Is it essential to bleed brakes?

carrera_vulcan

Hi,

I am thinking of buying Avid Juicy 3 2011 brakes and I am wondering if it is essential to bleed them?

Can you please tell me your opinion about Avid Juicy 3?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=59527

That's the brakes.


Thanks

supersonic

They shouldn't need bleeding from new. But they do require it periodically.

carrera_vulcan

supersonic wrote:

They shouldn't need bleeding from new. But they do require it periodically.

Thank you!

carrera_vulcan

supersonic wrote:

They shouldn't need bleeding from new. But they do require it periodically.

When you say periodically what do you mean? How often - every month or not that often? After I buy them when should I bleed them and also what do you think of Avid Juicy 3?

MountainMonster

Dont bother with the juicy 3s man, their not really that worth it. There is nothing really wrong with them, but would be better off buying other brakes. Check the slx brakes, their good deals.

supersonic

carrera_vulcan wrote:

supersonic wrote:

They shouldn't need bleeding from new. But they do require it periodically.

When you say periodically what do you mean? How often - every month or not that often? After I buy them when should I bleed them and also what do you think of Avid Juicy 3?

When they need doing ie when you think air is in the sytem, the levers feel spongey.

WHy not read online manuals first?

nicklouse

or the info in the FAQs

carrera_vulcan

Thank you very much!

getonyourbike

get the slxs, there's a lot better out there for only a small price increase.

cavegiant

A lot of people do maintenance for maintenance sake.

You can bleed every month, but you will be wasting your time.

Wait until there is a noticeable drop in performance, then do it.

I was told that my formula ones (amazing brakes) were high maintenance and needed doing every month, last time I did them was over a year ago, they still feel 100%.

Rockhopper

If only need to bleed your brakes if you have somehow got air into the system or if the fluid is getting on a bit. Your car uses almost exactly the same braking system - how often do you bleed them?
I have two sets of Hope disk brakes, one of the rears hasn't been touched in eight or nine years (apart from several sets of new pads!), the other three brakes have simply never needed bleeding apart from when I shortened the hoses. I think I might have changed the fluid once but that's only because I thought i should do - nothing happening with the brakes made me think they needed it.

dan shard

personally I wouldn't write off juicy 3 brakes, theres very little difference between them and the juicy 5. Great stopping power and modulation the only -ve point for me is what a pain bleeding them is. Pad change is awkward until you get used to it, but as for doing the job theyre great for the £

cavegiant

Rockhopper wrote:

If only need to bleed your brakes if you have somehow got air into the system or if the fluid is getting on a bit. Your car uses almost exactly the same braking system - how often do you bleed them?
I have two sets of Hope disk brakes, one of the rears hasn't been touched in eight or nine years (apart from several sets of new pads!), the other three brakes have simply never needed bleeding apart from when I shortened the hoses. I think I might have changed the fluid once but that's only because I thought i should do - nothing happening with the brakes made me think they needed it.

The car braking system is semi open, so will have more access to the air. Bikes generally use higher grade fluid.

This means that in fact your car should need bleeding significantly more often than a bike.

carrera_vulcan

Thanks guys!

The Rookie

As CG kind of said...

Car systems are open to the atmosphere (the cap on the reservoir is ventilated) and as such the fluid needs changing periodically as it absorbs moisture and its performance degrades, bikes have a sealed system and as such that never happens, in theory they can go for ever and never need bleeding (cares rarely need bleeding except when chaning fluid), in practice the seals aren't perfect so at some point they need bleeding, it may be once a year, more or less often.

Simon

lvquestpaddler

Is seven years for a set of deore 525's too long then?? They seem to work fine(now on a trainer bike)?! I might do them as the new 595's I put on my new bike(started by just replacing the frame on the old one and whoops! new wheels, new brakes..new bb..new cranks..new chainrings...got messy) had a massive rear hose so I cut it and bled them easily, then did the fron cos it's rigid and won't need a huge hose for suspension.
There again I heard that the new deores are easier to bleed and the old ones were a pig to do?

bike-a-swan

+1 for 595s. Cheap and cheerful. Nearly bought a pair to go on an slx equipped bike. In the end I bought the new xts because I got them at a good price, but it was a close call.

I'm impressed with 7 years without bleeding- my old xt 765s managed 3

andy46

i bought my scott new in 2009 and it has juicy 3.5's fitted, they've never been bled and still feel the same as when they were new

ollie_lucas1985

I bled my brakes recently, no bubbles left in the system at all however the brakes do not feel good now, they were cracking!..

I think I may have messed up somewhere haha!

Anonymous

lvquestpaddler wrote:

Is seven years for a set of deore 525's too long then?? They seem to work fine(now on a trainer bike)

Depends on their use. I read on some Canadian website a piece from a guy who runs XT brakes for all his hire bikes, and the (organic, in Shimano, remember) fluid comes out as good at the end of a season as it was when it was put in. This was not the case with the Hayes he used to put on his rental bikes.
My Saints needed bleeding after the fluid presumably boiled in them on a rather stupid run. However, the bike with the Saints is now on long term loan to a mate of mine, and he likes it as it is. He doesn't want me to bleed them, since he says he can only just about handle them as they are!

cavegiant

"he can only just about handle them as they are!"

Still wanting to try the saints, they sound fun.

One of my formula brakes is on its last legs (really got mangled in a crash a few years back and it is corroding). so might try one.

Anyone tried both brakes, would the One be better on the back or front?

Anonymous

By both, do you mean the Saint, and formula the One?
Erm, nope, in that case.
Your best bet might be Nicklouse, I know he's a big fan of formula brakes, but he strikes me like the kind of rider that might have at least tried Saints too.

My Saints are the older two-pot version, not the newer 4-pot ones which are more powerful, so much so in fact, that a lot of riders don't like them!