1. Realize your lever is close to the handle bars and brakes sound like rocks grinding on steel.
2. Go to bike shop and buy two sets of pads for $50. Exclaim that you can get pads for your mazda from rock auto for the same price and they last 40,000 miles not 4 months.
3. Remove wheel and remove old pads, then see if you can push in the pistons far enough so the new brake pads don’t rub.
4. Install new pads and wheel, realize they really need to be bled. New brakes usually are pretty good but typically need to be bled when installing the first pair of replacement pads.
5. Watch YouTube video on how to bled SRAM Guide brakes.
6. Bleed brakes then try pads again!
7. Success now the lever feels firm.
8. Repeat process for rear brakes.
9. Then do your kids bike.
10. Then do your other bike.
11. Realize you have spent $150 on bicycle parts in the last week.
12. That bleed kit saved some time and money tho...