Probably most of you do this sort of thing all time, but I’ve never been much of a mechanic, so this was a bit of milestone for me, and maybe it will help inspire someone else to take your safety and comfort into your own hands:
I’ve been fighting my V-brakes the last few months, trying to get by just adjusting the cables, which is all I really knew how to do. But gradually the brakes reached the point where no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get enough stopping power to be safe on the streets. If I needed to stop at the bottom of a hill, I basically needed to put my feet down on the ground. I eventually realized the problem was that the pads were just not providing enough friction even when they seemed to be squeezing the tires well enough.
Anything beyond the most basic maintenance has always meant a trip to the LBS for me. But they are 3-4 weeks out on repairs right now, so I decided to try dealing with this myself. First I watched some YouTube videos – what did we do before that? – and disassembled my brakes enough to confirm my pads were badly worn. I learned I could squeeze a little more life out of them with some sandpaper, and I used the little square from my tire repair kit for that. I also finally learned how the pad position and spring tension adjustments worked – these had always been mysterious, and if I fiddled with them at all it was by trial and error. When I put it all back together I was impressed at what a difference just that bit of maintenance had made, but I also knew the pads really needed to be replaced. So, I went for one last ride on the old pads – to the LBS to buy a new set. It cost barely $20 for four of them, and less than an hour of my time to install them and get them adjusted far better than I had ever managed before. I think they work “almost” as well as after a professional tuneup.
I’m not sure what’s more satisfying – the feeling of being able to stop on a dime, or knowing that I did it myself. But anyhow, my PSA for anyone who needs to hear it: if your V-brakes aren’t doing what they should, take the time to learn to maintain them yourself. It’s not hard, it’s not expensive, it doesn’t take much time, and what a difference it can make!
by MarcSabatella