Forum - Essex Herts MTB
http://www.essexhertsmtb.co.uk/php/forum/

Spongy front brake
http://www.essexhertsmtb.co.uk/mountain-bike-kit-equipment/spongy-front-brake-t4502-15.html
Page 2 of 3

Author:  stumpie [ Wed Jun 05, 2013 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Wahoo! I bleeded my brakes! Start to finish 25 minutes and that was with watching the YouTube video time and time again...

Brakes now work again! I got the kit from Decathlon and with a bee in my bonnet I was away :)

Ask anybody here that knows me I'm just about useless mechanically so if I can do this anybody can!

Author:  AgentOrange [ Wed Jun 05, 2013 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Nice one, ive got the kit just need to actually do it. Im quite handy when I know what im doing.

Nervously adjusted the front mech this afternoon, after watching a vid by a SRAM race engineer , as I was having some trouble with it. Then fitted a bash guard in place of the large ring. so far so good.......

It drops the chain when shifting to the small front ring when going up hill. Might need the chain device and shorten the chain next which will be fun :?

Author:  Madasnibbor [ Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Spongy front brake

Brakes are easy when you know how. I always keep a damp cloth to wipe any stray drips as it will damage paint work :) happy bleeding

Author:  Geoff43 [ Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:52 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Bleeding hell !!!

Author:  unityjon [ Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Hmm, not going off topic, perhaps we need a bleeding topic ? (phnaar)

but when i bleed my deores with the yellow bleed block in they lock up solid, really good, as soon as i put my wheel back in they're pants ! could it be that the brakes haven't 'burnt in' yet ? seems far too much of a difference from the rock solid yellow block ? they barely work at all :(

Author:  Geoff43 [ Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Bleed kit on its way !!!

Author:  nwmlarge [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 6:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

unityjon wrote:
Hmm, not going off topic, perhaps we need a bleeding topic ? (phnaar)

but when i bleed my deores with the yellow bleed block in they lock up solid, really good, as soon as i put my wheel back in they're pants ! could it be that the brakes haven't 'burnt in' yet ? seems far too much of a difference from the rock solid yellow block ? they barely work at all :(


are the pads low?
free stroke adjustment in the right place?

Author:  unityjon [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Pads are brand new unused, rotor is brand new unused. Brake lever was new 4 rides ago!

I'm on the damn phone....

Author:  nwmlarge [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

No idea then blood

Author:  ggg [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Did you bed the pads in properly first? Lots riding very fast and hard sharp braking for as lond as you can be botherd. If not just whip them out take off the surface with some wet and dry and start again.

If you dont and just drag em, you end up with poished pads/rotors and not enough transfer of material to bite. Sounds like your problem otherwise im stumped

Author:  nwmlarge [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

He said spongy not lack lustre, which is more than likely bleed related

Author:  ggg [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 8:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Haha yer but it explains the diffrence in bite. No friction and a beed block and it seems fine, so i presume the pistons are working fine and the bleeds good, but no grip on rotors, then the next stage is the pads?

Just working through the check list

Author:  unityjon [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Completely hijacked the original thread here, sorry Geoff43, you can have it back when your bleed kit arrives LOL

My pads are brand new unused fresh out the packet, with the bleed block in place i get about 3mm movement before the system locks up, with the pads in i get the lever most of the way to the bars (about 20mm+) before the pads bite.

I tried bleeding it with the orange pad alignment tool in place thinking it would fool the system by making the pistons move a lot more during the bleed process taking up the slack, this just failed miserably and was worse than when i used the thicker bleed block.

In desperation yesterday afternoon i phoned a LBS but they couldn't fit it in until one day during the week but i dont get home in time to run it down there so i shot into Halfords just i case they'd have a syringe / advice the guy there said they

[sit down] Submerse the whole system in bucket of anti-freeeze and operate it for about 30mins consistently to clear it all out, then clean it with water, then then refill it with oil, the whole process takes about and hour [\sit down] ???

why wouldn't they just pump new clean fluid through it ?? whty would they use water ? that would contaminate the lot and you'd never dry the insides out and why not just put the caliper in whatever your cleaning with ?


anyway, today i'll try to track down a fresh bottle of brake fluid from somewhere in London and run it right through tonight.

Author:  ggg [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 9:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Haha holy shit ok thats well out of my leauge.

Not sure about anti freeze but ive always used assatone, or the girlfriends nailvarnish remover, as the alcohol evaporates clean and stops me leaving everthing contaminated.

I have no idea what youd do with a deor brake. Avids you just have to keep degassing the brake fluid pushing it back and foward and tapping untill all the airs out. No idea how you do that on a shimano set up, it always looked like the simpler sysytem to me

Sorry bro but good luck

Author:  Geoff43 [ Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: spongy front brake

Jon if u get stuck for brake fluid there's a cycle surgery 1 min away from where I work I could grab u some

Page 2 of 3 All times are UTC [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/