This week there were only three of us this week: Jim, Ryan, and me. We chose to ride Glacial Park this week – this time without all the rain and slop.
After many months of procrastination, I finally gave my rim a fresh grind and swapped the loathsome Echo TR hydraulic disc brake on my front wheel with the Avid BB7 mechanical disc brake. This was the first ride following the well-needed maintenance.
Having the fresh grind really helped, so I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long! I think I need to get a fresh grind more often. I’m not used to having the rear wheel not slip.
Alex gave me his Avid BB7 mechanical disc brake to replace my Echo brake after he swapped the disc for a front rim brake, so it has a some normal wear and tear, but works great. The Echo TR disc brake just doesn’t have the same stopping power. I already rebuilt it once when the seals leaked, but I still didn’t like it. Additionally, it was a pain to get it adjusted to where I wanted it, and the retainer pin for the lever will not stay in (the set screw constantly backs out). One of the things I love about the Avid brake is that the distance each brake pad from the rotor is independently adjustable, so you don’t need to mess around with shims. Since they’re mechanical, they don’t need to be bled and can’t leak. I love these things!
Anyway, yeah my bike was set up pretty well (finally!) for this week’s group ride. But of course, the group ride wasn’t all about me and my bike. I always enjoy watching the other guys ride as well. Ryan had some sick lines and Jim kicked it into ‘beast mode’ for a few moves.
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