How To Bleed Any Hydraulic Bike Brake
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2024
- Most modern mountain bikes feature hydraulic brakes, which have excellent power and consistency. But to keep them that way it's a routine bleed is needed. In this video, Doddy explains everything you need to know about disk brakes, how they work, the things that can affect them, and importantly everything you need to know about bleeding your brakes.
⏰ Time Stamps 👇
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Brake overview
05:17 - How does air get in?
08:14 - Bleed kits
09:30 - Mineral oil or DOT fluid?
14:37 - Blake bleeding process
17:32 - Bleeding Brakes - Brands
20:14 - Tips & Tricks
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Probably the best video I've seen on subject of brakes, how they work, and bleeding them.
Thanks a lot, Jim! Doddy did a great job at explaining everything! 👍
Thanks for convincing me that this is all over my head. I’ll take my bike in to the shop for this process.
I had a supremely stubborn pair of Shimano M9100s the other day. What I finally had to do was inject oil, with great force into the master cylinder to clear out the a-hole bubbles, stuck in the caliper. You can't be friends with these brakes. You got to be forceful right away and show them who the boss is.
Don’t force it, get a bigger hammer!
Just get the wife's vibrator to shake those bubbles lost
You need to vacuum bleed the caliper by pulling the lever into the bar to seal the system from the reservoir, and drawing a vacuum with the syringe connected to the caliper, also orientating the caliper bleed port to be the highest part of the caliper, and tipping the caliper side to side helps.
Cause the oil has wax particles that the air sticks to. I kissed the pads and got rear but front had to set for a week till got the bubble out
🤣
WOW! It doesn't get any more thorough that this! Outstandingly masterful!
This video taught me that my bike shop sold me a DOT kit for me to use with mineral oil brakes. It's a relief to know why my brakes are still spongy! Time to get a refund.
Missed the very important step of cleaning the pistons, opening the system at the lever so the fluid has somewhere to go and the diaphragm doesn't tear, and then pressing the pistons back into their bores so the bleed block actually fits between them.
Excellent timing. Doing a winter refresh on the bikes, thanks
Glad to help, Tim! Thanks for watching! 👍
Thank you! I don't think I ever came across a video going through all those details. I finally understood the few missing puzzle pieces I needed to elevate my bleeding skills. Fantastic job 👍
ABSOLUTE MASTER CLASS OF A VIDEO! DODDY YOU ARE ABSOLUTE GOLD! please never leave. You have no idea how much the industry loves and needs you 🤘
Wow I forgot how good Doddy was. Such an in depth look into how brakes work let alone just bleeding them. Makes so much more sense when you understand what's going on below the surface.
The most thorough explanation of the topic! Cheers.👍
You and Anna et all are just crushing it with content for DIY and local bike shops. I'm learning so much.
Bubble behind the caliper piston shelf: As you bleed, while moving the lever to move the pistons while bleeding a magura Trail system, tap on the caliper with the hard plastic handle of a screw driver while moving lever around while bleed reservoirs are installed.
Yes it exactly this. Those bubbles stick.
Don't forget to mark your brake lever positions before moving them! (Been there, done that)
Brilliant episode, very practical. Thanks Doddy 😁.
Excellent video, once again. Dodd truly is omniscient - with regard to bike tech!
Thanks, Chuck! He truly is! 👍
Hi everyone. I was searching for a video about how to properly flush your brake system and when it's recommended to do it. There's none. I'm a bike mechanic starting to work on e-bikes and for reasons beyond my control i can't get the recommended brake liquid for Tektro, which is the brand most bikes we deal have. Do i need to flush the system before refilling? I understand there are some tricks for improving the brakes just removing air bubbles from the system and filling some liquid in. Can i do that mixing brands? Your help will be highly appreciated.
Nice comprehensive review, covered the vast majority of it for sure! I think one good rule of thumb is to avoid bleeding through any process that puts the system under vacuum, which doesn't really fit good bleeding practice but at times may be tempting. The issue is with the hose connections on syringes to the fittings or the syringe itself. These connections can allow tiny air bubbles to get in when under vacuum and then you may introduce very tiny bubbles to your fluid that you may then push back into the system. As a rule I think it's best to never try to suck fluid through by pulling on syringe plungers and that avoids the problem altogether. If you only ever let fluid in passively via gravity or by pressurizing the system I think the odds of accidentally adding air are prrety small (as long as the fluid you start with is completely bubble free).
