Bleeding Formula Brakes

Levi_501

I have a set of Formula The One brakes with the older style lever; inline master cylinder. I also have some Hope V2s; dead easy to bleed just like car brakes.

However, I have to bleed my Formulas :roll: , I have a Formula bleed kit.

I have heard horror stories of people trying to bleed Formula brakes, trying to chase the bubbles out only to add more then end up taking.

Question; do I stop worrying about it and get on with it, or give my LBS £40 (£20 each) and let them get on with it.

Thanks in advance.

ricardo_smooth

get on with it. If you fudge it, you'll only pay the same as you would have anyway at the LBS. But you will have had a go first. Just be careful not to lose the O-rings behind the bleed port screws

HandjobDan

Are the LBS definitely going to do a better job?

I don't see why it'd be any harder than any other brake if you take your time and follow the steps. Looks like most people also recommend doing them off the bike and creating some kind of brake bleeding stand using old stems and handlebars.

I'll let you know what they're like when o do mine next week when the bleed kit comes, I've got the '11 Ones though so slightly different but should be the same procedure.

nicklouse

get the kit (or an Avid one) and watch out for the O ring at the caliper end. and they are very easy to bleed. read the manual.

Levi_501

Coolio, will do, as soon as the new pds arrive.

Thinking about it, I have some old handle bars and frame I could utilise.

Thanks

supafly1982

nicklouse wrote:

get the kit (or an Avid one) and watch out for the O ring at the caliper end. and they are very easy to bleed. read the manual.

i got this one, its a piece of piss to do, look here http://formulabrakeusa.com/formula/wp-c ... _final.pdf

what ever you do just make sure you tighten the torx grub screw on the master cylinder either with a torque wrench or just hold the torx bit in your hand and nip it up tight, any tighter and you will strip the torx threads....then you have to use an allen key..........yes i did it only the once though :roll:

DCR00

just done a fluid replacement on my Oros

front was a piece of p*ss, but back has been a bit harder - fluid replacement was relatively easy, but i still seem to have air in the system even after several attempts to remove them at the caliper and M/C

ricardo_smooth

DCR00 wrote:

just done a fluid replacement on my Oros

fi still seem to have air in the system even after several attempts to remove them at the caliper and M/C

Try hanging the brake up vertically overnight so that any trapped bubbles should work their way up to the m/c end of the brake, then just attach the syringe to the m/c end with a little fluid in and gently pull back in order to remove them, then don't forget to push the syringe back down to re-fill the last bit with fluid.

The problem comes due to the longer hose/ more place for air to hide!

Northwind

They're easy enough to do but a wee bit counterintuitive, people who say they're a nightmare usually haven't followed the instructions ime... Including me, I've done loads of different brake systems so I assumed i knew what I was doing and didn't read them right Didn't work too well.

The ebay bleed kit is cheaper than the official one and works fine.

nicklouse

Northwind wrote:

They're easy enough to do but a wee bit counterintuitive, people who say they're a nightmare usually haven't followed the instructions ime... Including me, I've done loads of different brake systems so I assumed i knew what I was doing and didn't read them right Didn't work too well.

+spuds.

DCR00

ricardo_smooth wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

just done a fluid replacement on my Oros

fi still seem to have air in the system even after several attempts to remove them at the caliper and M/C

Try hanging the brake up vertically overnight so that any trapped bubbles should work their way up to the m/c end of the brake, then just attach the syringe to the m/c end with a little fluid in and gently pull back in order to remove them, then don't forget to push the syringe back down to re-fill the last bit with fluid.

The problem comes due to the longer hose/ more place for air to hide!

thats the plan mate

did that after the fluid replacement, but had to open the cylinder valve to fit new pads...

nicklouse

DCR00 wrote:

did that after the fluid replacement, but had to open the cylinder valve to fit new pads...

as you did not have the pistons pushed home before the bleed.

not having them pushed home also gives more places for air to stick.

DCR00

nicklouse wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

did that after the fluid replacement, but had to open the cylinder valve to fit new pads...

as you did not have the pistons pushed home before the bleed.

not having them pushed home also gives more places for air to stick.

did try and push them back in, but obviously not far enough

may have accidentally pulled them without pads in :oops:

ilovedirt

nicklouse wrote:

get the kit (or an Avid one) and watch out for the O ring at the caliper end. and they are very easy to bleed. read the manual.

Is the avid bleed kit the same? And here was me thinking I'd need to buy another bleed kit for my formulas
Are the formula bleeding instructions available online do you know?

nicklouse

basically the same. yes on formulas webby.

Northwind

ilovedirt wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

get the kit (or an Avid one) and watch out for the O ring at the caliper end. and they are very easy to bleed. read the manual.

Is the avid bleed kit the same? And here was me thinking I'd need to buy another bleed kit for my formulas

Mine didn't work too well- the fittings were really bulky which meant it did work but was a bit impractical to use on my Oros. Don't know if yours would be the same. The Formula kit has the same threads and overall design but is just a bit more compact

gilesjuk

Avid kit looks very similar. Bleed ports in the calliper and lever body.

At the end of the day on such designs you want to do three things.

1. Get air out of the hose.

2. Get air out of the lever.

3. Get air out of the calliper.

nicklouse

Northwind wrote:

ilovedirt wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

get the kit (or an Avid one) and watch out for the O ring at the caliper end. and they are very easy to bleed. read the manual.

Is the avid bleed kit the same? And here was me thinking I'd need to buy another bleed kit for my formulas

Mine didn't work too well- the fittings were really bulky which meant it did work but was a bit impractical to use on my Oros. Don't know if yours would be the same. The Formula kit has the same threads and overall design but is just a bit more compact

yep
clicky for bigger




but it can still be made to work.

Northwind

Yup. Just a bloody fiddle is all

smush

I have formula brakes the rx ones ,i had the wheel off last week and accidently pressed the front brake without using my little red spacers ,so basically the pistons came out a tiny bit ,
i forced it back in with a screwdriver ( probably a stupid thing to do ) and all seemed ok ,
buy now the brakes rubs slightly ,
How can the piston back in and it stays in ?
sorry if its slightly off the topic .

DCR00

undo the bleed screw at the caliper, then push the pistons right back in

smush

sorry for all the questions , but will i need to bleed the brakes after that or can i just open it do what i need to do then close it again and all is ?

nicklouse

just use them they will sort themselves out.

you do not need to do anything else.