Independent bike maintenance

I only started using disc brakes when I moved to my current house. My commute was suddenly quite long, so I needed a good bike to perform it every day in speed and comfort! So first I bought a road bike. It had excellent brakes, but they were very noisy. And the bike surely was fast, but not very comfortable, so I sold it on to someone who prioritised speed.

Then I bought a gravel bike; also second hand. It also had disc breaks. And the pads were worn when I bought it. I had let the local bicycle shop do the maintenance of my road bike, but now it was time to step up my game and start doing it myself. But I was allowed to ease myself into this! When I mentioned this chore to Martin, he offered to help me. And he did most of the work. And so I had absolutely perfect brakes.

In this country, do you need your brakes. You wear them out a lot quicker than in the Netherlands! So I had already noticed a while ago I needed to replace my pads. And that is something that moves itself up your priority list. They are, after all, a matter of life or death. So one day when I was in Bangor anyway, I bought two new sets of pads. Next time I need to replace them I have a spare set ready!

It was time to find out if I could do it without Martin. And just replacing them is quite easy. Adjusting them then is the difficult part. The front brakes were okay very soon, but the back brake needed a bit of adjustment. I had to improvise a bit as I missed a particular allen key. I will need to buy that one! Maybe next time I am in the vicinity of the bike shop.

I never reached Martin levels of perfection, but it was good enough for me! And as it so happened, I went up the hill to have tea with him not long after I was done. On the way up I tend to not use my brakes. But on the way down I noticed how much better they worked! I am satisfied. I think the bike needs some professional maintenance anyway, but at least I can replace brake pads. And I am good for normal braking, and emergency stops, for months to come!

Look; no help!