Shimano GRX brake lever parts

mr_evil

I have two new Shimano GRX brake levers (BL-RX600-L and ST-RX600-R), and have been having trouble installing them. According to Shimano (see EV-BL-RX600-4578.pdf), they need a flange connecting bolt, part no. Y8RD02000, that infuriatingly doesn't come with the levers themselves. This part seems to be unobtainium, with hardly any evidence that it even exists on the internet, let alone anywhere to buy them.

I tried a "normal" Shimano flange connecting bolt, part no. Y8RD01000, but it doesn't hold the hose (SM-BH90, which seems to be the right stuff) in place. Perhaps this is because the GRX levers have a "built-in olive" (see the "connecting the hose" section in DM-GADBR01-00-ENG.pdf), while the Y8RD01000 is made to be used with a separate olive. Confusingly, the same document also explains how to fit an olive to the hose.

So... how on earth am I supposed to attach the brake hose? Is that part of the doc wrong, and it actually needs an olive?

redvee

You've met J-Kit road set-up, till you've seen it before it is very confusing. I was sending emails to the retailer I bought my R7020 kit from as I couldn't see any way of connecting the hoses to the callipers as I couldn't see any olives etc. On the back of your brake lever you should have a yellow cap. When ready to install the hoses pull the hosecap of the brake hose, which can be difficult and undo the hoseport where the yellow cap is with an 8mm spanner, push the hose in and tighten up the hoseport. When tightening you should feel the it give a little then tighten up further, this is the olive going onto the hose.

https://vimeo.com/85855556

When I was playing with my R7020 levers I pulled the yellow cap off the lever and pushed a hose in and noticed it was very loose but once you push it in and tighten it up it all comes good.

mr_evil

It's not like in that video. There's no cap on the hose, as it's just a raw length of hose that I bought, not a pre-bled hose filled with oil. The levers have no oil in them yet either. There's nothing to undo on the hose port on the levers - just a threaded hole that hade a little threaded rubber cap in it. The instructions say that it needs a flange connecting bolt to go there.

mr_evil

I almost forgot about this post, but I should update it for anyone who happens to read it in the future: I ended up just sticking new olives into the levers and using Y8RD01000 bolts. They have been working fine since then.

I never discovered what the difference between Y8RD01000 and Y8RD02000 is, nor did I work out where the "built-in olive" was - maybe the same levers are part of multiple SKUs, some of which have an olive pre-installed and some of which don't?

redvee

Should have read this thread again sooner. Had the same issue with my blue box R7020 shifters, yet the OEM R7020 shifters I paid more for came with the right connecting bolt. I've emailed the supplier and still awaiting an answer and bought the bolts elswhere now.