Brakes only lasted 6 months?

[robz400]

What do you lot do to your brakes? I've done about 3500 miles on my bike since I got it and I'm nowhere near the wear mark on the original blocks.

+1

I thought I'd better check mine after reading this lot, 700 miles and they still look brand new

I'm wondering if people are trying save money by using lumps of cheddar instead

 

[RedBike]

andy in sig - I thought they might be even worse to look after. I have arthritis in my hands which makes it difficult with fiddly things. The bike shop is 8 miles each way with hills and I cant ride that far, so if I get my mum to take the bike in can I put disc brakes on any bike. I have the appollo 24s, halfords replacement for the first one.

I raised my handlebars last night which they said I couldnt do. They are up about 4 ", much more comfortable, no cramps in my hands today and my elbows and forearms didnt cramp this morning either.

I am going to move my seat more forwards again today, as I did that then moved it back, but find I am constantly sliding forwards on the downhills.

It may come from riding the pony, I just feel more comfortable upright and not slumped forward with all my weight on my hands and arms. I have been having lots of pain and swelling in my hand and elbows in particular since it got colder. I make sure I have my elbows bent to keep my arms soft, that is difficult with weight on them.

Is it practical to try and turn my handlebars round so they are closer to me?
How much are disc brakes including fitting?
Thanks andy you are always so much help.

No you can't fit disc brakes to any bike. The frame and the forks need to have disc brake mounts.
You will probably need new wheels, say £100 and you will obviously need the disc brakes themselves, say another £100, plus fitting, £25. This is assuming there's no complications with your gears (which is highly likely with a 6/7speed Apollo),

You can buy really cheap disc brake 'kits' for about £75 but they're probably not as good as the V-brakes you've currently got. Don't even think about cheap cable discs!

As for raising your handlebars. The shop said it couldn't be done but you managed to raise them anyway? - To be honest I'm slightly worried. (probably completely unnecessarily) If you hold the front brake on can you rock the bike backwards and forwards?

You can rotate the actual handlebar (not the stem) so that the grips are slightly closer to you. You will obviously need to loosen the gear shifter and brakes off to twist them back into the correct position.

You might however be better off in the long term with buying a new stem. If you call into a good bike shop they should be able to let you try a few / help recommend one.

 

[RedBike]

Can't believe some people have been through as set of pads/blocks in a day! The pads on my Giant TCR2 lasted 3000 miles and on my MTB the pads in my hydraulic shimano disk setup have lasted about 1500 miles.

lol, I've gone a set of Shimano resin disc brake pads in just one ride before now! (Which is why I now use Hope disc brakes with fully sintered pads.)

Ask a group of MTBers riding around the Peak district (Or some other muddy / gritty location) how long their pads last.