New Bike Stuff

As pointed out by everyone on the Easter holiday I had worn down my brake pads so far you couldn't see that there had ever been grooves or even pads nearly. Which isn't considered to be a good thing.

This meant the installation of new pads (after I got back from hols and had risked life and limb whilst there), which was carried out by Mr Smith, who rightly commented on how shit and hard to set up my brakes were. And that my levers didn't seem to work too good. This is all very true - the lever bit being at least in part from when I rode straight into the the corner of my garden wall having forgotten to do up the brakes one day. The brunt of the impact was taken by the lever body deforming it not a little and preventing the lever clicking back far enough and the brake disengaging properly.

Anyway, it was decided (and vetted by the boss) that I must have new brakes, levers etc. etc. I now have these. And they are lovely. They are a pair of Avid Arch Rivals with SD7 levers, and they stop you very quickly, if that's what you want. They also stop you very slowly if need be - you just have to remember that you don't need to squeeze the bejesus out of the levers anymore.

I'm telling you 1. cause I can't think of anything better to tell you at the mo' and 2. because when Mr Smith renewed the brakes on his bike (and generally tweaked them) and Ste subsequently borrowed the bike Ste managed to do a kinda evil Knievel somersault over the handlebars, whilst moving at slow speed on a clear piece of freshly tarmaced road. Apparently he gently squeezed the brakes and the front wheel locked up. Muppit.

So Ste, consider yourself warned.