Mountain Bike hydraulic brake maintenance quick tip for beginners - Brake Fluid Top Off
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Here's a quick tip video on hydraulic brake maintenance.
Over time air can build up in a hydraulic brake system, or there might have been some trapped air that wasn't removed from the last full brake fluid replacement. Ideally this can be quickly checked every 50 hours or so, but at most you should check it around every hundred hours, especially if you put a ton of hours on your bike.
This also depends on the type of riding you do. If your constantly hammering your brakes on downhills then you'll want to check them more often than if your mainly riding xc trails
This is a quick job, in all it should take less than 10 minutes and is well worth the time.
Hope this helps some folks out there
Thanks for the video and your time, newbie here needing to service my brakes.
Thank you for taking the time to watch it. I have other full bleed videos out there that might help as well. This video just shows how to top off the system (which, coincidentally, I just did on one of my bikes last week) in order to make sure they are running in top shape
Thank you very much for taking the time to make these videos Very informative and easy to follow
Some how this comment fell through the cracks. Glad to see the video was informative for you and thank you very much for the comment
Cheers mate. New ebike delivered , warning light upon squeezing front brake, so I've ordered a brake fluid kit to firstly check fluid levels since manufacture. I'm guessing some air ingress since shipment from China to UK. Cheers again. 👍
I am so sorry for the delayed response, but considering the state of work this past month, and a tornado that knocked out power for a few days, again this summer (it also destroyed the trail I help maintain for a second time this summer, So far, between the 3 of us, we've been forced to cut out about 200 trees just from those two storms alone), I'm way behind on personal things. It is very common for brakes to have a bit of air in the line when new. The best thing to do is top them off, to be sure. Hope you enjoy your e-bike. DNR finally legalized them on trails here in MI last month. Though it's only for a year to see how it works, I'm sure it will be permanent 👍
Good video, can you do this to get the calipers spaced fully on Sram breaks
Thanks for the comment. This procedure can, and should, be done on all brakes in between bleeds. Prior to doing any caliper adjustments, I would first remove the air from the system as seen in the video, then work on centering or aligning the caliper.
I hope I understood your question and responded correctly. let me know if I didn't
Than you for the video! I have a question though; I know you said to check it every 50 hours, but what are some of the indicators that the fluid needs to be topped off? I'm new to hydraulic brakes, and I have to apply more pressure to my rear brake. The best way I can describe it is it feels like a stretched cable on traditional setup. Does that mean the brake fluid needs to be topped off?
Great question. The biggest indicator is when your lever starts to feel soft. Once you get used to your lever feel, you will notice when it is softening. When this happens, I'd bet money that there is a bit of air in the system. An air bubble in a hydraulic system basically acts as a cushion. The cushion will absorb pressure that should have been applied to the caliper pistons, which means you need to apply more pressure in order to get added pressure to the caliper pistons, hence the soft feel. Just make sure your bike has been sitting on its wheels, and not hanging from either wheel, before topping off the lever. 👍
Thanks for the comment
@@zoubtube thank you! My levers are feeling squishy so I’m going to take it into the shop to have them check the fluid! Hopefully I’ll have my own bleed kit next time so I can do it myself!
Hi, thanks for sharing the video.
Is the process similar for Tekro brakes?
Thank you for taking the time to watch it. This video applies to all hydraulic brakes. Over time, air can seep into the system. The air bubbles will make their way to the lever bleed port as long as the bike isn't stored upside down. If your brakes start feeling soft in between bleeds, then this is a good place to check first
@@zoubtube That’s very helpful, thanks.
Great video. Seems easy enough ! Where can I buy the reservoir and the hydraulic minerl oil?
Glad you found the video informative. There are many options, but your best bet is to buy a bleed kit. The funnel alone will only help remove air that has collected in the handle. A full bleed is needed at least once a year, imo. For a full bleed, you will need the syringe. I have posted brake bleed guides for both Shimano and SRAM brake that should help. The bleeding process is very easy, and if you follow my guide, I'm sure you will end up with a successful bleed
below is a link to a very cost-effective bleed kit on Amazon. I've never used this kit, but it should work. There are other kits that cost more, whether they work better I have no idea..
www.amazon.com/ROWYOU-Shimano-Hydraulic-Bleeding-Professional/dp/B0C15CSP8X/ref=sr_1_8?crid=23CS1GMWQUD4R&keywords=shimano+bleed+kit&qid=1692234062&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=shimnao+bleed+kit%2Csporting%2C113&sr=1-8#customerReviews
Thanks a lot for you answer. I look forward ro trying it.@@zoubtube
How do you get the cover off the bleed port if it's rounded out?
Multiple options:
If there are still traces of corners on the bolt, you can try to use an Allen key with nitrile gloves. Place the glove over the Allen and insert the Allen into the bolt head. The glove will fill the empty spaces as well as provide enough grip to remove the bolt.
You can also use a special Allen key that is made to remove bolts with rounded heads, but I will say that they don't always work. If the head is too rounded, they won't work at all, from my experience.
A sure-fire option, though in this case I would consider it a last resort, is to find a sacrificial Allen key and apply epoxy (not regular glue) to the bolt head, then insert the Allen key. Leave it sit for 24 hours, then remove the bolt
Hopefully, this helps
it ll be better if bike was hanged vertically for the air to go up, i did the same every month
Agreed. this is best for forks as well. It keeps the foam rings saturated with oil. Unfortunately that's only an option for me when I store them in the winter for now. .
Is this called bleeding?
Nope! this is just topping off. This should be done if your brakes feel a bit off over time. All your doing is removing a bit of air from the reservoir in this case. not from the whole system. I have multiple bleeding videos on the channel for both shimano and sram brakes that go into detail in order to help with the process
You are awesome dislike twice ha ha I liked your video thums up
one thumbs up is Perfect! 😉 Thanks