So, I have a set of Deore disc brakes just landed on the doormat.

Never fitted brakes before – what advice can you offer a complete mechanical numpty?

(I’m hoping to just fit them as they are pre-bled, and I’ll worry about shortening hoses if/when required later)

don’t squeeze the levers without a disc in the caliper.

Whack em on, but leave the bolts that hold the caliper to the mount lose. Hold lever closed and tighten up bolts. Fix hoses inplace, Off you go….

Do not get muck/grease/oil on the rotor.

Once fitted, bed them in well with some huge stoppies down the hill.

It’s worth spending time making sure the caliper is perfectly centred over the disk and perfectly in line with it.

Keep your fingers away from the caliper and disk when the wheel is spinning!

Don’t put your fingers in the disc +1!

what advice can you offer a complete mechanical numpty

Erm…

Make sure the orange spacers are in place. Put the levers on an old handlebar & pull the levers back harder than you would on the bike and secure them there with some cable ties or elastic bands

Hang the bar up so the calipers are lower than the levers but not hanging by the hoses

Leave them like that for a day or two

Release and re-apply the levers a few times during this time

If the levers are absolutely rock-solid and haven’t crept closer to the bars fit them on your bike

Hmmmm, it all looks quite straight forward on the YouTube videos as well.

Maybe this old dog will have a new trick by the end of the evening….