Pay vs. Play

One of the benefits of getting older is understanding your limits and the value of your time. While I truly LOVE puttering in my basement workshop waxing skis, tuning bikes, cleaning guns, tieing up steelhead rigs, and other pursuits, I now realize that sometimes there are things I should pay someone else to do for me. For years I was the worst possible combination - handy and cheap. I hated paying people to do things I thought I should be able to figure out.

This week, I picked up some parts to get my road bike tuned up. It's about due for new cables and bar tape. Cables are no sweat. The perfect no-brainer, drink a beer project. I think I've done them about 3,453 times in my life. But properly taping road bars is another thing. Done right, it's a thing of beauty that actually adds to the appearance of a well-maintained bike. Done wrong, it's a visual nightmare that's also uncomfortable to ride. Plus, I do it once every 3-4 years, so I forget what the little tricks are. This year for the first time, I decided to pay the bike shop to do that for me. Big step.

Spooling up fly reels is another. I have friends who insist its no big deal and do it themselves. But fly shops have machines that tension the line evenly, as the knowledge to distribute the line correctly across the arbor. Plus, most don't even charge for it if you're buying line from them.

All of that said, I am looking forward to spending a couple of hours wrenching on my own bike tonight!

-Sean-