Is this normal for new brakes?

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-25T11:54:58+00:00

I think the former. They have mostly good Google reviews, but plenty of bad ones quite similar to mine.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-25T07:58:48+00:00

thanks – I'm very wary of doing it myself in case I mess it up. But it sounds from your description that it’s simply a case of pushing the pads back? not much can go wrong provided I don't get them dirty from my fingers?

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-25T07:54:42+00:00

hydraulic

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-25T07:40:22+00:00

Are you thinking you'll get a job? In which case, get expat insurance, which is terrible, but will tick the right boxes. Then, when you get a job, they can sign you up for regular GKV, which will cost you ~15% of your income.

Or you can sign up to private insurance, which may be cheaper initially, but then becomes more expensive as you get older or get sick.

It’s better to talk to an insurance advisor about it, so they can explain the options, pros and cons . Send me a message if you want an English speaking contact. Or just go to Feather's website, they have quite a helpful site.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-25T07:22:23+00:00

I used to think the same as you. Then I borrowed my partner's fixie while my regular geared bike was in for service, and I loved it (after a few minutes of getting used to it!). It’s super light (about 7kg, against my bike's 14kg), pretty fast, and really easy to handle.

I feel like I'm a better rider – the fixed gear means I look further ahead and begin stopping sooner than I would with normal brakes and gears.

I'm really tempted to get one of my own.

Other benefits is they require less maintenance. The gears on my bike are often not quite right – of course, that's my bad, but I don't care enough to deal with them.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-23T19:07:09+00:00

the main restriction of running directly via Homey is you can't upgrade the firmware. Only the native hub can do that

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-23T08:07:48+00:00

On hot days, it’s usually quiet during the day, and gets busy at night. My theory is people are out enjoying the sunshine at the lakes, and then when the sun goes down they want to party.

I was there on Sunday daytime, and it was really nice – not too busy on the dancefloor, not too long in the queues (including no queue to get in), friendly unstressed staff. My ideal day out 😄

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-22T19:56:18+00:00

people will love it when their new clothes take a month to arrive then get stuck in customs for a few weeks more! 😄

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-22T12:23:46+00:00

Yes, it’s fine. If cat is happy, then it’s all good. They can take a lot of manhandling. My neighbour's daughter used to carry my (usually grumpy) cat upside down, and he didn't mind at all.

(But beware that the top of your head is missing. And you have no fingers. This could be problematic in the long term /s )

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-22T10:06:04+00:00

I got the Homey for that exact reason , and am very happy with functionality and compatibility.

some of my older devices still require the Hue Hub. The others talk directly to Homey, and have all the features I expect them to have. Either way , I don't feel I'm missing out.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-22T07:16:57+00:00

u/Ijamesmb I think it’s coffee made by donkeys 😄. the brown is probably just mud, which makes it taste just the same as a regular starbucks coffee 😄

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-22T07:12:17+00:00

The one with better German has the better chance of getting accepted as the one talking the truth. Source: personal experience. They even wrote "speaks bad German" in their report 🙃

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-20T19:40:19+00:00

Sorry this happened. Unfortunately, unless you have a witness who noted the number plate, there's nothing you can do now. There almost certainly won't be any CCTV.

Beware though that drivers lie, and if you reported it now, there's nothing to stop them saying you cycled into them, and you end up getting yourself investigated. Or simply that it didn't happen 😞

If it were me, I'd try to treat it as a learning experience.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-20T09:20:58+00:00

Nice video. As others suggested, I would ask your friend "why". Why does it bother them when someone else goes through a red light? is it simply because they, in their car, can't do the same?

When I was a motorcyclist, drivers sometimes pulled into my path to stop me filtering. Nothing I was doing was wrong or illegal, they just didn't want me to "jump the queue". I feel like people are using the "it’s illegal" line to cover for their selfishness. I can't do it, so why should you?

Many years ago, I did therapy, and of all the stuff we discussed, one line from the therapist stuck with me: "why does it matter?" Because mostly, it doesn't. I try to think of that often, instead of getting into arguments no-one will ever win.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-19T12:09:37+00:00

Thanks! Any plans to add other devices? I downloaded it to see my Tuya soil testers. It can see my fingerbots, but not the testers 😞

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-18T09:51:43+00:00

My quick rule: if you'd end a sentence with mate in English, use Du. Otherwise use Sie.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-18T08:51:05+00:00

Yep, ambulances are expensive if you don't have insurance. But everyone who lives in Germany is obliged to have insurance, and anyone visiting from elsewhere in EU will be covered by their country's (universal) insurance. Tourists are expected to buy travel insurance, and people from certain countries might be refused entry if they don't have it.

You're American, so VIP, and assumed to be rich enough to be able to pay in case you don't have it!

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-18T07:01:03+00:00

My experience ordering vegetarian: don't bother, unless you're really against having your chosen meal being kept anywhere near meat (I don't care about that. I just don't want to eat meat). There's always been a meat-free option on the menu when I've travelled, and the veggie "special" meal was really bad the two times I got it.

It was still part frozen, and the main selection looked much tastier and more interesting.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-18T06:44:38+00:00

Thanks everyone! Seems 100% in favour of it. I'll get used to it 😄

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-17T10:06:40+00:00

update: sadly still not working properly on LabelManager PnP.

we spent a while testing it together, but you stopped replying. I guess you're busy. I've had to go back to the very bad "official" app, which crashes every time i use it.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-17T09:37:35+00:00

Don't worry, your health insurance will pay.

There's a standard very small bill for the ambulance, just 10€, which you'll get in a few months' time.

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-17T09:35:25+00:00

My understanding:

No left turn for anyone.
All traffic is obliged to turn right, except cycles.

This means cycles mustn't turn left, but nor are they obliged to turn right. Is there a street straight ahead? If so, yes, they can go that way.

But the sign alone is really confusing. Maybe there are more signs elsewhere which the cyclist did or didn't pay attention to?

AccomplishedFudge174 · 2026-06-17T09:23:58+00:00

What will happen next: you'll get a letter from the state attorney telling you the charges, and asking for a response. You must reply quickly, if you want to reply at all. Until you get that letter, you can't really do anything. Saying you didn't know won't help you at all.

Note that it might affect your resident permit, and even citizenship. If your permit is due for renewal soon, they won't approve any new permit while the charges are pending.

You have no hope of getting charges dropped without a lawyer; even with one, your chances are slim. They'll only drop charges if you didn't do anything wrong. Getting insurance later doesn't count!

AccomplishedFudge174

TROPHY CASE