like literally, what a palava…

i’ve done it and the brake-point feels good and the lever has a solid feel to it, but why use an oil that is full of bubbles?

and why use an oil that eats paint work?

why not use mineral oil like Shimano or Magura?

i think i might swap them out for a set of SLX if they need to be bled again any time soon….

or support the economy and buy Hope 😀

which economy? then surely i should be buying Magura…..?

I like the way avids bleed, nice and clean system

Magura? Your english is very good for a German.

I found an easier way of bleeding them is to fill one syringe, get as many of the air bubbles out as possible then push the fluid through the system bottom to top, back again, then lock off the top syringe and pull bubbles out at the bottom, push the fluid back through and remove bottom syringe then pull all the bubbles out of the top. Worked well for me but I think mine are on the way out as they go a bit soft again after a few weeks of riding!

I found an easier way of bleeding them is to fill one syringe, get as many of the air bubbles out as possible then push the fluid through the system bottom to top, back again, then lock off the top syringe and pull bubbles out at the bottom, push the fluid back through and remove bottom syringe then pull all the bubbles out of the top.

dead easy.

or shimano: open reservior and pump fluid from the bottom to the top (removing old fuild with a syringe to stop it spilling). rplace cap on reservior and close off caliper.

@ mojo… i’m from essex, but live in the vaterland

Your english is still very good for someone from Essex 😉

or shimano: open reservior and pump fluid from the bottom to the top (removing old fuild with a syringe to stop it spilling). rplace cap on reservior and close off caliper.

Well that does sound a lot easier! I think Shimanos will be my next brakes anyway.

Avid are, IME, just as easy to bleed as Shimano etc. Nice simple closed system, no risk of mess or overfilling. I prefer components that don’t need specific tools though.

Still, don’t really understand why anyone buys Avid. They’re not particularily good and they’re not especially cheap.

To be fair to Avid my Juicy 5s have done me extremely well. They’re at least 3 years old and came 2nd hand on the Rockhopper I bought in 2009. Still working well but need regular bleeding to stop sponginess setting in. Pad life is good and I’ve never had brake fade with them. And the shape of the lever is really nice, the Formula K18 lever gave me a blister.

why not use mineral oil like Shimano or Magura?

Because mineral oil has a lower boiling temperature. Then you have a brake that boils on descents (Magura) or a brake whose finned pads and Icetech rotors cost more than the lever, hose and calliper (Shimano).

Otherwise motor sport teams would be using it.

DOT fluid has a lower boiling point than mineral oil after a a short while as it absorbs moisture which drops it’s boiling point.

Motor sport teams have the budget and staff to allow frequent replacements of DOT fluid. We don’t.

Northwind,what u got on your bike/s.Ive got some Codes and Juicys on my2 and had no problems with them.Both have done Inners and Fort Bill and been superb so dont know what your moaning about

@ gordi, you can ride anywhere in the world with avid brakes…. just the same as you can ride anywhere without brakes. doesn’t mean that there are not better brakes out there.

i agree with northwind… they are expensive compared to other brakes and their performance doesn’t match their asking price. as a guide i have had lots of problems with avid brakes: complete loss of bite point; brake pads locking up against the disc when going from cold to hot temp; leaks.

not encountered these problems with other manufacturers. only seen boiled brakes, but that is down to user error.

i only have these avids as they came with the bike (Boardman FS).

Owned a set of juicy 5 and 3’s. I’m using past tense as after bleeding them I wanted to kill someone. Try watching the YouTube video guide if you really want a laugh.

there are several avid bleed vids knocking about and each one follows a different procedure…..

i went with the longest one (pinkbike) on the premise that it was probably the most comprehensive….

Avid’s are common on many off the shelf bikes.

I bought a second set as I wanted the same brakes on both bikes (and the shimano ones failed when it got cold).

Dead easy to bleed IMO two syringes and really simple instructions – available very cheaply on t’interweb. Pain to change the pads in though.