I just did this service yesterday using this video and the one posted by SRAM. Overall, this video was very helpful and on point. However, a couple steps were missed in this video. 1. Reinstalling the tiny ball and spring under the adjustment wheel. 2. Reinstalling the little rubber bushings for the pivot pin. The steps in this video are in a different order than the one on SRAM, but I don't think the differences in the order mattered much. In fact, I think I like the order of steps better here in this video. And the clear stated & shown way to reinstall the lever was MUCH better than in the SRAM video. I have an issue after the service in that the bite point (?) wheel doesn't turn after reassembly. This is what caused me to check the SRAM video. I took the assembly apart and did it again, same issue, I can't figure it out. However, everything else works fine and my brake really DOES feel like new! I had no idea how much braking power I'd lost until I did this piston replacement service on my front brake due it locking up when in the sun. Now I plan to do my rear brakes as a preemptive strike. I did this piston replacement on 2017 SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes. It was the first time I have ever done this level of component repair. I estimate it took me about 2 hrs of actual work, discounting runs for parts or supplies. I highly recommend having picks and tweezers like shown in this video. They helped a lot with the tiny space to work inside the lever master cylinder. I bought some cheap ones at Habor Freight Tools, sets of 4 and 6 respectively for around $7 or $8. Also, don't waste your money on 4 oz bottles of DOT 5.1 brake fluid from SRAM or Finish Line. I bought twice as much for a couple bucks less from NAPA auto parts. It's DOT, it's the same fluid regardless of what brand is on it. I bought the SRAM piston replacement kit on Amazon. It was $30 for the last few weeks that I was considering buying it, then they suddenly raised the price to almost $35 for no apparent reason. No bike shops in my area here in Denver even knew what this kit was, or had it in stock. I also bought the SRAM basic bleed kit for about $47 on Amazon. It's worth about $15 and has a bunch of pieces you'll never use, but that's how SRAM seems to do business - make you buy a bunch of crap you don't need to justify their ridiculous prices. I do wish I had gone with the aluminum pistons rather than the same plastic ones that expand over time, but I haven't found any that are actually made by SRAM which made me worry about quality fit. Plus, the ones I saw on Amazon are all sold by Chinese companies with names I've never heard of, and they don't come in kits with the additional rebuild parts that SRAM provides. Also, I'd recommend saving the old parts except for the piston if they look like they'd still work. You never know, one of the parts may fail or one of the very tiny parts rattles loose and falls out, then you have a replacement handy. Those individual parts are almost impossible to find without buying another piston kit. Also, you don't need that spendy digital measurement tool shown in this video if you buy the SRAM piston replacement kit. The tool in that kit also does the measurement for this piece in a VERY easy manner. That'll save you some bucks! That's my 2 cents of experience. I hope this helps someone else considering doing this job. It's definitely worthwhile from my perspective, in comparison to buying a new brake lever master cylinder or paying a shop to do the service. My local shops wanted a week lead time and about $125 - $150 to do the job. I could buy a new brake lever assembly for $105 at WorldWide Cyclery as of last week, most other places were around $140 - $150. So in the long run, it's well worth doing this and brake bleeds myself considering my shops are now charging $40 - $50 per bleed and I need that 1 - 3 times per season.
Holy text wall bat man. Btw he does show installing the tiny ball and spring. It's actually under one of the reservoir screws, which is amazing engineering... I think. I missed it first time and it's almost impossible to get it together any other way.
I am thinking of buying a sram guide ultimate from a friend and although he told me he overhauled the breaks I still had some worries that it's a kinda permanent problem but I am confident that I can fix it myself after watching your video! Thanks💪
I’m pretty sure anything lower than the ultimate has a snap ring that is a pain in the ass to get out. Use really long snap ring pliers to make it a little easier
Thanks for this content. It let me quickly realize that I don’t have the tools with me to fix my daughter-in-law’s sticking front brake during my visit. We will take it to the bike shop since I have leave in a few days. Keep up the great videos!
