Anyone have one?

I thrashed 2 sets of ebay copy version already, just keeps leaking and can’t get a perfect bleed.

Can i use this on a shimano? (Just the bleed kit tool i mean.. I know i know..dot 5.1-mineral oil)

I’ve used the Avid kit and the one from Epic Bleed Solutions and both were fine. IMO the Avid one is massively overpriced.

Epic bleed kit looks very similar to every other copy in ebay

I was just looking at the Avid kit this weekend, and the reviews of the (regular) one seem to say it’s impossible to get a seal with it. The Avid Pro kit is supposedly better; in the end I went with a version from Bleed Bicycles. We shall see how it pans out…

Buy a epic bleed solutions kit works a treat and great customer service

I bought an epic kit after loosing most of the parts of my Avid, it worked great. It even allowed me to find my Avid version when looking for brake fluid.

I’ve used a cheapo eBay kit for the last four bleeds. Seemed to work fine. One of the clip things snapped but no worries other than that…

I’ve used the epic bleed kit for about 2 years now and was getting a bleed that was adequate at best . I splashed out on the avid pro kit and all the seals in the syringe and connections are miles better . I would have begrudged forking out £40 for it but at evans cycles it worked out at £20 in tesco club card points .

I have got the standard avid bleed kit and never had a problem getting a good bleed, just don’t go mad trying to create a vacuum and spend time degassing the fluid.

£40 for two plastic tubes and some brake blocks, insane!

Just buy a pair of shimano brakes…

I have the Avid Pro bleed kit and it is very well made. The syringes and hardware are nicer than what I’ve seen in other bleed kits, and it comes with spare seals for the syringes and o rings for the fittings. The bleed blocks are helpful too as they let you remove your pads (to keep them safe from brake fluid) while still allowing you to pull the brake lever w/o extending the pistons.

As often as I’ve had to bleed my Avid brakes, I’m glad that I got the pro kit! 😕

I’ve been using the epic kit for ages, never a problem… Leaks around the seal? You’ve got to be careful not to overtighten bleed kits, it’s a light touch or you’ll damage the o-ring (but, they are replacable)

The syringes can leak or go brittle over time, I think the brake fluid eats them- but it’s a standard syrings so they cost buttons to replace.

Just how does one de-gas brake fluid??

Degassing at 1:15

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoaPUw5DliA[/video]

My honest preference would be some decent brakes.

The problem can be that the bleed port on some Avids is recessed and the adapters have a “shoulder” which bottoms out before it’s screwed in fully. I had success fixing the brass adapter from a cheap bleed kit using a poor man’s lathe (a drill and a file).

Before:

After:

Note the width of the adapter immediately behind the O-ring.

Does that actually degas the fluid? All you’re doing is reducing the pressure on the fluid so the gas in solution is able to expand. When you release the pressure on the syringe, the pressure is increased and the gas is compressed once more. It doesn’t go anywhere!
You can do the same thing with water in a syringe.

I’ve done it every time and never had a bad bleed. Brakes go spongey because of air in the system, if you don’t get rid of it you’re introducing air in to your brakes that you don’t want in there. If the air makes it way to the lever maybe it’ll stay in the reservoir but you never know you might get lucky. The volume of brake fluid is so low I think it is necessary.

Does that actually degas the fluid?

Yes, because as shown in the video, the bubbles rise to the top then sit above the fluid where you can then push them out.

If you think you have air in the system which you can’t bleed out or micro air bubbles, then do the following. Get a few elastic bands or some sort of strap and tension the lever i.e. activate the brake. You then leave it overnight or for a day or two. It helps if you tap the caliper, brake pipe and brake lever every now and then.

The theory is by pulling the brake lever you fully open the brake system. The air then does what it does and rises to the top. If it is micro bubbles then they join together and then float to the top. Tapping the caliper etc releases any stuck bubbles.

This doesn’t apply to avid brakes because they don’t have a reservoir cap but for Hope type brakes if you take the reservoir cap off it helps the air rise because you no longer have a sealed pressurised system.

How come I dont need to degas the dot 5 fluid when bleeding my hope brakes?

i find the fact that you are filling the system with oil that already has air in it absolutely crazy!

look at JoeG’s video! what a faff! (and the bint can’t even pronounce LEVER …. lev-a? dick).

had Avids on the GF’s bike. after she boiled the rear brake at Leogang i stumped up for a bleed kit. after several attempts i got a reasonable lever feel. after 5-6 rides the lever throw was unacceptable. re-bled and then thought “F this” and got a set of SLX for 100€. no boiled brakes (so far) and i know that when they do need bleeding i can do it stress free and without the worry of getting shitty DOT fluid on the frame. i also know that i won’t have to bleed the brake a month later, that the calliper wont seize due to a change in air pressure/temperature, that the brake will still work even after the bike has been upside down or on its side for 20 seconds or more….

why people persist with the Avid bleed procedure is beyond me…

have been guiding for four years and have only ever had problems with Avids and one Formula (flimsy construction/italian design led to the lever falling off, fixed with a cable tie).

Can anyone confirm is this degassing thing is true or not?
I never bother with this process on my Shimano brakes, nor do I believe that the garage does this to the brake fluid in my car either.
I really think this is just BS.
As I said before, do it with a syringe full of water, then the pressure is returned to normal, the bubbles disappear.

F-this then, im unwatching the professional bleed kit on ebay and bin this elixir7 ..its a shame cause I really like and prefer the feel/modulation of it than the shimano slx/xt .

Might as well used that £10off CRC for XT brakes.

That is a very long winded and over complicated bleed procedure. A sort of weird combined reverse/vacuum bleeding with additional degassing steps. the whole process must waist about 10 times the volume of the system in oil…

I suppose the degassing makes some sense, no fluid can ever be entirely devoid of entrapped air but most of their competitors don’t seem to be as sensitive to a few bubbles.

I Just bled and changed the pads on my ancient XTRs and they feel like new brakes don’t fancy Avids much.

I think either Formula or Epic recommend the degassing too. I’ve done it a couple of times, makes no difference I can identify, so don’t bother any more.

For that matter I’ve always just used the formula bleed instructions for Avid, it seems to work well and is pretty quick (it looks like a faff when you read it though)

I can understand the logic if you’ve bled your brakes at sea level and have then taken the bike to the andes, then a re-bleed is prob a good idea.
But I cant see the logic in this apparent degassing myself.