[Closed] How often do your brakes need bleeding?

Haven't bled my XTs or maguras since installing them, 2 and 3 years respectively.

I think it must depend on the brand- my maguras I think are guaranteed not to require this for 5 years. Don’t quote me on that one as I’ve never needed to check this out and I have had them for about that length of time.

Juicy 7's are still as they were when installed in 2008 ish

set of juicy 7's from 2006 -never been bled and still fine
juicy 5's from 2007 - err never been......
juicy 7's from 2009 - never etc

anything to do with Hayes - frakkin sh1te and constantly needed

In theory, DOT fluid needs doing more often than mineral. I do my hope brakes every spring just because. If you need to do shimano that often, you may have other issues.

Hope mono M4's. Once a year normally when I swap frames. They don't need doing but I am sad like that. 🙁

Does seem like I'm doing this far too often. Oh well, they were next on the upgrade list anyway.

i bleed my hopes once a year

just because, they dont necessarily need it

Seems hope brakes are run by incurable tinkerers.

You're supposed to bleed them now? I think my oldest Deores are around 5 years old and they've never been done.

Deores - bled once in 5 years, starting to feel a bit spongey so due again I think.

it sounds like there's something wrong with your brakes.

the deore brakes on my commuter pre-date written history, and they've never been bled...

I think I did my Juicy 5s around July-August last year. And a right pain in the arse it was as well.

You're supposed to bleed them now? I think my oldest Deores are around 5 years old and they've never been done

Deores - bled once in 5 years, starting to feel a bit spongey so due again I think

it sounds like there's something wrong with your brakes.

Plus one. ( I cant do the plus sign on my keyboard?)

never done deores since 2002 still sharp and sweet 😀

You should bleed brakes thru with fresh fluid every year. more important with Dot fluid but applies to any brake. I do my hopes annually

Annually sounds a bit excessive.
I've replaced a couple of pipes on the front of my Land Rover, but as far as I'm aware, the fluid in the rear half of the dual circuit system has been there for over 20 years.
I suppose that's the one advantage of drum brakes. By the time the fluid gets hot enough to boil any water in it, the linings will have caught fire anyway. 😀

Back to bikes...
My Hopes have got a bellows type diaphragm under the reservoir cap.
There is no contact between the fluid and atmosphere, therefore the fluid can't absorb water. As long as they still work, and they do, I can't see any point in bleeding them, so I haven't.

Juicy 7s never worked properly out of the box. Problem compounded by taking bike to LBS for bleeding - happens to be Halfords. The 'mechanic' managed to; a) destroy the two-stage braking action on the levers, and b) not bleed the brakes.

Still unable to rectify the lever problem but bought an ebay kit and brakes are now rock solid. Haven't been near them for over a year now - as my dad says, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If your discs never sizzle when you splash through a puddle, almost never. If you're planning alpine descents and you really USE your brakes, 1-2 years should see you fit. 2 reasons to bleed them, other than leaks...
1) to remove swarf/wear particles from the fluid that accumulate over time
2) to replace the fluids that have dropped their boiling point over time by absorbing moisture.

Hence if you're not a heavy braker you rarely need to worry about either as even the wet boiling point of DOT4 is above what most peoples pad surfaces ever see, let alone the back of the piston.

[quote="pitduck"]never done deores since 2002 still sharp and sweet

Considering the seals on Shimano calipers arent replaceable thats excellent. 😀
Whats your secret 😕 I've experienced saints and they're seals dont much like wintery conditions 😕 .

20 year old fluid in your car brake is just stupid. You are asking for issues that are preventable. corrosion, seal failure and brake failure

In bicycles over time dust gets past the seals and tiny particles of swarf build up from wear. leaving old fluid in there will accelerate wear and that is without the issues of water absorption.

Basic preventative maintenance. It only take a few minutes and cost pennies. failure to do this is one of the reasons people have issues with disc brakes

Ill probably do my Formula Oros next time I change the Pads (they have been fine for 2 years but not quite what they were)

TandemJeremy - Member
Basic preventative maintenance. It only take a few minutes and cost pennies. failure to do this is one of the reasons people have issues with [b]non-Shimano[/b] disc brakes

And shimano as well. You still get the swarf and dirt build up in the fluid ad it still degrades but at a slower rate.

Of course when your shimano does fail it is scrap. Why not prolong their life?