this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2025
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Fuck Cars

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I can't fix brakes. I watched videos, i see what they do, but when I do it, they are still bad.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I’m somewhat relieved that I’m not the only one.

Bikes would be a commodity where a subscription model would actually make sense. You make my bike go vroom vroom and I give you Earth moneys in return. But somehow only shit is subscription based these days.

* Yes, I know bikes don’t go vroom. But what is the onomatopeia for a bike?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I have a bike subscription! They are fairly common in major metro areas like NYC, Philly, Boston, DC, Montreal but they are typically called bikesharing and not bike subscription because you aren't subscribing to a single working bike, you are subscribing to a network of working bikes, which actually works really well from the perspective of not worrying about it getting stolen or finding a secure place to store it. Harder to manage in lower density areas though, of course

[–] kent_eh 1 points 1 week ago

Yes, I know bikes don’t go vroom.

You could put a card in the spokes like we did when we were kids...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

From a childhood of dealing with them myself, my best guess is you don't have them resting close enough to the wheel. They need to be just a few millimeters away otherwise your brakes are mushy and weak

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My issue is more the brake cables than the brake pads. The cable is too loose, then it is too tight, its never just right.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Have you tried messaging with the barrel adjuster for the cable? I normally adjust the cable with the bolt to get roughly the right tension, then use the barrel adjuster to find tune it.