anyone else had issues with these brakes? ive had the bike for two years, during which time the lever feel has become spongier with a big initial movement of both the pads and levers before the pads hit the disc. I've just bled them, made no difference at all. its almost as if the pistons aren't resetting themselves as the pads have worn down. the pads are less than half worn. I'm on the verge of binning them through shear frustration! thanks chaps
Have you got the Bite adjuster turned all the way out?
pop the wheel and pump the lever until they sit just just a little further out from the caliper or even further depending on how sharp/on off you want your brakes. Pop wheel back in, may rub a little but it'll soon go, i do this every now and again btw
I've had a set of these for a few years. When the pads go there's no real warning, the lever just goes spongy like you describe. Worn out pads is what I think and maybe a bit of a bleed with no pads in and a 10mm Allen key between the pistons when you do it. It's possible that you've got a hole somewhere in the line/system too. EDIT: actually mine has XTR levers due to a problem with the seal on the original XT levers IIRC.
Other than that, they're absolutely excellent. Hope something in there helps you out.
Have you noticed any fluid leaking? Have the seals gone?
Do you store your bike upside down?
Have your rotors seen better days?
Are your calipers centred? When you take the wheel out are both pistons equal or is one pushed out more than the other?
I've run mine for 4 years and they are great.
From time to time I tie the levers open and leave them over night. In the morning I tap the hose and hope any air moves up. As its an open system this should get ride of any air .
If that doesn't work try re bleeding them (from the bottom up) leave the syringe on and re fit the top cap on the lever. Then open the caliper and try and force extra fluid in and tighten. There is a blow hole in the lever so any extra will leak out.
Good tips damascus
It's weird, both the front and back brakes feel exactly the same. I tried pulling the brakes with the rotors out, but I'll try again. Heard the calipers can trap air so next step is take them off and give them a good shake.
Worn rotors give the symptoms you've got, so worth checking that.
The rotors don't look worn, ie no lip on the braking surface.
I have had this with my M775 they have been shite for years, Bled them top down and bottom up with syringe but after a stroke of genius I removed the caliper and left it hanging overnight so any air would rise and gave them a bleed again and loads more air appeared. I think air must stay trapped in the caliper how ever much you bleed them.
Anyway they are better than they have ever been now.
I sometimes get a lazy piston as it gets dirt trapped. Push one out as far as you can without it popping out and spray with degreaser and wipe with a cloth. Then do the same to the other side.
Then put a flat fat blade in between and repeatedly pull brakes on and push pistons back until you are happy they are not sticking.
If that doesn't work I'm sure xt brakes have a 2 year warranty. If they are less than 2 yrs old speak to your local bike shop.
If older flog them and buy something else.
Is this something Shimano have rectified in the new xt stuff or is it still a problem? Always thought Shimano stuff never went wrong, lasted forever etc
New stuff much easier to bleed, as well as a lot of other improvements….
I had those brakes for a bit, they were a nightmare. Constantly doing odd things.
Replaced with the new XT and new XTR which have been perfect.
GB
Might go down that line then, stick some new slx on it from the sales. Thinkin of a new build in the summer so I could switch the brakes across I suppose. It's annoying because for the 1st 12 months they were lovely brakes.
I have finally found proper replacement parts for Shimano braking systems. They restore the brakes to full and reliable working condition, and are then cheap and easy to service forever after. The replacement part is called "Hope X2".
Hope that helps.
😀
They're also twice the price of Shimano systems and look like something from scrapheap challenge.:-P. Really surprised tho that these brakes seem to have these problems, anything xt/xtr used to be bombproof
nikk - Member
I have finally found proper replacement parts for Shimano braking systems. They restore the brakes to full and reliable working condition, and are then cheap and easy to service forever after. The replacement part is called "Hope X2".Hope that helps.
'Hope brakes' and 'cheap' in the same sentence?
Mwahahahaha!
Nobeerinthefridge, some reading skills needed matey:
"cheap and easy to service".
Not:
"cheap, and easy to service".
