The old saying that goes something like “You get what you pay for” no longer holds bearing in today’s world. Some so-called deals are legit, while others are clearly false. With the globe so interconnected and thousands of companies outsourcing the manufacturing of their products, some highly priced goods are no different from the bargains with many having been made in the same factory. How many times have you seen two items identical to each other in different instances being sold by two or more different companies? We all have. The bike industry (or any other industry) is full of product re-labeling.
This is not always a bad thing. Having products being available by discount stores that are the same products being made by a prestigious company benefit the penny pinchers as long as those products do not go to shit after a week or two. But what do you do if any manufacturer is not making a product you need? Do you give up and divert your attention elsewhere, or do you keep on trying with what resources you have?
If the product doesn’t do exactly what you want, then you have to live with it – even make excuses to yourself in extreme cases.. or go for another option… DIY.
DIY is not for everyone. Some people are forced into it because they can’t get exactly what they want, and others do it because they think they’ll save money. The number one reason for DIY is simple – fun.
Cycling is a lifestyle for most people, who involve their self with it enough to need to do a DIY project, and hobbies like this are meant to be fun – recreation at it’s best. In the same way that riding your bike is a recreational activity, so too is building/modifying your bike. As with all hobbies, there are new skills to learn, a complete jargon to master (that part is admittedly not so much fun), and something to show for it when it is completed.
DIY and cycling go together like peanut butter and jelly. There are complete sites involved with it, and entire sections of instructables with people making bits for their bikes. It really is a big part of the sense of pride or ownership of being a cyclist regardless of your involvement level.
In this blog, DIY is going to be a big part of the content, just because I spend so much time tinkering with things just because of boredom, necessity, or having too much money. Expect to see more, and you may even want to try a project out yourself. Stay tuned.
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler
WV Cycling 
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