When you pressurise the system from the calliper you mention the lever has to be less the 90mm from the bar. Should the syringe feel stiff still when the lever is fully extended before closing the hose clamp? Is the syringe going soft a sign the lever wasn’t dialled in close enough to the bar?
This needs to be the ONLY sram bleed video. I bought the sram pro kit, watched the sram official video and after 3 hours I gave up and dropped the bike off at REI Then I came across this version and bleed my friends brakes - this VIDEO is GOLD!
If you have followed the correct process several times and still cant get any pressure at the lever on the rear brake, try the following. You will notice the caliper bleed port is facing upwards and is at the top of the front caliper. The rear however when bolted to the frame is at the front and lower part of the caliper. This means there can be air trapped in the caliper body which no amount of bleeding will remove. Air travels upwards. Unbolt the caliper from the frame and let it hang down so the bleed port is facing upwards. Re bleed and make sure to pull on the caliper syringe several times to dislodge the trapped air. This will definitely be required if you have replaced or cleaned the pistons or they have travelled out too far, and got air behind them.
This method also works for rival AXS brakes as well. I followed sram's guidance for a top down bleed via their instructional video and could not get a solid bleed. Followed this bottom up version and it worked like a charm!
Worked really well for me and the brakes are working better now than they were straight from the shop when I bought my bike in 2020. I had a brake fluid leaking behind the levers before but now after bleeding the brakes the leaking stopped completely. I have one remark to make about the SRAM Pro bleeding kit's syringes: When you pull the plunger to remove the air pockets from the fluid, the air is leaking in to the fluid behind the piston seal, so I wouldn't use too much time to get rid of the "air pockets".
Very professional and instructive procedure. I've done this procedure many times on old cars but never thought of degassing the DOT fluid. Used some silicon based fluid later that was nicer to work with. To me this demonstrates another reason to stay with cable operated rim breaks. And I will leave the hydraulics of my hybrid to the professionals.
The best instructional video I've seen on brake bleeds, it took me forever to get my front done but that's all down to personal error and getting ahead of myself. Props to you guys for this fantastic how to!
Wow, what a lot of naysayers out there. The comments are all whiny about how complex this is, good grief people, put on your big boy chamois and don't knock it til you've tried it ;) . Come on guys! I was apathetic and against disc brakes for awhile too, but tried em out anyway on an exploratory cheap all-road bike with Shimano 105 - Fuji Tread disc 1.1. I learned the process easily, it's not that complicated once you learn it. It's just different, do not fear. I have now figured out Shimano and SRAM systems and have bikes with each. I just watched a couple CZcams vids by these guys and ParkTools. Once you're set up they are hassle free to be honest. I like both systems. I recommend bleed kits by EZ MTB on Ebay, reasonable prices ~,$15-$35 depending on type you need and they come with great printed instructions, very clear and easy to work with. I've got 3 disc brake all-road bikes running currently. I've bled them once/yr, takes about 10-15mins, pads last a long time. In rainy country like I am, they dominate caliper brakes. I still do have an aero road bike with outstanding dual mount Shimano caliper brakes and it's almost disc brake grade stopping, until rain. This process is easier than most BB replacements or bearing replacements, and not much harder than a chain swap. That dance moves look a little much at first glance, they're not.
Although an old video by now it was excellent value information to bleed my SRAM rear brake caliper. Since I bought the bike I have been annoyed of the longish travel of the lever. Now this has been fixed. A little messy but working none the less!
Good video! But this shows why I prefer mineral oil over DOT. You don't have to change the fluid that often, it does not attract water an it is not corrosive (or bad for your skin).
Be aware the newer type HRD have an allen key bleed screw at the caliper. This screw is not removed. The syringe 'clips' into this Allen screw (not screwed in as seen here). It uses a different fitting on the syringe that is hex shaped to allow loosening of bleed screw to open the system. The rest is pretty much the same. I think if you follow the AXS system you may find it the same. Worked for me.
Excellent demo, I've watched many videos. I'm off to complete my first hydraulic bleed, especially as when replacing the pads one of the pistons crept out and leaked 🤦🏾 Here we go 🤞🏾
Great vid, great instructions; still relevant 3 years later ;) But One question remains: what to do with the oil on those half full syringes? Is that clean oil that you can use again, or should you dispose of it?