Hello Dann!! The reason why the oil does not come out from the lever is that there is a little "valve" wich closes when you unplugg the housing (this is the same thing because Copland easily can replace the lever on Kate's bike without bleeding in Nove Mesto)
I damaged carbon lever on my guide ultimate. Can i use cheap guide r as a donor ? I need to replace piston and wanted to replace lever too, but dont how does it fit to ultimate ?
Thank you for this video. I am attempting to fix a stuck brake lever that my local bike shop could not fix (but still charged me!). Are DOT 4 and 5.1 fluids safe to use with the new seals or did you use something else? I just ordered the repair kit. Thanks again!
pro tip: You can buy those pistons made out of metal. The brand is called "Risk" (china). ~10$ each, they come with new rubber sealings too. Great if you never aggain want to do this replacement BS because the plastic pistons swell and jam the lever.
If you buy the SRAM piston replacement kit, there's a tool included that is much easier to set that distance with. It's the same tool that installs the adjustment wheel part.
Permanently, no. You would have to get the RS brake lever housing and internals, that threaded piece that the adjuster rides on is also eliminated. If you take out the Adjuster wheel you leave a big gap for debris to enter and cause issues. If you remove the internal threaded piece the actuator that the lever pushes against to move the piston in and out will have room to move laterally and would very likely jam and get damaged.
Isopropyl Alcohol - Recommended by SRAM in the mechanics manual. DOT fluid is extremely corrosive to paint and coatings, the alcohol breaks it down and cleans it away easily. Automotive mechanics use it often for similar jobs, along with break cleaner. The issue with break cleaner, it can be hard on most paints too, so when a part is painted like these are you get out the Isopropyl Alcohol.
@@sgtvash23241 All true. Wish I'd read this comment before I went through this process. One of the videos I watched suggested brake cleaner for this service. That does a good job on bare metal but I noticed the paint on the reservoir became tacky and started to come off around the edges. Then I switched to using alcohol. No issues then and I think the alcohol also cleaned off the brake cleaner.
I am going to replace my pistons as well. I opened it once, but als notice I had a different spring size in my replacement kit. So I did not dare to replace it and used the old piston again But now i am qurious. What did you do about the different piston springs sizes. In the video you just say: Interesting. I have different pistons in my left and right brake. And when you install it later on in the video, you install a black (longer) spring. Assuming you replaced the shorter, silver spring. In your "spare bag" you only have the 4 longer black piston springs... Online I can only find spare pistons with the longer black springs...
I was hoping Sram brakes have a dust seal behind the piston but they don't just like Shimano. Is this just stupidity of manufacturers or it's a cleaver way to make sure that levers will leak over time and we have to replace them... At least Sram don't leak as often as shimano are..
Plastic pistons (will lose shape) of different sizes (why?) for the same brakes: makes no sense. Exept selling the 30$ rebuild kit every year. SRAM can not be trusted.
you can buy those pistons made out of metal. the brand is called "Risk" (china). i bought a pair, 10$ each, wich came with new rubber sealings. never aggain i will have problems with those pistons swelling and jamming the lever
The difference in size is a revision in the design. Early on the Guides has an issue with pistons getting stuck and not working. The revised pistons are all the smaller diameter on that end to resolve the issue. He mentioned that the other sides piston was different from this one too. I would guess that when his bike was built one came from SRAM with the revision already and the other was older stock with the larger piston. When he rebuilt the kits only come with the revised pistons and found the side with the legacy hardware.
I just did this service yesterday using this video and the one posted by SRAM. Overall, this video was very helpful and on point. However, a couple steps were missed in this video. 1. Reinstalling the tiny ball and spring under the adjustment wheel. 2. Reinstalling the little rubber bushings for the pivot pin. The steps in this video are in a different order than the one on SRAM, but I don't think the differences in the order mattered much. In fact, I think I like the order of steps better here in this video. And the clear stated & shown way to reinstall the lever was MUCH better than in the SRAM video.
I have an issue after the service in that the bite point (?) wheel doesn't turn after reassembly. This is what caused me to check the SRAM video. I took the assembly apart and did it again, same issue, I can't figure it out. However, everything else works fine and my brake really DOES feel like new! I had no idea how much braking power I'd lost until I did this piston replacement service on my front brake due it locking up when in the sun. Now I plan to do my rear brakes as a preemptive strike.
