I’m usually fine shortening hoses and bleeding brakes, but had trouble with my new X2s last night.

I’ve got a set of fairly new Park cable cutters, but they kept fraying the ends of the braided hose making it hard to get the olive on. Do I need to use something different to cut the hose, a bigger olive (5mm or 6mm) or is it ok to snap the olive in half and then crip around the hose?

When I’d finished, I was surprised how spongey both brakes felt, maybe my bleeding was rubbish? Are the Hope Bleed kits worth buying, and what diameter plastic tube do I need to attach to the bleed nipple (I used an old piece of tubing, too short), I’ll need to get a longer piece from ebay.

And, finally, the video on the Hope tech says that centering the pads is even more important, which isnt something I normally bother with.

cheers

Put the olive on first?

I use a very sharp wood chisel for cutting brake hose

I have found those new Hope braided cables are a bit of a nightmare to get the olive onto. I found that no matter how carefully I cut the cable the olive wouldn’t just slide on. In the end I had to force the olive open more than I was happy with to get it to fit – once it is all tightened up it has been fine.

I have just bleed my X2s and they are very firm, if yours are spongy something is wrong somewhere. I have just measured the bit of tubing I used and the internal diameter was somewhere between 3 and 4mm.

to cut the hose I have a good tech, get pliers, put them over the hose, put the pliers on the floor then hit with a hammer very hard, you will get a very clean cut due to the force…. as for bleeding never used ahope kit as I dont see the need

I used to do something similar to cut hoses – get a very sharp knife, lay across hose and hit with hammer. I might ditch the cable cutter and go back to the old method.

Anyone know when you use the different diameter olives?

Jason – did you follow the new video on Hope Tech exactly, ie centering the pads and removing the reservoir cap a second time and topping up again?

No I didn’t 😕

I guess I better go and have a look at the video, although mine do seem fine.

It is tight to get the olive on. My braided hoses frayed slightly after cutting away the plastic coating. So I opened the olive a bit more and held it open using needle nose pliers and managed to get it over the end of the frayed parts. Once on a wee bit it slid into place easily enough and when tightened the olive closed up fine.

Brakes feel solid – no spongeyness. Use the video on hope website. If you have tech levers the bleed process is a bit different to the mini levers…

I just found this searching for tools to cut brake hose. Looks like I've found another use for the kukri my girlfriend brought me back from Nepal!

It's either that or a very delicate craft knife.

Do I have the skillz? Finding out could be satisfying, funny or expensive.

I use the hope method for centring pads and find it a great help in getting the brakes to run drag free

TJ, is that hope with a small 'h' or Hope, the brake manufacturer?

Had to refit braided hose Mini's to my soul last weekend, the only reason there wasn't expletives was because my son was about, I ended up using circlip pliers to open up the olive and fed it over the braided hose. I was using Park cutters to cut the cable too.

What size olive do I need to order with the braided hose on X2s?

Just put hope braided hoses on my tech x2's.
You have to be very careful when cutting the clear coating off (I use a scalpel) and putting the olives on, if you catch the braid and it starts to fray/splay open then you'll struggle like hell.
I had to open the olives out on a couple of them, only slighty by pushing it onto the taper of a screwdriver.
Mine are not spongey what so ever, hopes are pretty easy to bleed compared to other brands!
Do as it shows on the hope tech video, bleed as normal, refit cap, point lever down and pump a few times, place lever horizontal, remove cap, top up fluid then replace cap, job done.

As you remove the plastic coating I guess it is the 5mm ones then – the hose with plastic coating measures 5.8mm