Thread: Bikes nearly as complicated as cars and other ramblings

Having just returned to cycling after a 20+ year break I'm still coming to terms with the advances that have been made in the technology on bikes.

Yesterday was spent bleeding the hydraulic disc brake system on the Mountain bike and then there was some fine tuning to do on the front derailleur on the road bike. The disc brake bleed job required a special bleed kit (Avid kit $70) and took about 2 hours to get done. Its not a job id reccommend for a complete beginner as there are a few traps that can get you in a bind....forgetting to put a spacer in between the pads before bleeding is one trap and another common gaff is to work the brakes with the wheel off the bike (pistons pop out and then you have to lever them back in with a spanner). The brake fluid on the avid systems is corrosive on paintwork so cleaning up as you go is essential.

Anyway got it all done and today its back to training for the Public stage of the Tour Down Under. 110km from Woodside to Goolwa (not riding the full stage - 160km). The big question is the weather on the day.....if temps get over 40degC then they'll probably cancel the event....that will mean over 7000 disappointed cyclists.