Can it be done?

I’ve just installed some SLX M7120’s and the lever travel is far longer than I would like.

I’ve bled the systems and the lever is solid, by there is still too much movement before the pads contact the disc, for my liking. I can see piston movement as soon as there is lever pressure, so it’s not air.

I seen some people retro fit the XT freestroke adjuster screw?

How do most people ride? I prefer a short amount of travel before pad contact.

Any advice?

Advance the pistons by pulling the lever with the wheel out, pull so the pads go further than they would with the rotor still there. You can also fit a slightly narrower bleed block when bleeding the brakes to slightly overfill the system.

I’ve over-filled older Shimano systems as above because I like the feel better that way.

Bleed as normal.

Remove the wheel and pump the lever a couple of times (careful!!)

Top up fluid level at the lever.

Is the bite point adjustment not there in the newer slx? The old ones you could adjust it just wasn’t tool free like xt.

Pistons are sticky. You can try the overfill trick but as the pads wear you will probably get the excess travel again. Advancing the pistons can work. Best bet is to properly lube the pistons working them in and out a few times

You’ll get used to it pretty quickly if they’re new breaks. The bit point adjustment on my saints is purely there for show and has no discernible effect

Narrower bleed block,

I spent quite some time sanding down my bleed block to get the right level of bite for my XT brakes.

The stock shimano bleed block is too wide.

Our SLX’s had a few mm of travel through ‘looseness’ in the lever to piston contact and bushings. I’m fairly sure when we wound in the lever adjust it took up a little bit of this play. Small gains, but may help.

Combine with an overfill as above.

The stock shimano bleed block is too wide.

The bleed block thickness is mostly irrelevant. As the pads wear, they reset themselves so they will adjust to the thickness of whatever rotor you are using. The big exception is if the pistons have stuck to the seals and aren’t self-adjusting properly. In this case, clean them and lube them as recommended above by tjagain.

Overfilling the system is not a great idea. Firstly, it will only work until the pads wear down, then it will go back to normal. Secondly, you are liable to damage the reservoir seals. The brake system shouldn’t be pressurized until the transfer port (between the reservoir and master cylinder) is closed by the piston. This determines the lever travel, assuming they are properly bled, etc. By overfilling them, you are causing them to be pressurized when the transfer port is still open, which means that the reservoir is exposed to the full pressure of the brake system. It’s not designed for this extremely high pressure.

I seen some people retro fit the XT freestroke adjuster screw?

SJS have the screws for £1.99. If you pop the blanking cover off of the SLX brakes they work (at least with M675 levers) as the internals are the same as the XTs.

Having said that on lever has stopped working with them.

I’ve found that the spring that sits between the pads can also significantly affect the bite point. Pop the pads out and see how far that spring is holding the pads apart. I find that closing that spring up slightly and then re-assembling can have a dramatic effect.

I’ve found that the spring that sits between the pads can also significantly affect the bite point.

It shouldn’t make any difference. It’s not powerful enough to move the pistons through the seals, so the brakes will self-adjust to the same point whether the spring is there or not (that’s assuming it’s correctly assembled). However, pulling the pads out and resetting the pistons might cause the bite point to change as the pistons reset. My guess is that’s what caused the change, not the springs themselves.

I over filled my XT 8020 the same way I used to over fill my older Shimano brakes.

But…!

They seem to have an overfill valve thingy as oil squirts out of the rubber seal thingies on the side of the reservoir.

Overfilling by using a narrower block does work and holds up under DH conditions.

Isn’t that the whole point of servowave. A big air gap between the pads and the rotor to prevent disc rub and to manage heat better, and a cam arrangement to close the gap quickly and build up the leverage for when the pads contact the rotor to have increased power.

If you move the pads closer to the disc (by pumping out the pistons) will you not have less leverage and therefore less power?

Personally I prefer the bite point to be as close to the bars as possible, not sure how you’d go the other way.

Hmmmm.. thanks guys. They are brand new brakes, so maybe I’ll give it a go and see how they feel.

I think maybe it’s because I ride motorbikes and I like the shorter bite points.

Seems a lot of people like the bite point close to the bars.

As per second post, all you need to do is remove the wheel and pump the brakes a few times (10 is a good start). Refit wheel, if still not enough for you, repeat until happy.

If you overdo it just gently push the pads apart a bit with a screwdriver.

I get really persnickety about things like lever travel and bite point etc. I endlessly obsess about ways to manage it or change it. And then I start riding and find I just get used to whatever I’ve got and don’t mind it really when I stop thinking about it.

I have too much time to overthink minor things that don’t actually make that much difference, providing everything else is as it should be.

Not saying this applies to you also, but try just getting a few more rides in and see if you get used to it and dont notice it anymore.

Seems a lot of people like the bite point close to the bars.

Given a choice between that and endlessly rubbing brakes, yes.

As per second post, all you need to do is remove the wheel and pump the brakes a few times (10 is a good start). Refit wheel, if still not enough for you, repeat until happy

If you can pump the lever twice and still get the wheel back in, there are serious problems with your brakes, let alone 10 times! Generally squeezing the lever once means you need to push the pistons back to get the wheel back on!