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Having watched SRAM’s recent brake videos this has come as a bit of a surprise to me
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-quietly-launches-new-db8-mineral-oil-brakes.html
Ok, they are selling them as a low maintenance brake for lazy ebikers but is it the tip of the iceberg?
I think the chances are high if Mineral is better for the environment than DOT.
Seems fitting that people too lazy to pedal themselves up a hill under 100% their own power can get brakes they're to lazy to maintain.
DOT4LYF
I think the answer to that is probably, because the mtb world in general seems to whinge about dot fluid (unless it comes to hope brakes strangely enough) although theres nothing wrong with either dot or mineral, they both just need maintained differently and have different characteristics.
theres nothing wrong with either
I use both (where appropriate) but given the choice I’d choose mineral purely because I’m less paranoid about it damaging paint etc. dot sure is more convenient to buy though
Seems fitting that people too lazy to pedal themselves up a hill under 100% their own power can get brakes they’re to lazy to maintain.
This is true. But I’ve got an ebike with Shimano brakes and I just bled someone else’s Guide brakes with Dot 5.1. So I’m quite confused as to how lazy I’m being.
DOT will damage paint but it's not like it's instant, as long as you clean it off resonably quickly no harm done.
I think the chances are high if Mineral is better for the environment than DOT.
It's not. Mineral oil is terrible for the environment.
I've got DOT all over the place many times in the past, never had it damage paint. I did get it on a car tyre though, it did mess that up a bit because I didn't notice and left it.
It’s not. Mineral oil is terrible for the environment.
As is the production of plastic, aluminum, steel etc etc. All of which go into bicycle manufacturing. Then of course we have that and lithium for ebikes.
I think the chances are high if Mineral is better for the environment than DOT.
It is better but both are pretty poor. Where mineral oil brakes probably win is that they have the potential to use more environmentally fluid if there is the will to make it.
Where mineral oil brakes probably win is that they have the potential to use more environmentally fluid if there is the will to make it.
There was a demo at work a few years ago for a company offering bio sourced and bio degradable oils for automotive use. They had a wide range of replacements for mineral/hydraulic oils in development.
It was an interesting concept, and I'm sure it's still being investigated by that part of the business. (But a lot of the issues with disposing of oils in automotive is the stuff being carried in suspension in the oil, which this doesn't solve.)
What are the environmental impacts and how do they compare?
It's certainly an interesting development by SRAM.
I'm not sure why folk have such strong opinions about brake fluid though. One of my bikes runs mineral oil and another with Dot. Both sets of brakes work very well and I can't say I notice that one needs bleeding before the other. Sure, it'd be nice if the industry standardised, but we all know that's never going to happen.
Which is the cheaper? That’s probs more pertinent than environmental concerns (says the cynic in me)
My old dog used to lick the overspill DOT off the garage floor, he loved it.
What did it die of?
Just resurrecting this thread to claim I foretold the future and the DB8 was indeed the trojan horse for SRAM mineral oil brakes
exhibit a.
I have a question.
Why can’t we use water for hydraulic brakes? Is it because it is too compressible?
You can use water, it's never caught on though.
It's less compressible, and at the low pressures in bicyclw brakes apply it won't matter. But it's tricky to get the plumbing and seals to stay in good condition.
Well predicted 😃
Why can’t we use water for hydraulic brakes? Is it because it is too compressible?
It has a low boiling point. In an emergency, you can use fresh water as brake fluid, just keep your speed down and don't get the brakes too hot.
I bled a friend's brake with water halfway down the KLL side of the Devil's Staircase. We went on to ride the Cieran Path and no-one died. I did warn him to keep the speed generally low. It was sub-zero too.
He popped a piston in a cack handed and ill-timed pad change.
