Wonderful news, Lewis; I'm sure all will turn out well and with a happy outcome. I can't wait to hear the results and a ride report!
As for DIY and tools...as with everything else, it is an acquired skill. I got started thanks to a series of very, very bad bike shop repairs. I figured I couldn't possibly do worse, and I was right; I did much better!
The trick for me was to purchase the tools as I needed them for the task at hand. It is amazing how little is needed at first; a good multi-tool with chain cutter, some tire levers, a quality adjustable wrench and the cone wrenches needed for your own hubs aren't a huge investment and are more versatile than dedicated shop tools that will indeed last longer under production use. Add in a set of nice cable-cutters, a good spoke wrench and a cassette lockring tool or freewheel remover, and you're set for probably 90% of common repairs, both at home and while on-tour. A good bench-mounted vise gets you to probably 95% at home.
Specialist repairs can still be contracted out to the LBS or tools acquired as necessary, but then it becomes a matter of frequency of use; should you contract for services, or will you use those specialist tools often enough to make their cost worthwhile?
Over some 35 years is I now have a complete set of tools, lacking only BB threaders/facers, headtube facers, and crown race cutters. As infrequently as I build my hobbyist frames, I simply carted them by a "real" framebuilder's and paid for those jobs to be done there, piggybacking on their regular production prep. Bruce Gordon faced my head tubes and lathe-turned my fork crown races back in the day when he lived here; so did Gary Hale*. Going a bit at a time, I bought good-quality tools for less than the cost of a single LBS job, and then owned the tools for the next go-'round, incurring only parts costs thereafter. I've taught formal bike-repair classes in the past as part of my tour leadership, and it is wonderful to see the light bulb go on as people gain the confidence and familiarity to do their own repairs. It is empowering -- and really useful for touring!
As for possible damage, quality parts tend to be made to more consistent levels and are less likely to strip, so long as one respects the torque ratings of the fasteners. Even this can be overcome pretty easily with a small torque wrench if "feel" comes hard.
So, Lewis, it isn't too hard or too expensive, once one gets over the initial hurdle. For expertise, lots of people now go to the Park Tools website, where many tutorials are online:
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-helpAll the best,
Dan.
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*[People sometimes ask why I call myself a "hobbyist" builder, and if I will build a frame for them. I
build occasionally because it is sort of the ultimate in DIY bike repair, requiring design, engineering, and craftsman skills. It was also an education that greatly increased my understanding and appreciation for bicycles. I'm a
hobbyist builder because it is really expensive in terms of time, effort, tools and liability insurance to build frames professionally. It is hard, hard work even with automated machines, and not very profitable. Thanks to a lifetime of overuse, my hands aren't what they once were, and I have to pick and choose how I use them now. Legal liability and torte claims are a huge problem here in the States, requiring millions of dollars in insurance coverage. I won't make frames for others 'cos the potential for financial loss is too great; even if the owner didn't sue due to some unforeseen mishap, medical insurers will. In an attempt to recover costs, they'll go back through previous sales to find someone to hold responsible and the builder is often put in a position of having to prove their construction was not a contributor to, say, hitting a parked car.
Instead, I have fun building the sorts of frames for myself that are hard to come by commercially or pique my interest: Full-sus small-wheeled Folders and recumbents, modifications to existing frames, custom tubular steel racks, and the like. It is a bit like woodworking as a hobby. You can make a really nice table for yourself with a lot of pride and craftsmanship and premium woods, or you pick one up as a kit at IKEA, perfectly serviceable and ready to go for not much fuss or cost. Both are tables; whichever you choose depends on many factors at the time.
A quality bicycle/frame like Thorn's is actually a bargain. All the work is done, and you're buying a completed product that has been tested and proven. The company and/or contracted builder has invested in the tooling and labor, and you get the final product to enjoy for a lifetime. Not a bad deal! Weighing all factors, it is why I bought a Thorn expedition touring bike rather than make my own.
This addendum is waaay out there for a discussion of tools and even further from Lewis' attempts to find the perfect bike and the best drivetrain for his needs, which is why I made it an addendum. I don't want to dilute or hijack the thread, so I'll stop here, adding a couple links for those interested in the ehm, "realities" of professional framebuilding:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/default/assets/resources/20130201_BruceGordon_D%27Ambrosio.pdfhttp://lovelybike.blogspot.com/2012/10/bruce-gordon-was-nice-to-me.htmlhttp://www.richardsachs.com/site/2012/01/01/good-career-advice-if-anyone-will-take-it/ -- Dan.]
