Got some new Saint brakes but the hoses are too long. If/when I cut them down how easy is it to bleed the system?

Is it possible to shorten the lever throw through the bleeding process?

Can be done if you're careful, but they are very easy to bleed, no special kit required. 🙂

easiest I've ever done

I'd second that, actually.

(Magura are just as easy, but require syringes and the like, so a bit more faff)

So is buying the bleed kit a waste of £50?

easiest I've ever bleed took 5 minutes literally.

Take reservoir cover and diaphram off, get a syringe with a small tube put over bleed nipple on the caliper, open bleed nipple suck all the old fluid out with syringe. Fill syringe with new fluid, attach to bleed nipple, force fluid back up to the lever from the caliper, close bleed nipple. Top up reservoir, roll the diaphram back over, refit resevoir cover. Job done 🙂

Small tube be bought from pets at home/ pet smart in the fish section. Fits perfectly over the bleed nipple. Costs about £1. 🙂

not sure about saints bled some new slx brakes last week after cutting down hoses and used shimano mineral oil that comes with a tube and bag that fit the bleed nozzle on the caliper which for a piece of plastic tube isn't cheap (£10 with oil) but it works – there is a fact sheet on shimano web site
http://techdocs.shimano.com/techdocs/blevel.jsp;jsessionid=k1WSKBcGj2vmyQHLlN9LHcGKH62zs4d8ggtS3HWdnTj971hz4m4J!-545645630?ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181679&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302059413&bmUID=1254218918163

click on for bleeding

also there is a fact sheet i can't find that says if you are brilliant and got five thumbs and there is a Z in the month you can cut them ok without bleeding

lever movement – noticably less after bleeding – think seen comment on here that as they come not that well bled

edit i guess the big bonus of using a syringe and back filling is you don't have to remove calliper and any ties – shimano simple method relies on gravity and prayer

also make sure that the caliper pistons are as far into their bores as possible and keep them there – use the shimano block or a little block of wood – help stop air pockets being created in the piston bores

Done my saints the way Younggeoff describes after shortening the hoses,very easy and a pleasure to do after mucking around with Avid's.

can be done without any of the faff.

wheel out

leave pads in

put screwdriver/thin flat thing in between pads

squeeze pads together

take off hose at lever end

cut to length

install new olive, being careful not to spill fluid out of hose

put hose back on lever

take off reservoir cap

push pads apart, pushing fluid back through the hose and into the piston – you should see a few small bubbles pop up through the reservoir.

top up reservoir, put diaphragm back on, squeeze brakes

done. no ttubes, no syringes virtually no oil needed either.

I've done it on saints before and it works a treat.

take hose off lever end

cut

ignore the last two lines of previous post. I'm a muppet (but one that can bleed brakes) 🙂

So do you suck ALL the oil out from the calliper end? Would this not get air into the system that might not be flushed out when you refill?

Might try that technique Younggeoff – I've got 2 sets of XTs, the ones on my FS are rock solid but the ones on my hardtail have always been a bit squishy, despite both sets being built up and bled by me using the same (shimano's) method.