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Evening all,
Does anyone else find that if they've got a brake that needs a bleed (Not including ones that have been in a crash and had a hose pulled out etc)..
That it's generally past it's best and wasn't worth it?
Bled my wife's rear xt brake last week ready for her to use over the summer as it was waaaay spongey. Bled it fine and it was rock solid and worked perfectly. She rode it once in the week and it worked fine.
Came to it this morning and it needs bleeding again!
Presumably a seal in the lever or calipers is pulling air in slightly during use?
Made me think, in what should be a sealed system, if air gets in to the point they need bleeding then surely there is a seal somewhere not quite doing it's job properly?
In which case, when an old brake gets to the point of needing a bleed should I just bin it?
I've just re-bled it again now, be interesting to see if we find the same again in a few days?
Yes I've had this, and I wonder if air is more noticeable in some places than others. Like after a bleed there may be some air bubbles dotted around but after a few days they'll consolidate in the lever. Will that be more noticeable?
Maybe, pretty sure it was air free following the bleed though, full on rock solid feel with an audible this when the pads hit the disc.
Maybe it's user error and you just didn't bleed it properly.
I run xt. If the oils old and black it needs replacing. Its mineral so will break down. Otherwise mines done 4 years plus. Just bleed them every six months or so slap new pads in and they've never let me down. I do ride regularly and I think that makes a lot of difference. Like your car if its used regularly tends to go for ever. Leave it sat around and ......
sounds to me like a failed seal
If you want a proper bleed remove complete system from bike and hang by lever. Too many kinks & little places for air to get trapped otherwise. Of course this is useless advice if your hose is internal
I've had one brake do that but seemed to be sorted bleeding as per shimano (syringe through from caliper and then the squeeze lever, bleed nipple open and close, repeat) and not as per you tube that only pushed fluid through from caliper.
However i have had two xtr levers that the piston seal was knackered and this was the first symptom.
Just bleed them every six months or so
I've never bled a brake that I hadn't cut the hose or disconnected in some way. I wouldn't do it 'just because' it's done another 6 months
My xt brakes failed recently. Turns out it was the master cylinder.
After a bleed they felt OK. Went out riding and they didn't return fully so felt spongy.
New levers and they feel spot on.
I too change the mineral oil twice a year. Gets rid of all the black stuff. Always feels great after and stays that way (until they failed)
What method of bleeding did you use?
My Ancient XT/XTR brakes were made to feel about a million times better simply by giving them a proper bleed a few weeks ago, to the extent that where I was considering chopping them in for something newer I'm now eyeing up an adapter to fit the IS calipers to whatever PM frame I buy next...
Watch some videos on YouTube and decide which method makes best sense to you, I normally prefer to do a "bottom up" (fresh fluid in at the caliper, old fluid and air pushed out through the lever) but other options are available...