Can a Shimano XT Brake piston work in a XTR brake Lever? Lets replace the piston and find out
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2023
- This is a follow-up video to a Shimano M9100 Brake bleed tutorial video I had posted a few months back, which can be found at the link below
studio.th-cam.com/users/videooOBS...
During the bleed in that video I had discovered the piston in the brake lever had a chunk missing due to a wipe out.
Unlike SRAM, which sells replaceable parts for their guide, code, G2, level brakes etc, Shimano barely sells any replaceable parts for their difference Brake brake models, especially lever pistons, caliper pistons etc etc. .
So I had found an After market metal pistons made for Shimano XT m8000 and XT M8100 brakes. I decided to buy one to see how if it would work for Shimano XTR M9000 or XTR M9100
I finally got around to testing this and made a quick video out of it.
The video also shows you how to disassemble a XTR brake lever in order to change the piston, as well as reassemble it.
as always, feel free to ask questions and I'll respond first chance I get - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I don't know how to thank you. Man this is the only video I was searching through the whole internet. My rubber is also leaking. However I am trying to fix it with a little bit of super glue. Thanks for sharing
Glad the video was helpful for you Just make sure to clean all fluids off the bladder prior to applying glue and you should be good.
Great stuff as usual!
thanks. As always let me know if you have any questions
I like Shimano a lot, but... I also see more and more of this practice where they force you into buying brand new complete units.
Some years ago I tried one of their flat pedals and I quickly checked parts availability before purchase. I did not notice at the time that the most important part was not available for purchase, and that is the outer dust seal that is there to prevent grit and grime from entering inside. I ended up throwing perfectly good pedals in the bin because I was pissed off that I could not service them.
I ended up with a pair of OneUp aluminum flat pedals that I've had ever since. I just buy a new refurb kit everytime I've used the one I got, and it's so quick and easy to deal with.
Shimano could easily do the same, so we'll see if they wake up some time soon.
You are so dead right with the shimano pedals. It is absolute BS that they don't sell the seals individually. I'm a big fan of both the raceface atlas and oneup pedals. They are all I use anymore, and like you said, rebuilding is a snap! 👍
I was able to swap a stock piston from an M8020 lever into an M9020 and it worked as original.
I initially tried what you appear to have done and purchased an aftermarket replacement from Amazon/Ali Express. The aftermarket piston was metal vs. the phenolic OEM piston. I couldn't even get the aftermarket piston into the bore! The difference is in aftermarket vs. OEM, not XT vs XTR. I ended up cannibalizing an M8020 lever for its piston and seals, which looked/measured/worked the same as the original in the XTR. I agree Shimano should sell these parts. I guess like anyone, they would prefer you to buy a new $120 leaver assembly than a $5 piston.
"I was able to swap a stock piston from an M8020 lever into an M9020 and it worked as original."
That's good info for people to know.
"The difference is in aftermarket"
What's ridiculous is, not only does SRAM sell brake components spares, but any aftermarket metal pistons I've installed on SRAM brakes over the years have worked flawlessly. Now, the aftermarket pistons were built for a specific sram model brake, unlike in this video where the pistons was for a XT instead of XTR. but I couldn't find any aftermarket XTR pistons! Really is BS that shimano doesn't offer these parts. you would think the margins would be HUGE and worthwhile, but I guess they know their business.
Thanks for the info on your experience with 8020 and 9020 pistons👍
I assume that the piston from the deore series also fits? A new deore lever is not expensive... take the piston out of it and put it in an xtr and that would be a much cheaper option than buying a new xtr or xt lever...
I’m fighting a migrating bite point on my XTR M987 brakes. I watched your other video about the reach and freestroke adjustment and tried backing off the reach all the way out and couldn’t get fluid to flow from the caliper to the lever just like you. I had to adjust the lever reach in slightly before fluid would flow. You may want to try adjust the reach in a bit.
Thanks for the tip. The issue with the brake in this video was I couldn't get the XT piston to work in the XTR level, the u-cup on the piston blocked the hole leading to the reservoir allowing it system to work in one direction only. Super sucks that shimano doesn't sell parts for their brakes.
Shimano really needs to get their act together and honor right to repair. Not only does this end up costing us way more than it should, but it's also terrible for the environment. This should have been such a simple fix!
