From the ????!!@#$%$%#(* of Bike Maintenance + Slop Season [bicycling]

Yesterday I noticed that my front right brake pad kept rubbing, so right before leaving for work this morning, I thought, "Well, maybe I should just go ahead and replace the brake pads."

In doing so, I noticed that the brake shoe was kind of wiggly. When I went to tighten it, the bolt snapped.

Things were wedged in such a way that I had to hacksaw the adjustable washer off.

Partway through hacksawing, before I just took the whole brake lever off and stuck it in the vise in the basement:



Finally apart:



With this, I am no longer convinced that replaceable brake pads are an improvement over just replacing the entire brake shoe.

And now, slop season seems to have begun in earnest. We are forecasted to get 2-4 inches of snow today, so I deployed the work watering can to rinse off Frodo once I finally reached campus.

Today's weather was actually much more pleasant to ride in than Sunday's weather, where the snow squalls stuck to the ground in the form of (textured) ice. But it's also going to wear out Frodo's components in the blink of an eye, and I'm not convinced the rear axle replacement parts are going to hold up for very long.

Mandatory online training commentary.

It's that time of year when I am required to complete a series of online mandatory training modules.

One of the things that drives me absolutely bonkers about these modules is when they contain completely unnecessary animations and sound effects.

I *have* encountered modules that are fine. In particular, the Red Cross has a very thoughtful and engaging online training program for first aid and CPR basics.