SRAM guide brake review

[gravitylover]

You are just so special. Can we all touch you

[thewon]

Nothing special about it. Just my experience.

[jqualls]

I do have the cup and I have tried reverse bleeding them. I spent about 45 minutes bleeding them with the system open. Flushed with enough mineral fluid to refill the system twice. Flicked levers until no more bubbles came out into the cup. I didn't pull them off the bike maybe I will try that to get a more vertical brake line. I have another set that required one bleed and have been maintenance free for 1.5 seasons.

[jqualls]

They also did not go out temporarily. I tried pumping the lever about 100 times to see if some power might come back but nothing.

[kidwoo]

been a shop guy for a coupla decades so I've worked on many many. I've owned a few pair (slx,xt,xtr) but never had to touch my personal ones cept for pad replacement.

I read this as the slxs being the only ones you'd owned personally......

yup, agreed. SLX. had a set once. still went back to bb7, but if i ever go back to hydro.....

If not my bad. But what I'm describing is a common enough problem that if you call shimano and initiate a warranty claim over it, they know what you're talking about. Whether you 'had to' touch them or not, it's an issue with these things. If it's never happened to you then that's awesome. But everyone one I know with any current incarnation of shimanos has had it happen. Guys with decades of riding with the brakes on multiple bikes. But there's somethng that happens with a hard g-force and a lean that creates a blank spot if there's any air in there whatsoever. I had one do it because it was getting air in the system from a leaky piston (another problem known by shimano they warranty), and one set that I just couldn't get a clean bleed on until going overboard. It happens. You may not know about it but shimano and everyone else who's ridden them a shit ton in my immediate sphere does.

Just so we're on the same page, this IS rog right?

[thewon]

I read this as the slxs being the only ones you'd owned personally......



If not my bad. But what I'm describing is a common enough problem that if you call shimano and initiate a warranty claim over it, they know what you're talking about. Whether you 'had to' touch them or not, it's an issue with these things. If it's never happened to you then that's awesome. But everyone one I know with any current incarnation of shimanos has had it happen. Guys with decades of riding with the brakes on multiple bikes. But there's somethng that happens with a hard g-force and a lean that creates a blank spot if there's any air in there whatsoever. I had one do it because it was getting air in the system from a leaky piston (another problem known by shimano they warranty), and one set that I just couldn't get a clean bleed on until going overboard. It happens. You may not know about it but shimano and everyone else who's ridden them a shit ton in my immediate sphere does.

Just so we're on the same page, this IS rog right?

i've owned one set of each. Had good luck with mine and went back to bb7 before any of my luck would run out. Phew! Batted 1000! The only warranty claims I've made with hydros are avids. Countless claims over the years it seems. Never shimano.

Who's rog?

[jqualls]

Woo: Glad you said all that so I didn't have to type it on my phone. The first brake replaced was due to a leaky piston. I will see if another bleed will take care of it.

[kidwoo]

I do have the cup and I have tried reverse bleeding them. I spent about 45 minutes bleeding them with the system open. Flushed with enough mineral fluid to refill the system twice. Flicked levers until no more bubbles came out into the cup. I didn't pull them off the bike maybe I will try that to get a more vertical brake line. I have another set that required one bleed and have been maintenance free for 1.5 seasons.

Yeah taking them off the bike and hanging them vertically is part of the overboard process. It does help. But seriously, do the flicky thing. Walk away from them. Then come back and do the flicky thing. Over and over again. They always feel punchy at engagement but there's an intergalactically absurd feeling they get when they're REALLY empty of bubbles. Once you feel that you realize that what you thought was hard engagement isn't all they're capable of. They're insane when they work but they're not flawless. This is one of their flaws. Actually I think their biggest problem is that they feel awesome when they could still be bled better. Then they get sketchy very suddenly.

I've even swung them around in a circle (off the bike) to get all the air up in the lever. That's the 'about to fucking lose it' bleed.

[jamal]

I though elixir 9s worked good then the rear started to get iffy so I had them bled (for 60 fucking dollars and I get a discount). Then they were better than ever. Then the front suddenly wasn't working and went to the bar. They re-bleed and things are all good, even better again.

Now the rear is way inconsistent and I can tell it has air in it- needs like two pumps to firm up. I was out of town not riding my mtb for over a month and have been racing cross so not a lot of time spent on the thing since the full bleed (15 rides). Guess I need to get the shit to do it myself, or bitch enough to get a set of these guide things. Then to top it off I'm in the shop tonight and mention my rear brake sucks and the mechanic is like "well, you can probably make it to next spring, right?"

