Bicycle work
Aug. 24th, 2016 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogI've always procrastinated about doing 'messy' maintenance on my bike, but once I actually do it, it's not that bad. That was true about starting to oil my chain regularly, and today it turned out to be true about grease. With a few things from the hardware store, I did an overhaul on my brake assemblies. The arms mount on metal studs that they rotate on, and for *years* the force of the brakes never seemed quite centered between the two arms, even after the overhaul I got done earlier this Summer.
Following instructions from the internet, I took the arms off, used Simple Green to clean everything, sanded the studs smooth with a 600-grit sandpaper, applied lithium-based waterproof grease, and reassembled. Not only is the movement centered now so I don't have to try to mount the wheel slightly off-center to compensate for unequal friction, but after adjustment the brakes are working the best I can remember them ever working. I'm proud of myself! Now I need to learn how to do something similar with Nathan's bike. He's biking to work most days now, and I want to make sure he's safe.
Following instructions from the internet, I took the arms off, used Simple Green to clean everything, sanded the studs smooth with a 600-grit sandpaper, applied lithium-based waterproof grease, and reassembled. Not only is the movement centered now so I don't have to try to mount the wheel slightly off-center to compensate for unequal friction, but after adjustment the brakes are working the best I can remember them ever working. I'm proud of myself! Now I need to learn how to do something similar with Nathan's bike. He's biking to work most days now, and I want to make sure he's safe.
