Help others

As much as we wish it wasn’t the case, we cyclists are unloved by everyone else not on a bike. So we’ve got to stick together and build a strong community. Armed with knowledge about the inner workings of your bicycle, you will be able to contribute to the community by lending your knowledge to others. Through this process, you will discover the truly excellent, helpful bike shops and mechanics in your area. Through trial and inevitable error, you will learn which tools, parts and brands are reliable. All of this can be passed down to others and will knit the community together.

Contribute to a better industry

It's no coincidence that Specialized is dropping press-fit bottom brackets in favor of now-antiquated threaded designs. BBs that press into frames, even with the tightest manufacturing tolerances, start out noisy and eventually become insufferable. Threaded designs do not. But Specialized (and Moots, as it would happen) are responding to pressure from riders. When you buy good, reusable, repairable bikes and components, you signal to shops and manufacturers that this stuff is desirable.

When you grow your knowledge of bike parts and how they work together (or don't), you can have more informed conversations with mechanics and retailers. When more mechanics and retailers have more of these conversations, they will be happier, and they'll be more helpful to new cyclists. Your relationship with your shop will improve, especially after you're very nice and very thankful about having them repair something you've screwed up when you build your own bike the first time.