Amen to that Brother! I am SOOOOO sick of hearing companies talk about "Sustainability" only to prove themselves complete hypocrites. I get what they are doing from a business perspective, but I can't imagine the margins on just the lever being anywhere near those of selling just pistons, which has to be super cheap for this part in a batch order.
I just recently punctured the diaphragm using a syringe to bleed an xt 8100 brake, the problem is that the pressure from the syringe falls precisely on the small ramp where the diaphragm is very weak, I have a couple of photos that I can show you so that you have evidence of this, the syringe is not the best method to bleed the brake from the lever
There you go folks! Quite possibly the reason why shimano doesn't offer a syringe solution for the lever bodies. So for anyone who is looking at buying an aftermarket syringe kit for thier XT/XTR lever bodies, be careful with the bleed. Don't apply to much downward pressure on the syringe or you risk damaging the bladder.
Thanks for the info myman!
Very interesting video! Sucks that after all that work it didn't function. 🙁
So far two shimano levers and two calipers that I haven't been able to be salvaged because shimano doesn't sell spare parts and aftermarket parts don't seem to work. I have to say that I just don't have this issue with sram with brakes
Dear
i broke my xtr brake lever in a fall and ordered a replacement lever. your video is very informative. have a question the pliers , what size are they ? have seen that they are very small holes in the clamp and want to make sure i buy the right one
grtz henk from Belgium
Any regular sized right angle snap ring plier will do. I'm sure you can find one at a local hardware store for a decent price. Just make sure it's not a large version. Here's a link to one that might give you a good idea what it looks like.
www.amazon.com/4821J31-Internal-Precision-Retaining-8-5-Inch/dp/B003UHUDDE
hope this helps
If your looking for some brakes that are easily serviceable and easy to replace parts, check out hope brakes.
I really do need to find a used set and try them out. they are so rare around here (to say shimano and sram dominate this area is an understatement) that I keep forgetting about them. thanks for the tip though
Thank for investing the time to investigate whether replacing the XT piston would have worked. It would have been nice if it did. Have you done any work with the Magura MT7 master cylinder?
I haven't. In fact the last magura brakes I've bled was pre covid, and I don't remember what model it was. Very rare brakes in SE MI. if I come across a set I'll do a breakdown video on them.
@@zoubtube Thank you I would love to see Zoubtube break down in the future someday 🙂
@@MrCjrodriguez Will do! worse case I'll buy a set
oh so sorry, gotta buy a new one
- sincerly shimano (probably)
you hit the nail on the head. Complete BS imo that shimano doesn't sell spares. So much for sustainability!
Have you tried just switching the U cup seals?
I didn't. those things a bit delicate and a pain to swap., but I should have tried it.
I have a new BMC Fourstroke frame which is all built up with internal routing and brand new Jagwire hydraulic lines ran. I am replacing the SLX brakes with XTR 9100s. Do you think i can simply leave the brake lines and just swap out the SLX calipers and levers? Then do a bleed?. Also, do you think the stock brake lines that come with the 9100 are better or worse than then Jagwires? I don't want to cut or replace olives etc.Thanks!! Big supporter from Michigan.
When you get a chance, can you let me know which actual SLX model brake you have?
I can't really say whether the jagwire is better than the stock Shimano brake hose. I would expect them to be very similar, unless jagwire does something that slightly weakens the housing on the hose due to weight savings, or something like that. I honestly don't know
But depending on the model of brake, where you will most likely run into an issue is with the banjo bolt connector, which is on the caliper side of the hose. There's a good chance it's a different setup
Let me know, and thank you for the support. Which region of MI are you in?
@@zoubtube Thank you so much! They are 2022 slx 2 pot. So the latest version. I’m in South Lyon. We have 6 trail systems within riding distance from home here. I’m installing the. XTR M9100 2 pot race
@@TheRickysee Looking at the part numbers, the banjo bolt part number for the XTR 9120 is Y8JA00010. The bolt for the SLX 7120 is Y2RV06000 (same as the XT 8120). This is not to say that the overall dimensions aren't the same. It is most likely that the XTR bolt is made of lighter material. I can't be 100% sure without actually having looked at both bolts (I've only held the 9100 in my hands out of these models), but I feel 95% sure that you won't have an issue swapping just the calipers onto the existing hose between those two models.