I see what you mean, though SRAM's own bleed procedure is to place it under vacuum unfortunately.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say it would be nice if GMBN Tech worked on some lower end, like proper budget stuff too. I'd have been very interested to see your technique on bleeding Clarke brakes. I'm sure there will be many others that can't afford a bike with mid to top end accessories but still love watching these videos.
Keep us all involved please.
I have the Gemma GA-1000 brakes and there are no bleed guides anywhere!
Fantastic video. I've learned alot. Thank you.
I've used my battery razor to great effect to vibrate those capillary bubbles out
Good idea, but I have a beard. Hey maybe my wife could help!
Great video, thanks Doddy, merry christmas, cheers
This is the best video about brakes that i've ever seen on the internet so far
Really helpful and clear. Thanks Doddy and team.
brilliant doddy, love the cut out parts to showing how it all works, iv bled many a car break so hoping principles are the same.
Nice one Doddy. Another great descriptive video - think I might have a go over the Christmas period. Just received my Epic Bleed kit for my Shimano brakes 👊🏻
Very nice, concise upload. I was hoping it would mention SRAM's new DB8 mineral oil brakes as I just unexpectedly got them on my new bike (supply issues) and there's very little information on them so far. They are already spongy but this video has given me a few more ideas. Thanks.
Great video Doddy!
Thanks Doddy
Very informative video, thanks! A tiny correction: The bite point adjuster doesn't affect the distance between the pads and rotor. It only affects the dead stroke of the master cylinder's piston.
Best tutorial ever , thank you .
Best brake bleed video, ever. Seriously.
Great Vid. One point I have issue with. You do not need two kits for DOT and Mineral. Just make sure you wash the syringes, tubes, connectors.
Excellent video thanks.
best explanation ever, thanks
awesome thank you, there is just one thing i‘ve learned from working in the bike brake industrie. if you have 4pistons make shure they all move nearly simultaneously. especially with magura 4piston brakes it is key to a good and quiet brake😬👍
Automotive mechanic here. I use silicone grease to lubricate the pistons, as you would on a car if you have a stuck piston in the caliper.
It works out really well! But my qualified guess would be that silicone grease for car brakes is only compatible with DOT mountainbike breaks. This made a huge difference on my breaks. (Older aviid elixir model)
All.depemda on the ingredients compatibility between the grease and type of oring on the calipers. Swelling, ect...
Thanks for the info. Any tips or pointers on Tektro (Dot-fluid) brakes in future videos would be highly appreciated.
Thanks, very informative!
An excellent overview!!!
As always excellent tech video from Doddy. Thanks. Btw: Message to Alex from GCN - Watch and learn...
Perfect video, I want to learn how to work on my bike myself, A it's a nightmare booking into shops these days as they are so busy and B l, at least I'll know how to fix my bike trail side. I'm going to attempt to bleed my brakes today. Thanks for the video it will help out alot 👍
Perfect timing for myself
Cheers
Perfection! 🤌
Thanks Doddy for another great video.
Glad you enjoyed it Vince! Hope it was useful
Thank you that was a very informative video you presented it extremely well and it was very helpful kudos
Outstanding tutorial! The cutaways provided next level clarity. And thanks for the extra mini-tips like tilting the Shimano levers back and forth. Thanks
No problem, Will! The team did a great job bringing this video together!
Very informative, tha ks 😊
I don't do the bleeding myself. My trusted bike mechanics do it for me. But it's great to learn even only bit-by-bit out of this video, Doddy. I find it very informative.
As my practice for maintenance, I have my hydraulic breaks bled annually.
Lots'a love, cheers, & Mabuhay, from tropical Philippines! #RideOn #KeepBiking
I've used probably 15 shops, none of them could bleed Sram correctly, learnt myself and they are so much better.... people hate on them because they cant bleed them properly.
Yeah, sometimes it can be a lot easier to head down to your local bike shop to get your brakes bled. You know you're getting a quality service if you're not sure about the correct bleeding process. Thanks for the support, and safe riding! 👍
@@MrSupermugen Surely, I'll gain the confidence of doing it myself in the future. It's just that it's not my expertise. But being in the shop watching the bike mech do the stuff, I think I can certainly learn it.
Thanks a lot!
An excellent video overall, thanks for that. I would agree with a previous comment about the "bite point" adjuster, which only moves the position of the master cylinder piston relative to the MC itself, at least to my understanding, and not the position of the pads relative to the disc.
