Front 2011 XT brakes bite ok, but the lever, with a bit more pressure, will keep on going – to the bar under a fair bit of pressure – ie spongey but not really in the same way as having a bit if air in there.. I bled them a couple of times but made no difference. So – has a seal gone (can’t see obvious signs) and if so how can I tell whether its in the calliper or master cylinder? I know nothing of the internal workings of these brakes……

you cannot get spares iirc so it is fairly pointless testing- not sure dont own them

Swap the lever and caliper over with your working one and see which combination works and the other one is the broken bit

My XT brakes have the same problem.I have got round it by careful repeated bleeding, but it is a temporary solution. Just bought new levers but they are 2012 type and only compatible if I use new hoses (smaller diameter I think). Mine go bad after a spell of long descents, so I think it is heat related therefore a caliper issue. New brakes are the long term fix I think.

Lever replacement much cheaper than caliper, so would be good to know which bits wrong. Really don’t want to replace the whole unit..

I have the same brakes and are just about to finally give up on them, have replaced both levers and the rear caliper due to lakes and have today discovered that the front caliper is now leaking. Ready to follow the Avid Elixirs into the wheelie bin.
I am involved in the repair of automotive brake calipers for work and can’t find anything to repair them with. Good job they’re fairly cheap.

Empy/Matt
if they’re going in the bin, try and strip the caliper down and polish the piston – it is possible that a scratch or bit of corrosion on the piston is causing the leak through the seal. Check the seal out as well, but don’t damage it as you can’t get replacements.

If it doesn’t work you’ve only lost time (I haven’t tried this yet – might give it a go this weekend if I have time)

I’ll have another look at mine, as you say nothing to lose. My last caliper leak was caused by a cracked piston but this one is not as bad so worth a try.

Since I couldn’t see any obvious signs of leaking around the caliper I concluded that it must be a seal in the lever. So just replaced this – same problem – lever will still go all the way to the bar. Must be a seal in the caliper but why can’t I see any fluid? Arggghh!

Are these the same XT brakes that every one was trying to compare to HOPE’s poor build quality, lack of feel, no spare parts and shite customer service ?

or are these different brakes not made in a far off land with loads of free parts that turn up in the post gratis free ?

Are these the same XT brakes that every one was trying to compare to HOPE’s poor build quality, lack of feel, no spare parts and shite customer service ?

or are these different brakes not made in a far off land with loads of free parts that turn up in the post gratis free ?

Yeah, I don’t wish to sound unhelpful, but I was thinking exactly the same. I’m sure there’s plenty of Shimano brakes that are still working perfectly after two years but so are my Hope’s.

Hope you get sorted soon (excuse the pun) 😀

UPDATE – eventually realised that the hose was expanding down by the caliper, even though i couldn’t spot a leak. Have swapped out for Goodridge hose – problem solved! In fact they feel better than ever….

Well played Discoduck. Or not.

I’ve had nothing but trouble with my zee brakes. Ended up swapping a lever and caliper due to no thread in the caliper and an unstoppable leak from the lever. Had no trouble with Avid R SLs but I’m going to hopes next.

All Zee brakes are still under warranty, why would you do that?

Bought new via an individual on eBay. Shimano replaced the caliper under warranty luckily

Had a look for Goodridge hoses on CRC, can’t believe the price! £35 an end…no chance!