still think it's best to do stuff yourself vickster.
I agree with this in principle, but I'm with
@vickster for mudguards. I think you should know how to fix things that go wrong with your bike, so you can get home if that is possible when something goes wrong, and so you know your bike is in good working order generally.
Mudguards, however, are different. They are a bitch to fit (mostly) and if they go wrong on a ride, the fix is to remove them. No deep skill required.
@atalanta, if you are ok with fixing punctures, fitting tyres, adjusting brakes, replacing brake blocks, replacing cables, adjusting gears (etc), then try your hand at fitting mudguards. If not, concentrate on learning those skills and pay someone to fix the mudguards.
(I eventually took on bike maintenance when my folder was returned to me 3 times with basic things not done. The first 2 times it was bolts not properly tightened - bolts that were specific to my particular model of folder. So I took it for service to a shop that sold that model, and ended up getting a new rear wheel, derailleur and cassette, and found they hadn't set the HI-LO limiters correctly, something so fundamental I still regret not reporting to the shop owner. Bottom line, I realised that to make myself safe, I had to service it myself. That does not extend to mudguards
)