They're also twice the price of Shimano systems
Yeh, but you only have to buy them once, as opposed to having to buy complete new Shitmano brakes every 3 years.
and look like something from scrapheap challenge
Which is a good thing, because that 'something' is Lisa Rogers 
Had another go tonight at bleeding the bloody things, after an hour messing they're about 5% better. Still too much pad/lever travel before they contact the rim, still too spongy when pressure is applied. I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing could get these like new, but I think it's beyond me and will cost 40 quid for the bike shop to sort them. The classifieds are calling I think
Are you bleeding them with pads and rotors in place? If so, try removing both wheel and pads, stick an 8mm allen key in the gap, squeeze the lever until the pistons are gripping the allen key and try again.
As for replacing them with Hopes; there a very good reason your LBS has a full stock of Hope spare parts......
Couple weeks back I bled mine as they were like you describe.
Main difference is I removed the caliper, made sure both pistons were moving freely, pumped the lever until the pads were just off touching, bled them bottom upwards into the funnel, closed it off, pushed pads back in a little and refitted, and they're amazing now. Very quick bite, more than enough power.
I'll have one more go before the credit card comes out!
OP, if you can post a pic of your levers showing the bite point adjuster I may have an answer for you.
FWIW I had a set of those, bleeding was the same as bleeding anything else really, never deployed any elite skills. You had to be a wee bit careful not to trap air in the reservoir though. Suck and push from the bottom was all.
Did we ever reach a consensus about what the little screw on the top does? Lots of theories, I had about 4 different people tell me they could definitely tell a difference but the trouble was, it was never the same difference...
I had sponginess and countless bleeds before I realised it the hose was split internally close to the caliper - could see it expand when the brakes were applied. Apparently a known issue with crimping. Switching to Goodridge sorted it.
Oops I meant the lever blade reach adjuster, the black knob on the front of the lever. Is it like this?
[img] 
[/img]
or is it this one
[img] 
[/img]
(it just tells me what age they are)
Northwind - Member
FWIW I had a set of those, bleeding was the same as bleeding anything else really, never deployed any elite skills. You had to be a wee bit careful not to trap air in the reservoir though. Suck and push from the bottom was all.Did we ever reach a consensus about what the little screw on the top does? Lots of theories, I had about 4 different people tell me they could definitely tell a difference but the trouble was, it was never the same difference...
I just bled my M785 brakes. i unscrewed the screw all the way out as recommended somewhere in here, after bleeding i started to wind it in, as i did so i could visibly see the lever moving inwards.
Still got absolutely no idea what difference it makes though 🙂
^ it's free-stroke adjust, how far the lever moves in before actually moving the pistons.
*Watching this with interest* My 775's are like the first image..
Don't worry ) So are one of mine, I have 3 sets, all work so well that they're the std brake or kept as spares for my bikes.My 775's are like the first image..
Mine look more like the 2nd one. It's the free movement of the pad, not just the lever that's bothering me. Ie the pads are starting their journey too far away from the rotors
ok, the lower ones are the newest version so what I though could be the cause isn't applicable, sorry.
Where abouts are you based? If you are near one of us you could ask us to have a go before you give in.
Mine have goodridge hoses and are fantastic.
[quote=adrec ]Mine look more like the 2nd one. It's the free movement of the pad, not just the lever that's bothering me. Ie the pads are starting their journey too far away from the rotors
Yep - that's why I suggest "over-filling" them. The standard spacer is 10mm, putting in something narrower seems to do the trick.
I'm in Liverpool. I'm gonna take the pads out and give the pistons a clean. Also, thinking about it, it's possible they've taken a knock at some point and their now off centre.
. What do you think that could cause this with the older 775's?jameso, ok, the lower ones are the newest version so what I though could be the cause isn't applicable, sorry.
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/current-xt-brakes-bleeding-freestroke-setting-help-please ]this might help[/url]. Its the newer one, but key is to undo the free stroke screw a bit when bleeding
Managed to get them working very nearly perfectly by squeezing the pads together without the rotor in, then edging them apart a tiny bit at a time with a sharpened big screwdriver. I've tried about 6 different fixes, reckon they've all had their part to play in getting them to where they are now. They're rubbing ever so slightly, you can hear it but can't feel it so I can live with that.
excellent that they are sorted !
did you undo the freestroke screw a few turns prior to bleeding ? seems to do the trick
I don't think so, but I tried so many different combinations of settings it's hard to tell what worked and what didn't