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Thought this was grand. Really interesting tips from Santa Cruz.
Nice vid. What he does with the lever there at the end is new to me [ie no block in the caliper and just squeezing the pads out], might try that.
Bled a rear XT today as it goes and as per usual for me it's OK but not as good as the front.
I thought the rubbing the pads bit and just letting the oil flow out of the caliper into a rag was bonkers!
I thought the rubbing the pads bit and just letting the oil flow out of the caliper into a rag was bonkers!
Mate you need to get out a bit more.😜
I like his style. Just wipe it with a rag.
It worked brilliantly for but...
Not sure it's the same with Saints, but on XTs their are recesses machined into the body of the calliper at each end of the slot the disc sits in.
Whilst you're happily sloshing oil around to wet-up the pistons it can collect in their and no amount of wiping with a rag will clear it out, it'll contaminate your pads.
The only way I could make it work was to lube up the pistons, then push them all the way in and then give it a blast with brake cleaner.
This was posted aaaaaages ago. I did actually try it on my XTR back brake the other day and it didn't work. Did it the normal way and it bled good n proper.
I have previously used his method on Deore brakes with success - I think the key is the caliper must be well below the lever so the fuild can flow properly. My XTRs have bolted on cables lines and I was a bit too lazy to undo them all, which maybe why it didn't work (he continues his ramble), also there was A LOT of air in them, so that might have been a reason. Also, it's messy.
I've been doing the wet the pads and rub them together trick since I saw this vid. A definite improvement in initial braking performance when fitting new pads
Interesting vid.
The wet pads thing is a good tip, not keen on the letting the oil flood out, surely that would work as well with a hose directed in to a bottle?
Interesting vid.
The wet pads thing is a good tip, not keen on the letting the oil flood out, surely that would work as well with a hose directed in to a bottle?
I think one of the reasons why he doesn't do that is it would mean using the bleed nipple (unless you could find a hose that would fit neatly in the hole it sits in and they get dirty introducing grime into the system.
Plus you never get great flow into the bottle from the hose. His method ensures maximum flow
I don't see the issue with using the bleed nipple though. I use a Reverb bleed syringe with the attachment cut off. The hose is a much better fit than the Shimano hoses. Then just bleed top to bottom in the same way. I used to go bottom to top as per conventional wisdom but mineral oil gets so black that I've been known to seize levers when pushing it though the top, so safer to just push all the crap straight out the bottom and away from delicate parts.
I do it this way with shimano xt. I screw the freestroke screw as much as I can. Then leave levers hanging vertcal to the callipers overnight, re attach the funnel then give the levers a few flicks. 1-2 bubbles pop out. Remove the funnel and screw the cap on. Screw the freestroke screw all the way. I have awesome lever feel and better modulation this way than any other method.
i did this on my saints on saturday. fantastic bleed and really quite easy.