So did my front brake just fine but the rear brake is causing me all sorts of issues. I can literally pull the lever all the way to the bars.

Tried re-bleeding again and again and can’t see any air unless I’m doing something very wrong! Put all back together and still no joy.

Can still pull lever to grips and just feels like there is no bite. Any last ditch ideas before I give up and take it to the shop.

Did you have to cut/disconnect the rear hose?

No cutting or disconnecting. Brakes were a bit spongy. Front one now no sponge. Rear one… made worse than when I started!

Have you followed the sram tech video instructions? Never had any issues with Guide bleeding – either pre bleeding edge or with it.

Right… Seen soooo many people struggle with this, but it’s actually pretty easy. Here goes…

-Syringe 1 with bleeding edge tool, full of Dot fluid, on the caliper.
-Syringe 2 with normal SRAM threaded end (empty) on the lever (horizonral)
-Turn bleeding edge tool 90deg or so to open the flow into the caliper
-Push Syringe 1 gently whilst simultaneously pulling gently on syringe 2.
-Once most of the contents of Syringe 1 are in the system, and syringe 2 is filling up with (hopefully bubble free) DOT fluid, close off the caliper flow with the bleeding edge tool and remove Syringe 1.
-Pull gently on syringe 2, creating a bit of a vacuum, lifting any remaining bubbles from the system.
-Squeeze hard on syringe 2, pushing clean DOT fluid (bubble free) back into the lever reservoir.
-Remove Syringe 2, refit bleed port screw, and you should now have a very well bled system…

Easy as that!

Thank you! Will try that method which differs from the sram guide!

mboy that’s pretty much what I do but I also use a 1-1.2mm shim/feeler gauge between pads (rather than the standard 1.8mm insert that comes with new caliper) to get the bite point closer on Guide R brakes – then the levers can be wound in for smaller hands without the danger of levers reaching the grips when braking.

The official guide also says to set the lever at 75-80cm from Centre of bar. Stick with that theory?

Mboy still do this with pads out and bleed block inserted?

There’s an MBR tech video for bleeding SRAM Guides on Youtube. I’ve used that every time I have done them myself & it’s been a case of bleed them once & they work fine.

It’s similar to the above, but there are a couple of extra steps to isolate the caliper & bleed that separately to ensure all the bubbles are out.

I’ve never bled Sram brakes, but I’ve been bleeding Hayes HFXs for over 15 years and the basic principles should be the same. Sometimes they can be a real SOB. If the lever is pulling back to the bar, it’s because there’s air in the system. The lever throw and pad spacing don’t make any real difference to the bleeding. If there’s no air in the system, the lever will have a solid feel once the pads contact the rotor. I’ve had brakes that I’ve bled and bled several times and it’s always been some air stuck in the caliper.

What I do is put a syringe on the caliper, open the bleeder, and gently squeeze the lever and use the syringe to simultaneously draw fluid out of the caliper. This is much more effective at pumping fluid and air through the system than a syringe. Then release the lever and compress the syringe to pump fluid into the caliper. Repeat this until no more air bubbles come out of the caliper when you squeeze the lever. Now just pump the entire syringe full of fluid through the system. Brake fluid is pretty cheap so don’t worry about wasting a bit. Then close the bleeder and try squeezing the lever to check. If it doesn’t have a solid feel at the lever, repeat until you’ve flushed fresh fluid right through the system.

make sure the bleed port on the caliper is the highest point of the caliper too, on some frames it wont be, makes a huge difference to brakes with bigger calipers, hope e4/v4 codes, guides, saints etc.

Agree with Fooman. A smaller spacer makes such a difference especially with worn rather than new pads. Done pads out.

If the level is just pulling back to the bars, the problem is bleeding, not pad spacing. If they’re properly bled, the will be enough fluid in the system to reset the pistons and you will get a firm lever after a few pumps. If you aren’t getting a firm lever, you need to bleed the system. After you’ve bled it, then set the pad spacing and lever throw.

OP, have you now managed to bleed your Guides? and yes, I do wind the reach adjsuter out to 80cm before bleeding. If you havent managed this, my bleed kit came with some really good written instructions, I could scan these and send over if this would help you?

Mboy, Ive never bled the Guides from the bottom up, I noticed when watching some of the above videos, pre bleeding edge adapter you bled bottom up, then since the bleeding edge adapter it was top down. Is there a reason you do it reverse? or is it just what works for you?

I do have a question myself for the hive mind, I bled my guides on the weekend, rear bleed fine, however when bleeding the front and pushing the plunger down to pressurize the system, fluid was escaping from what looks to be a blow off hole on the back (edge closest to the bars) of the lever, anyone else have this? I assume it was a fall safe system for when the pressure is too high when bleeding? The brake works fine post bleed, just surprised me at first as I thought the lever had given up the ghost.

I pretty much follow Srams instructions when bleeding my Guides.
The first time I bled them, I had difficulties because of sticking pistons in the calliper. I had to allow the pistons to almost push before pushing them back in. Used an old set of pads to protect the piston while levering the pistons back in. Used the spacing pad and bled as per Srams instructions. All is good.