My "summer bike" has been stored all winter standing upright against a wall. When I came to get it out for summer, the front brake lever was soft and there was a pool of fluid underneath the bike. It is the old-style Hope M4 (black and gold variety).
The reservoir was empty, so I refilled and bled it. After a test ride, there was fluid again trickling across the caliper, so I did the bleed nipple so tight I almost sheared it off. Still a trickle coming out and the brake feels really weak.
Could this be the seals gone? If it is, my (inexpert) opinion is that changing seals is a harder job than repairing an expensive Swiss watch drunk with a sledgehammer blind-folded and with one arm tied up while being attacked by a crazed Alsatian called Thor (or something equally manly). But it could be that I am exaggerating the difficulty in my head!
Any thoughts as to what the problem might be and whether it is worth trying to fix at home, or make the long trek to the nearest LBS that I would trust?