Great video! You should make one for eTap AXS as well. I also had to watch the official SRAM video in order to bleed my Force AXS brakes. By the way, the suggestion with the rubberband and squeezing the lever in the end of the video is brilliant! Good job guys.
Many thanks Jon, for the very clear and precise instructions; so useful as the last time that I bled hydraulic brakes was on my Mini back in 1970 (I'm a 70 years + rider)....it would appear that it's a tad more complex with my FreeRanger's SRAM Rival discs; thankfully I now have the knowledge to do the job...!
Is it just me, or do you also think Jon would make a good doctor on TV? Dammit Jim, I’m a bicycle doctor, not a GCN host!!! Thanks for doing this video. I’m sure it will greatly help some people bleed their own brakes.
It should be mentioned that DOT 5.1 isn't exactly the healthiest of fluids, so it's definitely advised to be careful dealing with this and wear safety glasses in addition to gloves when bleeding your brakes. :)
Your the BEST Mr Cannons with your guidance my brakes are buttery smooth thanks a Ton keep up the great work you will definitely be missed on screen best of luck to you Sir 🤙🏻
I've ridden Shimano almost exclusively on MTB and road and only now my enduro have guides and new gravel on the SRAM force hydros. I can't remember my slx and xtr hydrauuuulics taking this much faffery !
If you are wondering why things at the caliper don't attach as shown here, chances are you have a Bleeding Edge version of Sram, so make sure to find some guidance for that.
Perhaps you could add more info on bleeding the rear wheel. Because the front wheel caliper is alot simpler. What are the things that we have to look out for when bleeding the rear wheel, I think it would have additional steps ?
Wow, that's way more complicated than Shimano! Shimano hydraulics are even easier to set up than cable disc brakes, no need to spend forever trying to stop the pads rubbing.
Carbon steel brake rotors would dissipate heat better than stainless. You could have a special set just for racing, which you clean, oil and store immediately after the race to prevent rust, before putting the stainless clunkers back on for everyday riding.
Why do you think carbon steel would dissipate heat any better than stainless? They have the roughly the same emissivity. Surface finish is a bigger factor.
Could you go over the advantages/disadvantages of hydraulic vs. mechanical disc brakes? I have mechanical and am trying to figure out if it is worth the trouble to change to hydraulic. Thanks!
Thijs van den Broek I have Avid BB7 disc brakes and they'll throw me off my bike if I get on them too hard (I ride a recumbent - Bacchetta Giro). I weigh 100kg. Just regular brake cables.
Greg_Mid_TN i have shimano cx77 disc brake callipers only 1 Moving Pad with 105 11speed shifters with normal cables but the power is very low do You have any tips?
Thijs van den Broek try fitting compressionless brake outer cables. You can buy a set of trp ones online and they make you mechanical disc brakes work so much better!
I follow this procedure exactly. Lots of bubbles at first, keep working / repeating the process until there are none, seal everything up, and I don't have any pressure at all afterwards. Lever goes to the bar and pads barely pinch at all.
Awesome video. I have a question though. I did this today for my front brake and it worked really well, however when I used the same method for the back brake, it doesn't seem to be working at all, and after everything, there's not enough pressure to even move the pads. Am I doing something wrong? Do I have to angle my bicycle in a certain way? Or do something that I didn't need to for the front?
what kind of effort is that? I'm already thinking about selling my bike. you can now push my brake levers almost to the handlebars although the pads are still good. I regret having bought a bike with SRAM and can only advise everyone against it
Why, because you have to bleed your brakes once or twice a year? How often are you fapping around with cables; adjusting for stretch, re-lubing, replacing worn cables?
Hi John, I have a SRAM Rival 22 brake and after bleeding its worse than before. The brake grips but the pressure is released after a very short moment. After that there is zero braking power. I re-bled, but the result is the same! What am I doing wrong? Thanks max
I have a question. For me its not clear how you measured the > 90 mil. Distance to the leaver... I followed your Instruktion but when I break now, the moment of feeling the breaks while breaking still doesnt work nicely. I use to much way of the leaver until it really breaks. I am used to having that feeling instantly on one spot....you know what I mean ;)?
