike co-op was hosting free winter tune-ups at a craft fair. I biked over (creak and all) and let one of their mechanics take a test ride. We figured out the source of the problem (dirt/grit stuck in the unsealed pedal bearing).
He suggested buying new pedals (~$12) because it was easiest. I asked how difficult it would be to clean and overhaul the pedal myself, and the mechanic was impressed I was interested in trying. A few YouTube videos later, I had disasembled, cleaned and repacked everything with fresh grease.
Such a good feeling of accomplishment in learning how to face a problem, identify the root cause, and fix it yourself. In terms of labor costs, I almost certainly would have saved money just buying and installing a set of new pedals. But this pedal was a great example of MMM's tenet that learning to DIY is like paying yourself to learn a new skill!