[creaky fossil]

Shimano's are so easy to "bleed", you don't even need to bleed them. Caliper down lever up. Remove lever cap, tap line, and pull lever till all bubbles are out and then top off fluid. Voila! Done dozens that way and never had to "bleed" them.

that's like saying you removed a car's oil filter, and replaced it with a new filter full of fresh oil, and you're calling it an oil change

Who's rog?

damned solid denial right there, I'm fooled.

good sock puppet practice: denial of knowledge of former handle

[Roxtar]

I thought elixir 9s worked good then...

That's all you needed to say. We know the rest.
Your life will continue to suck until the Elixirs are just a bad memory.

[thewon]

That's all you needed to say. We know the rest.
Your life will continue to suck until the Elixirs are just a bad memory.

X2.........

[joetron]

My favorite trick for bleeding Shimanos is to use the plunger/plug in the cup like a plunger in the 3rd floor bathroom. After a gravity bleed if the fluid is black or clear at the cup, close the caliper valve then do the ole lever flick and hold to purge some more bubbles. Finally, with the lever open, use the plunger to generate a little more negative pressure to pull bubbles out of the lever. Then hold the lever closed and do the same thing, there is a little spot that can retain bubbles and is put in a better position with the lever closed. Do this plunge movebwith the lever at 30deg, then with it at 0deg. I usually go back and forth a few times. Then seal it up and you should be good.

[kidwoo]

i've owned one set of each. Had good luck with mine and went back to bb7 before any of my luck would run out. Phew! Batted 1000! The only warranty claims I've made with hydros are avids. Countless claims over the years it seems. Never shimano.

Who's rog?

Here's some guidance from the real world.

http://theteamrobot.blogspot.com/201...never-say.html

"I use BB7s and have never had a problem with shimano brake bleeds while owning several of them" is part of that same list.

[Anospa]

I have nothing to add other than frustration free XTs and I drop chains with narrow-wide + clutch + chain guide. I have been blaming my chainline, but team-robot knows better than me.

[thewon]

Here's some guidance from the real world.

http://theteamrobot.blogspot.com/201...never-say.html

"I use BB7s and have never had a problem with shimano brake bleeds while owning several of them" is part of that same list.

that blog's a bunch of CRAP. ride smart (and fast), not hard. i never drop chains with nw either.

[grinch]

Some won needs to pick up the pace. Two brakes one cup. Slxxx ftw

[strawjack]

Why so much talk about stopping. Isn't the idea to 'go'!

[kidwoo]

Why so much talk about stopping. Isn't the idea to 'go'!

But sometimes I mess up and have to grab the chicken stix.

It's a character flaw I'm really working hard on fixing.

[kidwoo]

that blog's a bunch of CRAP. ride smart (and fast), not hard. i never drop chains with nw either.

[chatton18]

i never drop chains with nw either.

thats bc you're riding like a pussy

[thewon]

thats bc you're riding like a pussy

no, pussy's ride sussy bikes.

[jamal]

Yeah dude, you're not riding hard unless shit breaks!

I though being smooth is fast, but apparently you need to drop a chain and lose to be a badass rider. How many chains did ratboy drop this season?

[kidwoo]

How many chains did ratboy drop this season?

He runs a chainguide which is kind of a large point of what he was getting at.

Plus how many professional mechanics do you or I have for the 5 times a year the world pays attention to how we ride?

None, and "that never happens"

Making bicycles roll fast on singletrack in the woods and on mountains is usually somewhat of a bouncy endeavor. That's not breaking shit, that's bouncing shit. And the dude who wrote that is faster and smoother than pretty much anyone you'll see posting here

[jamal]

Quote:

People who ride hard drop chains when they run a narrow wide ring. They drop chains when they run a chainguide. They even drop chains when they run a chainguide and a narrow wide ring. They drop chains or have chain suck because they ride hard...

...If you never drop a chain, it's because you suck.

I'm not saying it shouldn't ever happen, but it seems like team robot says that if you're a fast/badass/pro rider it's a way of life and happens all the time. When you're a pro and you're racing, you need to be pretty confident that you will be able to pedal down at the bottom of the course. And that means doing a lot of testing and practice and qualifying and having the chain stay on, and knowing that the reliability will carry over to competition. And if you have chain suck you need to clean that shit.


What does this have to do with shitty brakes again?