Degassing the fluid is actually not necessary, as per Park Tool's video on the SRAM bleed procedure czcams.com/video/bOUbUtaYaOE/video.html . Even SRAM no longer advises to do so when asked about it.
Hello, great vid. I just got an orange RX9 with Sram rival, how do you adjust the reach?
Před 6 lety+1
Just like steel is real, cable is holding strong, im ok with rim brakes because im a recreational biker but if i ever go for disc i will put a cable operated one
Did you HAVE to remove the wheel and brake pads? Looks like that block isn't doing anything there that the pads and disk wouldn't do already. Or is it about access with the wheel in the way?
Ive got a new bombtrack hook c gravel bike with sram rival on. Factory pads wore out after only a few rides, replaced but brakes felt spongy....ive now tried bleeding them numerous times and now losing faith in sram after being shimano on all my other bikes. Just cant get them to bite, lever almost to bar and still the wheel with a bit of effoert will move...not great.
Think I might need to do more degassing.....do you keep doing this until there are no bubbles at all? There seems to always be some small ones that disappear when syringe pressure released back... Must say love gcn videos as they're always well done....just not working on my set up and I don't know why.😢
Thanks for the informative video. Just too complex...remember the concept of the bike is simple design and transportation. This is one reason I haven't gone to disc brakes on my bikes....
Let us know how you get on bleeding your SRAM brakes in the comments!
how about making a video about mechanical disc brakes for a change? staring to feel like a dirty pesant here #Hydromasterrace
GCN Tech Wow that's a lot of work, at least compared to the Shimano brakes I've bled. Nicely done Jon
Looks like the flat mount calipers have a much better port position than the post-mount!
When you pressurise the system from the calliper you mention the lever has to be less the 90mm from the bar. Should the syringe feel stiff still when the lever is fully extended before closing the hose clamp? Is the syringe going soft a sign the lever wasn’t dialled in close enough to the bar?
Very similar to my Sram HRR (hydro rim brakes)
I’ll never get tired of suggesting Shimano brake systems at the shop.
This needs to be the ONLY sram bleed video. I bought the sram pro kit, watched the sram official video and after 3 hours I gave up and dropped the bike off at REI
Then I came across this version and bleed my friends brakes - this VIDEO is GOLD!
Brilliant! Bike mechanic for 42 years and still come back to this video for a refresher 🤠
If you have followed the correct process several times and still cant get any pressure at the lever on the rear brake, try the following. You will notice the caliper bleed port is facing upwards and is at the top of the front caliper. The rear however when bolted to the frame is at the front and lower part of the caliper. This means there can be air trapped in the caliper body which no amount of bleeding will remove. Air travels upwards. Unbolt the caliper from the frame and let it hang down so the bleed port is facing upwards. Re bleed and make sure to pull on the caliper syringe several times to dislodge the trapped air. This will definitely be required if you have replaced or cleaned the pistons or they have travelled out too far, and got air behind them.
My god what a procedure!!!!
This method also works for rival AXS brakes as well. I followed sram's guidance for a top down bleed via their instructional video and could not get a solid bleed. Followed this bottom up version and it worked like a charm!
Worked really well for me and the brakes are working better now than they were straight from the shop when I bought my bike in 2020. I had a brake fluid leaking behind the levers before but now after bleeding the brakes the leaking stopped completely.
I have one remark to make about the SRAM Pro bleeding kit's syringes: When you pull the plunger to remove the air pockets from the fluid, the air is leaking in to the fluid behind the piston seal, so I wouldn't use too much time to get rid of the "air pockets".
Very professional and instructive procedure. I've done this procedure many times on old cars but never thought of degassing the DOT fluid. Used some silicon based fluid later that was nicer to work with. To me this demonstrates another reason to stay with cable operated rim breaks. And I will leave the hydraulics of my hybrid to the professionals.
Car break don't need to de-air, it has a reservoir on the top and balanced to air presure.
positive and charismatic narrator
The best instructional video I've seen on brake bleeds, it took me forever to get my front done but that's all down to personal error and getting ahead of myself. Props to you guys for this fantastic how to!
Jon, the greatest magician since Merlin. Great vid.