Did you buy the 9120 calipers and levers as components, or did you buy the kits that come with everything? If the latter, I would just swap everything and keep it consistent, even though it's a bit more of a pita.
You are actually in my area. I'm up in Waterford. I typically ride highland at least 3 days a week as I help maintain it, but I ride other trails for the rest of the days. Maybe we can hook up one of these days.
@@zoubtube well thanks so much I really appreciate it! Yeah, on eBay I bought 9100 brake set looks like a takeoff, it will come without the original box, so I’m thinking maybe not all the little parts that come with the factory purchase. But the hoses are attached to the 90/100. How do I get in touch, I tried to find you an Instagram and there’s no messaging feature on TH-cam. Thanks let’s ride!
Zoubtube is my instagram account. I never really had a reason to use it. this might be a good kick in the butt to start using the platform. let me know if you can't find the account
Could the seals be traded from piston to piston? I can’t make out the details / differences in the video and don’t have any to compare.
"Could the seals be traded from piston to piston"
YES! The seals can be swapped, and I did end up swapping them. They looked extremely similar in size, but the stock seals felt a bit stronger/stiffer. The pistons also looked VERY similar and measured relatively close to each other, though not identical. So much so that I really thought it was going to work this time.
"I can’t make out the details / differences in the video and don’t have any to compare"
I literally just realized I F'ed up!!! I thought I had already posted the piston comparison footage in a previous brake bleed video. I just realized I didn't! I waited so long between when I discovered the stock piston was damaged and actually testing the aftermarket piston that I totally forgot about the comparison clips I created when I first received the aftermarket piston, which was about 4 months ago. I need to get better organized when making these videos. Sorry about that.
@@zoubtube I greatly appreciate these videos and the quality of your work. Keep it up. FWIW, I’m in central AZ and SRAM plastic pistons were my nemesis. Alloy aftermarket replacement parts weren’t available for about a decade. I ultimately resorted to turning them on a small hobby lathe…
Are the m8000 and m8100 pistons the same? I found an aftermarket m8000 piston that I would like to try on my m8100 lever thats slow to return.
I honestly can't say for sure as I've never tried swapping them. Are they very similar, yes. but even if they are slightly different it can mean that they aren't compatible. there are aftermarket options for the 8100 if that's what you need. last I saw one was on ali express, which I wouldn't be surprised is the same stock piston.
@@zoubtube Ill try to look again. I cant seem to find the one for the m8100.
@@gerardguadayo1788 this is the one I was talking about. looks like they still sell it, though I haven't tried it,
www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804298672724.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&ds_e_adid=&ds_e_matchtype=&ds_e_device=c&ds_e_network=x&ds_e_product_group_id=&ds_e_product_id=en3256804298672724&ds_e_product_merchant_id=463268612&ds_e_product_country=US&ds_e_product_language=en&ds_e_product_channel=online&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_url_v=2&albcp=20123152476&albag=&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwyJqzBhBaEiwAWDRJVB-6oxb5-s_Re9vzybFTpK-5IdxHUWqtsW_0DLwxjy0AfrS_YLOuaRoCHisQAvD_BwE&aff_fcid=ac77f51d38584ecd962a95ce39b43dc8-1718077723175-09751-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=ac77f51d38584ecd962a95ce39b43dc8-1718077723175-09751-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=acb4b009189344e890a3df15e062380f&afSmartRedirect=y&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
@@zoubtube Thank you so much
Where’s the update video? Did it work?
😅 Your funny man. For a second you had me thinking that I didn't provide an update to this. Watch the end of the video (9:31) for the answer to your question 😉
I would have never guessed Shimano had used different internals. I thought the XTR just had a lighter housing
I thought the same. I did measure the replacement piston against the stock in the previous video I had posted on bleeding the m9100. they were close but not identical. I was hoping it would be close enough. TOTAL BS that Shimano doesn't sell spare parts like this considering the price of their brakes
@@zoubtube Yes, Shimano should make all the parts available, or at least a complete rebuild kit.
Did you measure both piston at first? That would have been informative to your viewers.
I did in the bleed video I had posted for this brake. I had tossed out the broken plastic piston by the time I got around to testing the new piston. they were close in size with some minor differences
What about M8020 levers? Are they different than M8000 levers?
I can't say for sure but I would expect the pistons to be the same within each model family