[Philliam]

Just got a set from Jenson. The front hose is perfect length and the lever feels fine.

The rear hose is quite long and the lever goes to the grip when pulled. I was going to trim the hose length down, and I was hoping to do it without having to bleed because 1) they are brand spanking new, 2) I don't have a bleed kit (nor does the LBS.) and 3) I'm new to Shimano brakes and have never worked on them.

Am I just S.O.L. until I get my hands on a bleed kit? Is there a trick I'm unaware of? Anyone else have issue with Shimano factory bleeds?

Bummed because I want to ride tomorrow.

 

[jonKranked]

don't know if there's a trick, but shimano's are probably some of the easiest brakes to work on.

 

[Philliam]

That's good to know. But I wasn't expecting to have to bleed them right out of the box.

 

[jonKranked]

That's good to know. But I wasn't expecting to have to bleed them right out of the box.

then never buy a boxer.

seriously though, its pretty atypical with shimano stuff, but it can happen.

you can make your own bleed kit, 20cc syringe (can be found in the gadget aisle of most larger grocery stores, or somewhere like TSC), tubing to connect the synringe to the caliper (home depot - edit make sure you get tubing with the right ID to fit on the bleed port of the brake caliper). from there you just need the shimano mineral oil. i do find it odd that your LBS isn't equipped to bleed shimano brakes, they're probably the most common brand.

 

[OGRipper]

You bought aftermarket brakes and expect the line to be the perfect length for you? Be glad it's too long, not too short!

Otherwise, what JK said. If you've worked on other hyrdro brakes, shimano stuff is pretty easy. If you don't want to tackle it, find another shop.

 

[Philliam]

Well, my LBS is a ski shop, and it's 30 miles away. I'm sure they're fully equipped to work on my stuff, but I'm more inclined to do it myself.

Thanks for the tips though, I'm gonna hit the local hardware/grocery store and see what I find.

 

[Philliam]

No, I did not expect the line to be perfect length. But I did expect them to be functional.

 

[Kanye West]

So there are a couple tricks you can try with them actually.

One, do a top-down bleed to purge the caliper. Attach hose, grab the lever, crack the bleeder open and closed real fast, then release the lever (the order of those steps is important). Keep refilling the reservoir and don't let it go dry.

Two, take the system off the bike, and hang it so the banjo bolt is at the top of the caliper, and the line is at the bottom of the MC (so air can flow up). Squeeze the lever and work the pads together around a flathead screwdriver, and pry them back to force fluid upwards in the system. Do this 5-10 times maybe, and any air in the line should be forced upwards. No need to open the system to do this. Also helps to whack the caliper and the line with an allen key going from bottom to top to help shake any air bubbles up to the reservoir.

I would also check to see if there's enough fluid in the reservoir to begin with too. If it's low, fill it up and do those two steps.

 

[OGRipper]

Thanks for the tips though, I'm gonna hit the local hardware/grocery store and see what I find.

In case you are not aware, you need mineral oil for your brakes. I've always used the official shimano stuff and I don't know if there is a substitute to be found at a hardware store. (Anyone?) In any case, don't use DOT4.

 

[muddyfox]

Any time I've stored a bike with Shimano brakes in some funky way resulting in the brake lever squeezing to the bar I've found pumping it 20 - 30 times has forced air out and problem solved. Hopefully works for you.

 

[kidwoo]

I don't think I've ever gotten a prebled set of brakes, by themselves or on a bike that didn't need to be bled.

Shimano, hayes, avid.........bleed them. Whoever put them together has a box to check, not a reliable braking system that they're skin and bones depend on to work properly.

And yeah.....find a shop that knows what the hell they're doing if you don't feel comfortable with it. They're really easy to bleed though. A syringe (get one from a Veterinarian) and some tubing to fit the caliper barb. You don't need all that other shlt.

Order the brake fluid online if you have to.

 

[Philliam]

Thanks for all the tips. Much appreciated.

I'm sure I'll figure it out. One of the reasons I switched to the big S is b/c they're easy to work on.