Wow, what a lot of naysayers out there. The comments are all whiny about how complex this is, good grief people, put on your big boy chamois and don't knock it til you've tried it ;) . Come on guys! I was apathetic and against disc brakes for awhile too, but tried em out anyway on an exploratory cheap all-road bike with Shimano 105 - Fuji Tread disc 1.1. I learned the process easily, it's not that complicated once you learn it. It's just different, do not fear. I have now figured out Shimano and SRAM systems and have bikes with each. I just watched a couple CZcams vids by these guys and ParkTools. Once you're set up they are hassle free to be honest. I like both systems. I recommend bleed kits by EZ MTB on Ebay, reasonable prices ~,$15-$35 depending on type you need and they come with great printed instructions, very clear and easy to work with. I've got 3 disc brake all-road bikes running currently. I've bled them once/yr, takes about 10-15mins, pads last a long time. In rainy country like I am, they dominate caliper brakes. I still do have an aero road bike with outstanding dual mount Shimano caliper brakes and it's almost disc brake grade stopping, until rain. This process is easier than most BB replacements or bearing replacements, and not much harder than a chain swap. That dance moves look a little much at first glance, they're not.
Yep. This works well. Rear is trickier. Degassing the fluid takes ages, but procedure is spot on. Just need a lot of patience
Although an old video by now it was excellent value information to bleed my SRAM rear brake caliper. Since I bought the bike I have been annoyed of the longish travel of the lever. Now this has been fixed. A little messy but working none the less!
What a rigamarole! As has been said below, cable should never die, I sincerely hope!
Good video!
But this shows why I prefer mineral oil over DOT. You don't have to change the fluid that often, it does not attract water an it is not corrosive (or bad for your skin).
That was very informative thank you. I will be sticking with my bleeding rim brakes.
Be aware the newer type HRD have an allen key bleed screw at the caliper. This screw is not removed. The syringe 'clips' into this Allen screw (not screwed in as seen here). It uses a different fitting on the syringe that is hex shaped to allow loosening of bleed screw to open the system. The rest is pretty much the same. I think if you follow the AXS system you may find it the same.
Worked for me.
this only affects the eTap brake levers/ callipers?!
with the mechanically shifted doubletaps it is still like in the video, isn't it?
I look forward to the video when you do the Shimano disc brakes!
Excellent demo, I've watched many videos. I'm off to complete my first hydraulic bleed, especially as when replacing the pads one of the pistons crept out and leaked 🤦🏾 Here we go 🤞🏾
Forgot to mention to push the air out on the last step of syringe preparation (after having clamped down the syringe and pulling vacuum)
Great vid, great instructions; still relevant 3 years later ;)
But One question remains: what to do with the oil on those half full syringes?
Is that clean oil that you can use again, or should you dispose of it?
This was way better than following Sram's instructions. You need to tech those guys how to write a procedure.
"You'll feel better after a good bleeding" - Medieval Barber Theodoric of York
Great video! You should make one for eTap AXS as well. I also had to watch the official SRAM video in order to bleed my Force AXS brakes. By the way, the suggestion with the rubberband and squeezing the lever in the end of the video is brilliant! Good job guys.
Thank You !! Got both front and rear brakes bled on first try.
Thanks for the video. I "got along" very well with your tips. I was amazed by the volume of suspended air in what appeared to be good brake fluid.
Glad it was helpful!
Many thanks Jon, for the very clear and precise instructions; so useful as the last time that I bled hydraulic brakes was on my Mini back in 1970 (I'm a 70 years + rider)....it would appear that it's a tad more complex with my FreeRanger's SRAM Rival discs; thankfully I now have the knowledge to do the job...!
Fantastic video John. Very helpful. I’m used to bleeding Shimano brakes so it was very helpful to see what you did with the pistons in the levers
Brilliant and very helpful video. Thanks...my brakes actually work after a full rebuild of the caliper! Great stuff
This worked perfectly with my brakes.
Is it just me, or do you also think Jon would make a good doctor on TV? Dammit Jim, I’m a bicycle doctor, not a GCN host!!!
Thanks for doing this video. I’m sure it will greatly help some people bleed their own brakes.
Could you do a video on how to install eTap HRD, including hose cutting, setup, etc.?
It should be mentioned that DOT 5.1 isn't exactly the healthiest of fluids, so it's definitely advised to be careful dealing with this and wear safety glasses in addition to gloves when bleeding your brakes. :)
Great video! Don't have hydraulic brakes, but wondered how complex this process is. You make it look manageable!
