I received an email this morning from a guy I sold my first 29er build-up to sometime ago--I think two years-ago if I recall correctly. He was asking about replacing the brake fluid in an old set of Hayes Hydraulics I sold him with the bike. The build-up consisted of parts taken from other bikes I bought new -- all take-offs from those frames. Nothing flashy or light weight or expensive in price. The fact that nothing is wrong with it after the duration of time he has enjoyed riding is a testament to the strength of these heavier parts. It was a good to see; it gave me the assurance that the bike was a good fit for him and his larger size. When he bought the bike, I told him to come back to me if he ever needed any help fixing something; maybe a question about the mechanics and anything else he needed.
I thought of two things after seeing the bike again: one, how cool it was he was riding enough to notice a difference in pressure he created from simple use as he squeezed the lever to slow to a stop. Two, he was enjoying riding enough to use the bike for what it was intended for--riding trails, going off-road in the surrounding area and ultimately, getting some much needed exercise we all need on a daily basis. He, safe to say, is now hooked on riding and makes any excuse every Monday and Tuesday after work to get away so he can go and ride. (He owns a restaurant locally and is around food prepared from family recipes all day long). Now he's thinking of how he can make it lighter, faster on the trails, and so on -- what configurations to ride when he is out there that best match the terrain. Again, how cool is that?
The former educator in me comes out when I have an opportunity to teach by explaining how an item works, which is what I found myself doing when helping him to figure-out what is going on with this caliper. I looked over the wear of this brake pad after popping it out of the caliper unit. After giving the brake handle a squeeze, I determined the unit itself was simply low on brake fluid since it was the one he used most frequently, the rear. This was an easy fix, but I did not have the syringe and fluid he needed at the time. After pouring through my mess of parts for seemingly everything bike-related, the container of brake fluid did not appear. This is odd because only two of my bikes do not use Hayes brakes, meaning the other three do. If I am out of something as essential as brake fluid, the very thing that helps you to stop, I had better have some laying around here somewhere.
I had no choice but to inform him he had to go to the local behemoth bike dealer to get those supplies. I told him what to look for (type, the color of the bottle and kit it comes in) so he would not be bamboozled by one of their salesmen. I haven't heard from him lately, but I have the impression that by this time, he has solved the problem on his own. I'd like to think my explanation has something to do with it, which is one thing I enjoy about turning people on to bikes and the sport of mountain biking. Being able to help people (my former customers) reminds me about how far I have come since building my first one around Christmas time a few years-ago. A great feeling to have.
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