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I'm looking at upgrading to the new 2012 XT brakes. They're about £30 cheaper for a pair from Rose in Germany than anywhere else I can find, but I'd need to swap the hoses over as they'll arrive pre bled and configured with right lever back brake and left lever front.
I assume that I'll need to bleed the brakes after swapping the hoses over? I'll need to buy a bleed kit (+funnel) which combined with the faff factor means I'm not saving much by buying from Rose.
I'd be grateful for your thoughts / tips on the ease of swapping hoses over and bleeding (assuming it's necessary) vs just buying from a UK distributor.
You're going to need the funnel eventually in order to bleed the brakes. And don't buy the shimano "bleed kit" as it's a rip-off - 4mm hose, a large syringe & some mineral oil is all you'll need.
And there's a good chance you'll need to trim the hoses regardless of where you buy them from.
You don't need a syringe. If you buy a bottle of Shimano mineral oil it comes with some plastic tube, pop that on the bleed nipple and attach a receptacle of sorts. Funnel on level. Top up with mineral oil. Bleed. Takes 10 minutes, very satisfying.
Hi,
I bought a bike while I was in the USA, it has the same Shimano brakes, I just undid the nuts on the unions at the reservoir end and swapped the hoses over. I left the covers on the reservoirs and not a drop of fluid was spilt. No bleeding was necessary.
Hope this helps.
I swapped my Rose XT brakes over, very carefully unscrewing before cutting. No fluid loss, no bleeding needed.
If you do need to bleed, funnel is only about £4.
Awesome brakes, very powerful, I'm impressed. Pads supplied lasted about 4 wet rides though, replacement sintered going strong.
LOADS of info in here:-
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-xt-m785-brakes
Great brakes. Original resin pads are not great IME - overheat in the dry and wear soooo quickly in the wet/mud of the peaks.
I've put SS Sintered in mine now, and they are superb.
Thanks for the advice gents - I fitted the brakes today.
I did need to trim the hoses but didn't need to bleed - I followed this Shimano data sheet:
[url= http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50rparsys-0008-downloadFile.html/02)%20Brake%20Hose%20Trimming.pdf ]http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50rparsys-0008-downloadFile.html/02)%20Brake%20Hose%20Trimming.pdf[/url]
All fairly painless.
Conversely, I find using the bleed cup on every new set i've fitted has purged a shedload of air bubbles, and firmed up the lever no-end.