As the darker wetter mornings once again sweep into the British Isles, it’s time for bicycle fixing-up and winter lubricating.

But… which replacement brake pads for a Halfords Apollo Phaze? I couldn’t discover this from the official manual, or from online sources. I did have what I thought were some replacement pads, from an older bike, but it turned out that the steel posts on them were too thick for the slots on the Phaze.

Go Outdoors had run out of pads today, so fortune took me tromping up the hill to Halfords itself. And there the helpful chap at the bike bay was able to point me to these on the fully stocked racks, as perfect for the Apollo Phaze… Clarks 70mm brake pads / threaded post/ Mtb / hybrid, where ‘Mtb’ stands for mountain bike.

The tool needed for fitting is seen sticking up in the picture. You may also need the same-but-thicker tool to get your old pads off, if the old ones have a larger holding nut. But most Swiss Army-style bike-tool sets should have both tools.

Not all the nuts and washers that fit onto the new steel post will be needed. In order to get my new brake pads on, with space between the wheel and the pad, I needed to leave one off.

Hopefully this information will help someone in the same situation, at some point in the future.