Thanks Eric, We're glad you enjoyed the video!
Your the BEST Mr Cannons with your guidance my brakes are buttery smooth thanks a Ton keep up the great work you will definitely be missed on screen best of luck to you Sir 🤙🏻
Good easy to follow video. Mine had a leak on the master cylinder cover too, so I had a slightly bigger job but these instructions helped a lot!
DOT fluid also removes paint, so make sure to clean it off any painted surface.
Got my brakes working again after piston check.. Thanks!
best "how to bleed sram disc" !!! thanks alot!
Lovely and clear also a little great English course! Super well done 👍 ❤
Best scram bleed video out there
Worked perfectly thanks a mill!!
After pumping the brakes a few times use a degasses syringe to pump a bit more fluid into the lever and the biting point will be more responsive.
Well done and got me through my first full bleed after some caliper replacements. Only mistakes were entirely mine. Thanks!
Only mistake was buying sram brakes 😂
Yass thank you for the video!! My brake is back to firm - no more loose, spongey brakes :)
please do a video on maintaining mechanical disc brakes!
Good video Jon. You need patience of a Saint to get this bleed process right. I'm sticking with rim brakes.
I've ridden Shimano almost exclusively on MTB and road and only now my enduro have guides and new gravel on the SRAM force hydros. I can't remember my slx and xtr hydrauuuulics taking this much faffery !
If you are wondering why things at the caliper don't attach as shown here, chances are you have a Bleeding Edge version of Sram, so make sure to find some guidance for that.
You video was really helpful. The bleed went well. Thanks for the help!
Perhaps you could add more info on bleeding the rear wheel. Because the front wheel caliper is alot simpler. What are the things that we have to look out for when bleeding the rear wheel, I think it would have additional steps ?
I found bleeding in a stand and rotating the bike to get all parts of hose pointing up. Plus a lot of flicking the hose to disturb trapped bubbles.
Great video! Looks easy, I will give it a try :)
Please, why is it so important to keep the 90 mm distance? Thanks a lot and keep creating such a useful content!
great video easy to follow and makes it simple
at 3:10, do you not need to unlock the syringe hose clamp to push the excess air out?
Wow, that's way more complicated than Shimano!
Shimano hydraulics are even easier to set up than cable disc brakes, no need to spend forever trying to stop the pads rubbing.
Carbon steel brake rotors would dissipate heat better than stainless. You could have a special set just for racing, which you clean, oil and store immediately after the race to prevent rust, before putting the stainless clunkers back on for everyday riding.
Why do you think carbon steel would dissipate heat any better than stainless? They have the roughly the same emissivity. Surface finish is a bigger factor.
Could you go over the advantages/disadvantages of hydraulic vs. mechanical disc brakes? I have mechanical and am trying to figure out if it is worth the trouble to change to hydraulic. Thanks!
Greg_Mid_TN are your mechanical disc brakes powerfull? If so Do You have special cables?
And what callipers do You have?
Thijs van den Broek I have Avid BB7 disc brakes and they'll throw me off my bike if I get on them too hard (I ride a recumbent - Bacchetta Giro). I weigh 100kg. Just regular brake cables.
Greg_Mid_TN i have shimano cx77 disc brake callipers only 1 Moving Pad with 105 11speed shifters with normal cables but the power is very low do You have any tips?
I paid like $50 for each calliper but the power is very very low
Thijs van den Broek try fitting compressionless brake outer cables. You can buy a set of trp ones online and they make you mechanical disc brakes work so much better!
I love this!
I follow this procedure exactly. Lots of bubbles at first, keep working / repeating the process until there are none, seal everything up, and I don't have any pressure at all afterwards. Lever goes to the bar and pads barely pinch at all.
I was just starting to warm up to discs. Calipers it is
Awesome video. I have a question though. I did this today for my front brake and it worked really well, however when I used the same method for the back brake, it doesn't seem to be working at all, and after everything, there's not enough pressure to even move the pads. Am I doing something wrong? Do I have to angle my bicycle in a certain way? Or do something that I didn't need to for the front?
Great video. The best one out there. 🤓
Many thanks doctor John :)
really sweet and practical instructions, SRAm instruction manual was a total crap.