Slightly off topic, but it really pi**es me off as to why bicycles and motorcycles/scooters have the front brake lever on opposite sides. As a lifelong motorcyclist myself, any cyclists/motorcyclists out there will know what I mean! Thanks again for a really good vid.
Great video. I was wondering about lubing the pistons - timely tip!
Looking forward to the brand specific videos.
Thanks.
Thank you, Tom! Stay tuned. 👀
@@gmbntech Hiya, i wouldn't lube pistons generally on the outer side, clean yes and especially before fitting new pads (when pushing pistons back through the seals) (and during any caliper rebuild) doing that will just attract dust/dirt, as as you say in the video it is the the seals that help the pistons retract and thus they need to grip the piston. As the pads wear down they will edge out slowly through the seal, but in terms of brake on/off the piston movement is managed by the seal flexing in and out it is the reason they are square and there is some space around the seals in the caliper- same on cars/motorbikes. What we are missing as that a lot of larger app caliper have is nice dust boots that protect the exposed part of the piston.
Excellent!
Thank you, very useful.
Thanks for watching, Richard!
Pintosin CHF 7.1 mineral oil is far superior mineral oil for Shimano brakes in my opinion, plus it's way cheaper and you get so much for your 25 - 30 bucks or whatever it is I paid for it
Cheers, just saved £50 at Halfrauds with this video. They want £25 a set to bleed brakes, told them to jog on. Great video! Thanks.
This video came out exactly when I needed it. If I had a second hand bike that needed bleeding but didn’t know what type of mineral oil it had, how do I proceed?
Thanks a lot for making this video. I have a question. Can the brake cable match with any brake caliper as well brake levers?
This is the video I have been waiting for.
Glad to have helped!
Really good info. I’ve just been on the shimano website as I’ve just bought some Deore brakes. I don’t know if they have updated website. But Deore and lots of other shimano are classed as ‘one way bleeding’ only need a funnel at the top to bleed.
I can’t be the only one watching this trying to figure out Kayo gen 1 brakes (pit bike with hydraulic mountain bike brakes, has a fill port AND a reservoir cover at the lever, and an oring’d screw at the caliper that has to be completely removed in order to push fluid up from the caliper. The official solution is a $90 replacement re-design that uses mineral fluid instead of DOT4 and a different bleed setup. Pulling my hair out and have a frustrated 7 year old.
Good info Doddy, thank you. After several mistakes, bleeding mine, I cannot stress enough the proper bleed block. I learned this after cracking a pot on my Saint breaks. 🤬 And of course I stripped the screw holding the caliper together. So, after replacing the entire caliper I have learned my lesson. 😁
How did you break it?
High spec Shimano calipers have ceramic pistons to insulate the brake fluid from the heat coming from the pads and rotor. If you don't press them into the caliper squarely with a plastic tool, they can fracture as they are quite brittle.
Great video! I knew nothing about hydraulic brakes. Now I understand that I wont adjust them myself :)
Do I have to open the bleed port on the caliper while adding fluid from the top and pulling the lever? Some videos show that other just don't
I Cannot find any information on XOD-E300 brakes and which mineral oil to use and how to bleed top down or revers way thank you Niall
Very helpful!! Thanks Doddy👍:)
Glad this was useful! Thanks! 👍
I'm running Magura MT7s and they were an absolute nightmare to bleed
Same with the mt5's
Why ? Best way is do IT Shimano Style. 👍
Good and informative review👍👍👍 but what if i just wash my bleed kit with degreaser in orderder to use it with other kind of oil? For example: i bled brakes which run on mineral oil, washed the kit and now i can bleed with dot using the same kit, or not?
u say water come down... so mineral has to performe a 2 step... a down bleed 1st to escape water and old fluid ... then an up bleed to escape air ... 👌
Great video. I have a "not-a-wheelchair" that uses Zoom hydraulic brakes. The front brake has a splitter so that both wheels can be stopped at the same time. Any ideas on how to attack the bleed on a split hydraulic brake? (The rear has only one.)
Perfect timing I was gona help my frnd bleed his brakes
Hi, great info, thanks. Quick question with Logan 2206 breaks, do you know if they are top to bottom or bottom to top. If it helps they are on an Engwe engine pro. Any help would be appreciated 🙏 😊
I'll just get v-brakes on my next bike. Had them before and didn't have any issues for more than 10 years. Now with discs on the other hand...
