Hydraulic brakes

[Walkerie]

Hi all,

My brakes (Shimano M335) haven't been very stiff/responsive recently.

I took my front wheel off yesterday to get it onto the car and squeezed the front brake by accident (i've heard that this can't introduce air into the system)

I opened up the pads with a screwdriver carefully and managed to get the wheel back in nicely but now the front break is pretty floppy - it does grab a tiny bit (talking like 5-10% of what it should do, but not enough to actually stop the wheel even when pushing the bike)

Could pumping my brake lever help at all? i've heard that maybe there could have been air that's travelled down from the reservoir and causing the issue.

Or maybe burping them (never tried?) (id really not like to bleed them if possible for now)

Any help would be great, the bike is a 2016/17 voodoo bizango

 

[UTmaniac]

Try pumping the brakes for a few mins, it could resolve the lack of braking bite.

 

[Walkerie]

Try pumping the brakes for a few mins, it could resolve the lack of braking bite.

Okay so just been on a 14 mile ride with the front brakes not working at all the whole way round. Packed it up in the car, to put in garage and there working again, maybe only 60% capacity but better than 0% what could that indicate? I think I have a slight leak near the resevoir

 

[Begbie]

Okay so just been on a 14 mile ride with the front brakes not working at all the whole way round. Packed it up in the car, to put in garage and there working again, maybe only 60% capacity but better than 0% what could that indicate? I think I have a slight leak near the resevoir

If you have a leak, you'll see oil around it. Plus a leak will pretty much stop it working.

Sounds like a bleed to me.

 

[JunkBot]

How difficult is it to bleed your brakes, I'm in pretty much the same situation and if it needs to go to the professionals how much are we usually talking?

 

[mattyfez]

How difficult is it to bleed your brakes, I'm in pretty much the same situation and if it needs to go to the professionals how much are we usually talking?

My local independent charges £13 per caliper for a bleed, not including the cost of new pads (if required).

 

[Begbie]

How difficult is it to bleed your brakes, I'm in pretty much the same situation and if it needs to go to the professionals how much are we usually talking?

Either really simple, or a right headache.

By the time you've bought the kit, spent an hour messing about you're probably cheaper going to a LBS. I do it myself because I love pain, but once you've done it a few times it's pretty simple. Worth learning IMO.

 

[Irish_Tom]

How difficult is it to bleed your brakes, I'm in pretty much the same situation and if it needs to go to the professionals how much are we usually talking?

If you've got a bike stand, you can angle the bike up so that the reservoirs are at the highest point, then cable-tie the levers to the handlebars and leave it overnight. This should give it time for any air in the system to rise up into the reservoir. It's not a permanent fix but should give you a good indication of whether there's lots of air in the system or not.

Alternatively, if you have the Shimano kit but don't want to do a full bleed, you can also "burp" the brakes instead. You fit the cup (with some fluid in it) to the reservoir and pump the brakes. You should see air bubbles appear in the cup and the fluid go down. Tap the cable from the calliper up to the lever to "persuade" the air into the cup until you see no more bubbles. When you remove the cup the reservoir should be full of fluid.

I'm with @Begbie on this one — I'd prefer to do it myself but I'd say burping is worth trying as an easy alternative before doing a full bleed.

 

[JunkBot]

Thanks everyone, took it out last night and the brake appears to be working again, however it’s I making a horrendous squealing noise.... Any ideas?

 

[FishFluff]

Thanks everyone, took it out last night and the brake appears to be working again, however it’s I making a horrendous squealing noise.... Any ideas?

Take the wheel out and give the pads a good clean. Then, before putting the wheel back in, give the disc a good clean.