I did this piston replacement on 2017 SRAM Guide Ultimate brakes. It was the first time I have ever done this level of component repair. I estimate it took me about 2 hrs of actual work, discounting runs for parts or supplies. I highly recommend having picks and tweezers like shown in this video. They helped a lot with the tiny space to work inside the lever master cylinder. I bought some cheap ones at Habor Freight Tools, sets of 4 and 6 respectively for around $7 or $8. Also, don't waste your money on 4 oz bottles of DOT 5.1 brake fluid from SRAM or Finish Line. I bought twice as much for a couple bucks less from NAPA auto parts. It's DOT, it's the same fluid regardless of what brand is on it. I bought the SRAM piston replacement kit on Amazon. It was $30 for the last few weeks that I was considering buying it, then they suddenly raised the price to almost $35 for no apparent reason. No bike shops in my area here in Denver even knew what this kit was, or had it in stock. I also bought the SRAM basic bleed kit for about $47 on Amazon. It's worth about $15 and has a bunch of pieces you'll never use, but that's how SRAM seems to do business - make you buy a bunch of crap you don't need to justify their ridiculous prices. I do wish I had gone with the aluminum pistons rather than the same plastic ones that expand over time, but I haven't found any that are actually made by SRAM which made me worry about quality fit. Plus, the ones I saw on Amazon are all sold by Chinese companies with names I've never heard of, and they don't come in kits with the additional rebuild parts that SRAM provides. Also, I'd recommend saving the old parts except for the piston if they look like they'd still work. You never know, one of the parts may fail or one of the very tiny parts rattles loose and falls out, then you have a replacement handy. Those individual parts are almost impossible to find without buying another piston kit.
Also, you don't need that spendy digital measurement tool shown in this video if you buy the SRAM piston replacement kit. The tool in that kit also does the measurement for this piece in a VERY easy manner. That'll save you some bucks!
That's my 2 cents of experience. I hope this helps someone else considering doing this job. It's definitely worthwhile from my perspective, in comparison to buying a new brake lever master cylinder or paying a shop to do the service. My local shops wanted a week lead time and about $125 - $150 to do the job. I could buy a new brake lever assembly for $105 at WorldWide Cyclery as of last week, most other places were around $140 - $150. So in the long run, it's well worth doing this and brake bleeds myself considering my shops are now charging $40 - $50 per bleed and I need that 1 - 3 times per season.
Holy text wall bat man. Btw he does show installing the tiny ball and spring. It's actually under one of the reservoir screws, which is amazing engineering... I think. I missed it first time and it's almost impossible to get it together any other way.
Do you have the links to the replacement pistons and parts you got off amazon?
I am thinking of buying a sram guide ultimate from a friend and although he told me he overhauled the breaks I still had some worries that it's a kinda permanent problem but I am confident that I can fix it myself after watching your video! Thanks💪
Great how-to video. Fantastic camera work. Just dealing with a Guide RSC with sticky piston. Thanks!
I’m pretty sure anything lower than the ultimate has a snap ring that is a pain in the ass to get out. Use really long snap ring pliers to make it a little easier
That’s how you make an instructional video. Well done.
that was a very excellent presentation...
Thanks for this content. It let me quickly realize that I don’t have the tools with me to fix my daughter-in-law’s sticking front brake during my visit. We will take it to the bike shop since I have leave in a few days. Keep up the great videos!
Hello Dann!!
The reason why the oil does not come out from the lever is that there is a little "valve" wich closes when you unplugg the housing
(this is the same thing because Copland easily can replace the lever on Kate's bike without bleeding in Nove Mesto)
Nice work, i remenber the info about putting new oil without special tools on my shimano breaks, they still work like a charme.
I damaged carbon lever on my guide ultimate.
Can i use cheap guide r as a donor ?
I need to replace piston and wanted to replace lever too, but dont how does it fit to ultimate ?
how do you know the 26,3mm distance?