Hi Doody any chance of showing how to replace the parallelagram on a rear deralleur, preferabally AXS. Everyone has a scratched one and i can not find a video on how to do it
SOS
Cheers
Squeeze the syringe quickly, not slowly. The flow rate should be faster than bubbles would rise through the hose, making gravity a non-issue.
Very comprehensive overview. That‘s a good reference for years to come. Can you cut open a Shimano lever? I‘d see the proof that the bite point adjustment on those does nothing at all.
But it definitely does.
It does, but it only increases the dead stroke which most people want to minimise and after making the adjustment, you have to correct for it by winding the reach adjustment, otherwise it doesn't seem like anything happens at all.
If i want to bleed the front brakes, what do you mean top to bottom? The front wheel and left brake?
Man the singer from Rammstein sure knows his way around mountain bikes!
Ive got tektro brakes and my rear level is pulling further into the bar than my front is this normal or do u need to bleed my rear brake system??
Can anyone tell me why you have to adjust the reach out as far as possible?
Absolute shreddin kings. Bossed it 🤙🏻 #Marra
Could you please make a video comparing the mini e-revo and the hyper go. I just bought the mini e-revo but noticed in your other video the hyper go can go 39mph and the erevo went 41 or something. People would love to see them compared and I don't think there's a video like that..
I have zoom brakes thank you for stopping me going ape on them reverse bleed works for me
How about bleeding Draco Tektro Hydraulic brakes (mineral oil)
Please help me get The Resorvoir bleeding brake screws size M4x6 for Aniioki A8 Pro Max.The manufacturer don't have.
Syringe won't move on Shimano caliper, is this caused by air? How do I fix as I have no brake.
I always have my local shop do my brake maintenance but am curious to do it myself. This may be a dumb question: how do you know how much fluid to use for a bleed? Thanks
Typically I would bleed until neither bubbles nor „dirty“ fluid are coming out when you open the bleed port.
Could you and Anna do a video where you swap dot fluid for mineral oil (and vice versa) to see how well or poorly the brakes perform?
Hi AGS, it's not that the brakes perform poorly they just don't perform anymore. The results are different for many brands, but mainly the seals deteriorate and usually after swelling up so the pistons don't move anymore they end up turning into wet liquorice. The brakes are dead afterwards.
Can I use a funnel to bleed my Code R's?
@gmbntech whilst we know we can’t mix dot and mineral… can you show us what happens when you replace dot fluid with mineral in a brake and vice versa? Always been curious
Dot fluid attacks rubber, that is why special materials have to be used with dot brakes and why you see rebuild kits for dot brake calipers and levers, but not mineral brakes.
great vid again.
I use magura MT trail sports, great brakes but a little fiddly to bleed. I still have not managed to find a way of stopping any oil from coming out under pressure from the lever, once you remove the siring. if anyone has a tip please share. thanks
Easy, right before you disconnect either syringe, unbolt the caliper from the bike/fork and raise it to the same level as the master cylinder. You want the bleed port on the caliper at the same height as the bleed port on the master cylinder. This way you can disconnect either or both the syringes and no fluid will run out. Think of it like holding the two ends of the same hose filled to the brim with fluid, if you raise one end, it will flow out the other and vice versa.
I hope that he does Clark Breaks one day 🙂.
use baby oil in mineral oil brakes, yes it does work
Had a nightmare trying to bleed Sram Avid hydrolic brakes.
Hi prob a silly question.. see the block that goes into caliper?.. do you need to use it? Does it help with air bubbles in caliper if pistons pushed right back?
Yeah you do need to use it! If it's not there then the pistons don't have anything to block their movement and you won't be able to effectively bleed the system
16:47 why pressurise the lever? It would disconnect the reservoir form the rest of the system.
if the exit point is on the top, the "hoses" are as vertical as possible, the break drums are all the way in(to get rid of air) and you push the new fluid in with the force of a thousand suns... can any bubbles be left in the system? im just thinking from a physics point of view here. Bubbles want to rise, but they can be caught by adhesion on the tube walls... but they will be entrained by moving fluid and go upwards and the greater the pressure from the bottom the likelier it is that they will be entrained.
I highly doubt that a generic 100% mineral oil will harm the seals or adversely affect the braking performance of magura or shimano. Perhaps one thing to look out for would be boiling point.
you can't mix all of the DOTs.
On the ball Doddy very important job 💚💚
Superb as always.