 

[HardtailHack]

I'd do what muddyfox sid first but wind the adjusters out so the lever is as far off the bar as possible and make sure the caliper is aligned correctly.

 

[blindboxx2334]

A syringe (get one from a Veterinarian) and some tubing to fit the caliper barb. You don't need all that other shlt.

When i was trying to bleed my fit damper, vets only had super small sryringes. i understand fork bleed does not equal brake bleed, but if your local vet doesnt work out, try a feed store. I was recommended many times to go check one out.

Eventually i found a mixmizer online for cheap, so i bought it.. ive also herd people use this stuff as an alternative to shimano mineral oil. its supposed to be cheaper:

 

[Philliam]

Cut the hose down and pumped it 20-30 times with lever backed out as far as it would go from bar...

And it worked! I'm all set to bed these suckers in tomorrow.

Thanks again.

 

[yellowdogx]

I've used (gasp) Safeway branded mineral oil in my gen 1 saints and now my Zees.

No ill effects as of yet (7 years on the gen 1 saints).

I would rather use the shimano stuff but I am a tightwad Scotsman.

 

[rollertoaster]

Can anyone else confirm that Pentosin chf7 or for that matter chf11s is a viable replacement for mineral oil?
We use it in Bmws at work, so I'd love to hear that I have an endless free supply of mineral oil at my disposal.

 

[Philliam]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the term "mineral oil" is a pretty generic term. Many mineral oils have additives, perfumes, etc that can cause harm to small rubber/plastic parts in brakes over time. At least that's how I rationalize spending more money on the branded stuff.

But ultimately, any and ALL of these frames/parts/components are disposable...

Edit: 7 years?!? So much for my theory.

 

[big-ted]

CHF 7 is fine for Shimano brakes. I ran it in my old Saints without issue. Couldn't comment on the 11.

 

[Steve M]

I would highly recommend sticking to the original Shimano stuff. The term "mineral oil" realistically means "not DOT fluid" but it does not mean that what you're using is safe - for example, if you use Magura Blood (also a mineral oil) in Shimano brakes, the seals will fail. There are almost certainly safe alternatives out there (though I am not aware of any that have been properly tested), but really, are you going to gamble on unforeseeable brake failure for the sake of $20 worth of oil (that will last you a long time to boot)? You can put cheap, low-grade, non-manufacturer-approved oil in your fork and it's not likely to cause catastrophic failure, but messing with brake fluids is really taking an unnecessary risk.

 

[Verskis]

I have had Bosch branded LHM+ oil (made for the hydraulic systems of Citroen cars) on my old Shimano Deore brake for about a year now and it has worked flawlessly.

 

[HardtailHack]

We need someone to test some cheap oil to see what temp it boils at, a few years ago Magura went from Blood to Royal Blood which supposedly coped better with heat, who knows what happens to any random oil when it gets hot? I've had fluid bypass the master cyl piston seal and it wasn't fun!

 

[StabprimoMonkee]

I use Motorex minral brake fluid in Shimanos and Maguras. Reasonable price, works great.

 

[Nick]

I used Johnson & Johnson unscented baby oil in my old 755s for two years.
admittedly, they felt different when temps were below freezing, but they always worked fine.

re: disposable parts ... those same 755s are still alive and kicking on a friend's DH bike. Gotta be 13-14 years old now.

 

[Udi]

The new generation of Shimano brakes are prone to all sorts of leaks (caliper seals, lever seals) right out of the box or after minimal use, so what worked on older Shimano brakes (which were un-arguably the pinnacle of reliability - I'm sure they'd have run happily on canola oil) probably shouldn't be used as gospel for the current ones.

The genuine mineral oil has a very high boiling point (comparable to super DOT4/DOT5.1), >500*F if I remember correctly, and a very low viscosity.

 

[GekoES]

I bought a pair of brand new Shimano Zee brakes two months ago, the hoses are long as hell but the bleed work is perfect on them.

It is impossible that the 100% of the brakes come perfectly bled right out of the box.