spongey brakes-advice please

foo-fighter

hi people,
im looking for a bit of advice about my shimano deore hydaulic brakes. i've only been riding on them for around 20 miles or so and im aware that they take time to bed in along with the disks. When i pull either lever there seems to be quite a lot of travel before the bite point about an inch or so leaving about an inch between the lever and bar, the rear lever feels slightly spongey but not to bad the front one is stiffer but still travels about an inch before the bite point. I have tried bleeding them as per shimano's instructions but it doesnt seem to of made much difference. Is about an inch of lever travel right?? i've never had hydraulic brakes before so i dont know, do i need to re-bleed them to make the lever stiffer or is it just a case of letting the new disks and pads bed in? Sorry for all the questions but im pretty new to all of this.
any help appreciated
thanks
Si

cooldad

Bedding in the pads won't make them more or less spongy.

Anonymous

foo-fighter wrote:

When i pull either lever there seems to be quite a lot of travel before the bite point about an inch or so leaving about an inch between the lever and bar

Adjust the lever reach. There is a small grub screw on the inside of the brake lever.

the rear lever feels slightly spongey but not to bad the front one is stiffer

Sounds like it's still not properly bled. Try taking them to a bike shop and get it done properly. It's worth learning yourself though in the long run.

Anonymous

Oh, and it should probably be added that having the lever about an inch, maybe an inch and a half away from the bars when it bites is a good thing, it reduces forearm fatigue when braking.