I think goggles would be useful for the first part when you are prepping the syringes.
the whole process... dot is basically bleach ph wise
what kind of effort is that? I'm already thinking about selling my bike. you can now push my brake levers almost to the handlebars although the pads are still good. I regret having bought a bike with SRAM and can only advise everyone against it
Excellent video
The very reason I’m staying with rim brakes. A pain in the ass and look at all the expense that goes with it! Bet that bleed kit wasn’t cheap.
Fat Lad At The Back A lot less than multiple decent compressionless housing and cable kits over a bikes lifetime.
czcams.com/video/1Gs-OscFGFk/video.html
Don't forget the cost of bartape when replacing cables.
I paid 40 euros for the bleed kit.
Thank you.
Thanks Jon. This video is better than Sram's lol.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why cable operated brakes will never be obsolete.
Why, because you have to bleed your brakes once or twice a year? How often are you fapping around with cables; adjusting for stretch, re-lubing, replacing worn cables?
I prefer bleeding my brakes to replacing cables and outer casings once or twice a year.
Hi John, I have a SRAM Rival 22 brake and after bleeding its worse than before. The brake grips but the pressure is released after a very short moment. After that there is zero braking power. I re-bled, but the result is the same! What am I doing wrong? Thanks max
Why does the brake lever need to be pulled in while bleeding? What does this achieve that pressurising the system with the lever open doesn't achieve?
GREAT job John. Like you bracelet too. Made or purchased? I kind of want one.
10MIL Phil hi, it's one of these qhubeka-bracelets.myshopify.com/ thanks, Jon
Well described, but now I know that I do not want to do this job
Can you do the same for shimano disc breakes?
Sram looks great... except fot that lengthy and complicated bleeding processe.
Why do you advice the use of strapping the brake lever when the SRAM user manual instruct us not to?
I have a question. For me its not clear how you measured the > 90 mil. Distance to the leaver...
I followed your Instruktion but when I break now, the moment of feeling the breaks while breaking still doesnt work nicely. I use to much way of the leaver until it really breaks. I am used to having that feeling instantly on one spot....you know what I mean ;)?
Degassing the fluid is actually not necessary, as per Park Tool's video on the SRAM bleed procedure czcams.com/video/bOUbUtaYaOE/video.html . Even SRAM no longer advises to do so when asked about it.
Hello, great vid. I just got an orange RX9 with Sram rival, how do you adjust the reach?
Just like steel is real, cable is holding strong, im ok with rim brakes because im a recreational biker but if i ever go for disc i will put a cable operated one
so what do you do with the excess DOT left in the lever syringe?
Same for shimano too please!
Hello there i did the bleeding but the levers doesn’t move got stock Please help
Did you HAVE to remove the wheel and brake pads? Looks like that block isn't doing anything there that the pads and disk wouldn't do already. Or is it about access with the wheel in the way?
Do I really need all those kit to do this ? Can i do it with more common weapons?
I did this and then the lever is soft, does that mean air is still in there?
Yes
Ive got a new bombtrack hook c gravel bike with sram rival on. Factory pads wore out after only a few rides, replaced but brakes felt spongy....ive now tried bleeding them numerous times and now losing faith in sram after being shimano on all my other bikes.
Just cant get them to bite, lever almost to bar and still the wheel with a bit of effoert will move...not great.
Think I might need to do more degassing.....do you keep doing this until there are no bubbles at all? There seems to always be some small ones that disappear when syringe pressure released back...
Must say love gcn videos as they're always well done....just not working on my set up and I don't know why.😢
Good video, can you explain what happens heen the distance of the lever is more than 9 cm? Is there a specific distance which is best during bleeding?
wondering the same but there is no clue. It is not mentioned on the sram page at all
I liked this
My SRAM brake leaver is still spongy even after two bleeds using this video. Anyone have any suggestions?
Is it easy to remove the hoses from the levers? I want to switch my handlebars over and the new ones have internal routing!
good video lots of detail , but who thinks this massively complicates brake adjustments over cables??
ml is volume, mm is a measure of length
Thanks for the informative video. Just too complex...remember the concept of the bike is simple design and transportation. This is one reason I haven't gone to disc brakes on my bikes....
Didn't work for me. Don't have enough pressure on the levers after following this procedure meticulously.