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My first ever go at bleeding some SLX brakes and I got it set up but then realised my mate had used all my mineral oil when he did his.
Can I use ANY make of mineral oil ? Shimano is twice the price. Can I use the really cheap stuff ?
Advice needed asap. Cheers guys
Yes no maybe.
Mineral oil is a generic term the ingredients in one oil can be very different to another, it’s not like DOT oil which has tighter constraints.
Using the wrong oil can damage the rubber seals and gaskets in the brake, they can swell up or corrode away with the wrong oil leading to poor performance or failure.
Many people sell Shimano compatible mineral oil. Take a look at Halfords own brand stuff or look at Epic Bleed Solutions website.
See if you can get a big bottle of Shimano fluid, it's much better value and doesn't go off like dot fluid so will last you a while
I’m a fan of Comma LHM+ Halfords sell it for about £9/l
Used it without any leaking seal issues for a good few years. Once even used 3in1 no problems 😄
I ran out and now just use Singer sewing machine oil. I can’t tell the difference and it’s cheap.
I ran out and now just use Singer sewing machine oil
Tried this as well but found it to be only so so. Just never hit the right note.
.
👍 - feed !
I ran out and now just use Singer sewing machine oil
Is this the right thread?
I've used this in Shimano brakes on a mates bike (can't remember the exact model), recommended as a way to get rid of the 'wandering bite point' issue but it's also cheaper than Shimano mineral oil. As far as I know it worked fine although I've not used it in my own slx brakes yet
As said before, comma LMH+, cheapish, can get it easy and pretty much the same viscosity and density as shimano oil.
Like that ‘timba’I was thinking of a variation of sew.
Cheers guys.
I guess jairaj nailed it there with his first line but I’ll take a look at Halfords.
Putoline hpx 2.5 fixed the wandering bite point issues for me. Its like water so makes the bleed process much easier too.
I ran out and now just use Singer sewing machine oil
thousands of pounds on high tech mountain bikes and we can't be bothered to spend a bit extra for the specified hydraulic oil to go with our brakes. I don't know why but that just needles me.
(i developed a chain squeak on a ride one time, at the cafe stop they gave me a bit of napkin with some veg oil on.....job done at least until we got home!)
+1 for Putoline hpx 2.5
+ 2 for Putoline
I feel like I’m being stitched up here!
Presumably you flush the Shimano fully through with LHM+ or HPX, as appropriate?
Putoline HPX 2.5 users...
Has anyone mixed HPX (a synthetic base) with Shimano mineral oil?
Some synthetics won't mix with mineral oils producing a residue. A simple test is to gently heat a mix, then allow to cool and sit for a while and see if it remains clear of crud
I used some Cyclo in a pinch on my GRX rear brake that simply WOULD NOT bleed properly. It worked a treat and the brake feels really good.
I've used the Cyclo before as well, again it's mineral oil and about the same weight and viscosity, you can always double check if they're similar via their MSDS, which are freely available online:
Shimano Mineral oil -
Cyclo Mineral oil -
LHM+ Mineral oil - https://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/products/28ec8520c8ff25f2e0c7580d971006b6.pdf
They're all much of muchness in terms of physical properties, percentages look wild, but that's just MSDS sheets and companies keeping stuff secret, they'll all be basically >95% mineral oil and <5% additives.
@timba I've not mixed it. I drained my brakes, then did a couple of flushes before a final bleed.
I run a zee up front, and Saint rear. The putoline definitely improved the consistency of the brakes, but I think the rear feels a little less powerful/ bitey. Still more than enough for me. They do feel like another bleed is due, so that may resolve it.
I ran out and now just use Singer sewing machine oil
Tried this as well but found it to be only sew sew. Just never hit the right note.
@feed You're welcome 😉