Hydraulic Brakes

[nickrm]

I just bought my first bike that has hydraulic disc brakes. My question is what kind of maintenance do I need to be knowledged in and what type of things do I avoid. I remember reading somewhere that it needs to not be kept hanging upside down in storage, can’t remember why that was, just remember reading. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. And thank you in advance

[slipfinger]

What kind of brakes are on the bike? If they are Avid specially in the Juicy and Elixir line they will definitely need a bleed sooner then later. The procedure is not hard at all you just need to buy the Avid bleed kit. I know Shimano brakes are super easy to bleed, can’t comment on the other brands as I’ve never used them. There are some great videos on pinkbike and youtube showing you exactly what to do.

Really there is not a whole lot you have to do them, replace pads when they are worn, avoid touching the rotor with your bare hand and leaving oils behind and if your a DH’er you’ll go a lot faster if you don’t use them!! 😮

As for hanging bike up side down. The brakes are fine, they are a sealed system or relatively sealed. I’ve heard people mention issues with hanging bikes up side down because of the forks leaking oil. I’ve also read that Fox recommends flipping your bike over for a bit to wet the wipers with oil.

[nickrm]

They are Shimano M486 w/ 160mm Rotors. I know it just got back from the LBS and that they did their tune-up but I’m not 100% sure what all they do to it. He had that done before he sold it to me. How will I know when I need to bleed it? Thanks for the YouTube reminder, completely forgot about that route

[slipfinger]

"nickrm" wrote

How will I know when I need to bleed it?

The levers will feel squishy, you will notice a lose of power even though you have the lever almost fully compressed.

Basically it will be the same as your brakes in your car when they need a bleed, the brake pedal will compress almost to the floor board.

Here is a link to a ghetto Shimano bleed to see how easy it can be.

This bleed is using the shimano bleed kit. He is bleeding saints but basically it’s the same process as your brakes.

This is all pretty easy to do, and of course your LBS can do it as well. I’m guess you’d be looking somewhere between $40 to $60 to get your brakes bleed at the shop.

Have fun with the new ride!!

[nickrm]

"slipfinger" wrote

[quote="nickrm":31uolnzm]How will I know when I need to bleed it?

The levers will feel squishy, you will notice a lose of power even though you have the lever almost fully compressed.

Basically it will be the same as your brakes in your car when they need a bleed, the brake pedal will compress almost to the floor board.

Here is a link to a ghetto Shimano bleed to see how easy it can be.

This bleed is using the shimano bleed kit. He is bleeding saints but basically it’s the same process as your brakes.

This is all pretty easy to do, and of course your LBS can do it as well. I’m guess you’d be looking somewhere between $40 to $60 to get your brakes bleed at the shop.

Have fun with the new ride!![/quote:31uolnzm]

Thank you very much. I’m guessing they did it at the LBS because I barely have to touch them and they are fully compressed. I think compressed is the word i’m looking for

[gar29]

One thing to remember, when you have your wheel off, don’t squeeze the brake lever. If you do, you will have fun separating the pads! Ummm, i’ve never done this 😏

[nickrm]

I took it for a ride today with my son, very proud of that little guy (5 days w/o training wheels and he is already riding over a mile with me on the paved trails), but I did notice that i have to squeeze the rear brake all the way and barely have to squeeze the front one. Is this one of those situations where I would need to bleed it or is this more of an adjustment that needs to be made ?

[slipfinger]

First check the pads to make sure they are not worn out. If they look fine then you probably need a bleed.

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