Today I finished my latest project - building out my own bicycle.  Technically, I didn't build my own bike of course, because I started with my old frame.  But I stripped it down completely and replaced all the components including the whole drive train, and (with one small exception) I did it all myself.  For a long time now, I've wanted to learn more about bike maintenance - for lots of reasons, but not least of which is that, when I volunteer with Bike the US for MS, it's fun (and useful) to be able to help other people with their bikes.  And there were some pieces, like installing a rear derailleur or changing cranks, that I wasn't too familiar with.  But I am now!  Huge thanks to the El Camino Bike Shop, and in particular Ernie, who entertained my amateur questions and was really patient and kind.  He also did the one part that I decided was a little too obscure to bother with, which was changing the bottom bracket (you need specialized tools that I would never use again, and it's not something you would ever do in the middle of a trip).  Also big thanks to Mike, who sold me 95% of the parts off one of his old bike and gave me a great "friends and family" discount.  I got the whole thing done, including a new rear wheel, for about $900 (some of which went towards tools that I can use again).  That probably sounds like a lot, but this is top of the line Ultegra DI2 electronic shifting gear that should last me a long, long time.  It would have cost a lot more to buy it retail and have a shop install it - probably about $2000 total, and I wouldn't have walked away with knowledge or the tools.

It feels really good to accomplish a longer-term goal like this, and I learned a ton about bike maintenance.  

On to the next goal!