My Oro K24 levers have had a lot of slack pull from when they were new, seems to be pretty common, have found lots of ‘try this’ type answers on forums, but has anyone found a way of getting rid of that initial slack pull for definite? I’ve bled them and that made no difference.

Take the wheel out and pull the brake lever to move the pads in a bit, replace wheel, repeat this until you’re happy.

Roo +1: in amongst the impressively-worded “do not touch the brakes without a formula main dealer holding your hand or YOU WILL DIE and it certainly won’t be our fault” disclaimers every other page, this tip is in the Oro manual too.

Are you saying that there is too much stroke on the levers before they go firm? Or that they are not firm enough and too squeezy (and so go all the way back to the bar if you squeeze hard enough?) If its the latter and you have bled them properly you might want to look at the seals: iirc the reservoir seal (just behind the bar clamp) can suck air in if it fails. It can also be unseated by overzealous ‘sucking’ on the top syringe when you bleed the lever/reservoir at the end.

Also, mine (2 pairs from new) have always had a tiny little bit of ‘slack’ in the actual pivots of the lever rather than the hydraulic bits too. -maybe 5mm at the end of the lever before it actually starts to move the piston in the lever, but that has never bothered me, plenty of other brakes do this a tiny bit too.

bleed them.
same issue with my formula rx’s.

There is a lot of stroke until the pistons properly start to move the pads inwards, once the pads are biting the lever is about a finger from the bar. The feel of the lever after that is good and solid in the formula stylee, but not very firm like shimano or avid.

With the pad bite adjust lever in the long-bite position, the lever is almost at the bar before braking begins.

If I pump the pistons out there isn’t any difference in the initial stroke distance and the pads tend to rub more.

Should they be bled with the bite adjust in longest-travel or shortest travel position?

Check the thread on the aluminium insert in the lever, which attaches to the rod which goes into the master cylinder, hasn’t stripped. Mine did this and it requires a replacement part – a lever adjustment kit I think it’s called. I had to do both of my Oros. The Aluminium in the insert oxidizes and goes soft – leading to the thread stripping. Cost about £15 each to sort. Not safe!

hmm doesn’t sound ideal, will check this

bigjim – MemberShould they be bled with the bite adjust in longest-travel or shortest travel position?

Longest!

If they’re older Oros then Ryreed is spot on. More recent ones got a revised lever which doesn’t do it. I doubt it’s your problem though, it really feels orrible when it happens, you probably wouldn’t miss it.

I think they just need bled tbh. But stranger things have happened.

Longest!

this may be where I went wrong

they were pulling to the bars last night within a few hundred metres of starting to ride, though it was monsoon-like.