Just bled my new Elixir 3 brakes.

Yeah, yeah…. Should have bought shimano!

The front lever feels just slightly mushy. Like there isn’t quite enough fluid in it. It’s not bad, just not as firm as I like it.

Do u think I need to the the whole PITA rebleed again? Or can I cheat ??

Was thinking of putting in a thinner bleed block (to let the pistons out a little), then just try to force in a little more fluid at the calliper end. Then, if need be, let a little fluid out the lever bleed port as I pry the pistons open with the full size bleed blocks. Does that make sense?

Hmm, the last time I bled my Elixir Rs, fluid started pi$$ing out of the lever. A new piston fixed it and is now not mushy. I hope you don’t get covered in Dot 4.1 too. The ‘bladder’ thingy on the piston appears fragile and maybe too much pressure change during a bleed can damage it. Spares are about £20 on fleabay.

Does it firm up if you pump the lever? If so its not a bleeding issue. I have 2 sets of Elixir 3s. On my HT the are brill, fantastic brake. On my FS they’re good in terms of firmness and modulation, but the lever is long and without bite adjust I’ve just ditched them for a pair if Formula RXs.

They should feel firm but I’ve I’ve noticed a difference between my 2 sets so not sure how the vary from set to set. It seems to me if you put a thinner bleed block in the let fluid out you’ll just end up at the same position than if you just used the normal bleed block – wouldn’t you?

I get the best results by bleeding with the caliper still on the bike. You have to be very careful not to get fluid on the pads though.

Thanks for the comments.

Winch, I’m not sure what u mean by “bleeding with the caliper still on the bike?

Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be done? Do u mean that u leave the pads in? And do it with the wheel still in place?

That would probably end up the same as what I was suggesting by using a thinner bleed block. Letting more fluid in because the pistons can close up a bit more.

Might try it. But I really don’t want to repeat the whole procedure (bleeding the line and then the lever).

Did you pump the lever 10 times after undoing whatever you use to lock the lever to the bar…
Bleed them with the wheel (& disc) in place.

And its not a faff, it takes 5 mins tops.

Just bled my new Elixir 3 brakes.

Yeah, yeah…. Should have bought shimanoHOPE!
FIFY

Do u mean that u leave the pads in? And do it with the wheel still in place?

Yeah, that’s what I mean. Using a thinner block will have the same effect, but could be a faff getting the thickness just right.

You may just need to advance your pads a little. See the section in the bottom right of this pdf.

http://www.evanscycles.com/product_document/file/af3/817/bdf/435/avid-hydraulic-brake-setup-guide.pdf