I’m utterly technically inept but want to learn how to look after my own bike more. This is mainly driven by being poor. I’ve managed to fit a set of brakes (which I’m impressed with) and the next step is shortening the hoses. Does anybody have some pointers, do’s and dont’s, that sort of thing. I’ve got a bleed kit ready for afterwards, but I’m slightly nervous about the shortening bit.

Any tips (and piss taking of my poor skills) are greatly appreciated.

Which brakes?

TRP Slate G-Spec

For the Hope ones, you just undo the compression bolt at the lever end, remove the barb and the bolt and whatnot, cut to desired length, unsquish the central bit, and put it back together. Doesn’t even need bleeding.

There’s a video somewhere, and I imagine yours are quite similar.

It’s very easy but you absolutely must get a proper cutter for the hose or you’ll make a mess of it. A nice clean/neat cut makes it easy to put the barb in and then reassemble. Takes a couple of minutes at the most and doesn’t usually need bleeding again.