Faz um vídeo de manutencao no sram Guide Rs por favor
Excelente trabalho, parabéns
Thank you for this video. I am attempting to fix a stuck brake lever that my local bike shop could not fix (but still charged me!). Are DOT 4 and 5.1 fluids safe to use with the new seals or did you use something else? I just ordered the repair kit. Thanks again!
Its always safe for everything that is inside, and bad for everything outside
Very useful. Thank you. 👍
Быстрое решение с распухшим поршнем.Снимаем резинки,зажимаем за переднюю часть в патроне шуруповерта,и шлифуем мелкой наждачкой до нужного диаметра.
Great video! Thank you
What are you doing with your specialized epic?
they make titanium ones so you won’t have to replace them again
pro tip: You can buy those pistons made out of metal. The brand is called "Risk" (china). ~10$ each, they come with new rubber sealings too. Great if you never aggain want to do this replacement BS because the plastic pistons swell and jam the lever.
Thanks for this mate!
Do I also have to set the 26,3mm distance when setting contact adjustment completely open before disassembly?
If you buy the SRAM piston replacement kit, there's a tool included that is much easier to set that distance with. It's the same tool that installs the adjustment wheel part.
He who dares wins.....well done Sir.
awesome! thank you
New bike?
The crank look used and the grip look used
Can you remove the lever position adjuster?
Permanently, no. You would have to get the RS brake lever housing and internals, that threaded piece that the adjuster rides on is also eliminated. If you take out the Adjuster wheel you leave a big gap for debris to enter and cause issues. If you remove the internal threaded piece the actuator that the lever pushes against to move the piston in and out will have room to move laterally and would very likely jam and get damaged.
What are you spraying the parts down with?
Isopropyl Alcohol - Recommended by SRAM in the mechanics manual. DOT fluid is extremely corrosive to paint and coatings, the alcohol breaks it down and cleans it away easily. Automotive mechanics use it often for similar jobs, along with break cleaner. The issue with break cleaner, it can be hard on most paints too, so when a part is painted like these are you get out the Isopropyl Alcohol.
@@sgtvash23241 All true. Wish I'd read this comment before I went through this process. One of the videos I watched suggested brake cleaner for this service. That does a good job on bare metal but I noticed the paint on the reservoir became tacky and started to come off around the edges. Then I switched to using alcohol. No issues then and I think the alcohol also cleaned off the brake cleaner.
Do you racing this year Danny?
Do you race* / are* you racing ...
@@einundsiebenziger5488 thanks mr. grammar. Its not my native language
Can we do the same for tektro gemini brakes?
Muito Bom
4 supremebiker nothing is hard, right !!?
I am going to replace my pistons as well.
I opened it once, but als notice I had a different spring size in my replacement kit. So I did not dare to replace it and used the old piston again
But now i am qurious.
What did you do about the different piston springs sizes.
In the video you just say: Interesting. I have different pistons in my left and right brake.
And when you install it later on in the video, you install a black (longer) spring. Assuming you replaced the shorter, silver spring.
In your "spare bag" you only have the 4 longer black piston springs...
Online I can only find spare pistons with the longer black springs...
Good
must feel like someone holding you downhill hahahaha
I was hoping Sram brakes have a dust seal behind the piston but they don't just like Shimano. Is this just stupidity of manufacturers or it's a cleaver way to make sure that levers will leak over time and we have to replace them... At least Sram don't leak as often as shimano are..
it loooks pretty hard
Dot is not oil.
Plastic pistons (will lose shape) of different sizes (why?) for the same brakes: makes no sense. Exept selling the 30$ rebuild kit every year. SRAM can not be trusted.
you can buy those pistons made out of metal. the brand is called "Risk" (china). i bought a pair, 10$ each, wich came with new rubber sealings.
never aggain i will have problems with those pistons swelling and jamming the lever
The difference in size is a revision in the design. Early on the Guides has an issue with pistons getting stuck and not working. The revised pistons are all the smaller diameter on that end to resolve the issue. He mentioned that the other sides piston was different from this one too. I would guess that when his bike was built one came from SRAM with the revision already and the other was older stock with the larger piston. When he rebuilt the kits only come with the revised pistons and found the side with the legacy hardware.
How to fix: Buy Shimano