Brake Replacement

Last night I took the evening for cleaning, fendering, and re-braking my bicycle. This was my first time replacing my own brakes! I felt more than mildly victorious for my achievements, though I did have some help from Todd Downs' The Bicycling Guide to Complete Bike Maintenance. This detailed tome presents good advice, followable instructions, and clear images for riders learning more about their bikes.

Below: The brake pad to the left is new; the brake pad to the right is only about 4 months old.

So much for doing taxes last night ...
... but a brake failure could be a lot worse than a tax break failure.