Got a couple of brakesets that need their fluid replacing. Was considering buying a 1l tub, for future changes, none available anywhere. Same with the smaller bottles.

Some eBay sellers do the smaller quantities but I dont want to, unwittingly, buy any of that Ali express stuff.

Assuming I can’t source any Shimano fluid, what else is out there? Cyclo is about all I can seem to find.

I’ve used Lhm suspension fluid before.

Some chatter on here including LHM, some blue stuff and piss – https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/why-is-shimano-mineral-oil-now-suddenly-gone-3-or-4-times-as-expensive/

Its the same stuff as Citroen LHM suspension fluid. Get it in huge bottles in Halfords. Exactly the same stuff.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-and-fluids/brake-clutch-fluid/comma-l.h.m.-plus-1l-124424.html

Bit cheaper at places like GSF or try your local motoring factors.

Citroen LHM

Yep, should be under a tenner for a Litre…

I’ve used LHM before, its not exactly the same but I’ve not had any issues. For the cost I prefer to use Shimano but that’s not much help if you can’t buy it. Halfords do an own brand (bikehut) small bottle of mineral brake fluid

Why are shops that sell car parts called ‘motor factors’?

Why are shops that sell car parts called ‘motor factors’?

I said exactly the same words to myself when I typed it in originally!!

LHM is defo more viscous than Shimano Fluid.

I wouldn’t use it if I had the choice as more patience is required to get a good bleed.

Juice Lubes Mineral Oil

Juice Lubes Mineral Oil

I got a bottle of the cyclo stuff recently, filled 2 sets of brakes with it and have yet to die. Same issue as you, couldn’t get the Shimano stuff. The cyclo stuff is £££ per ml though, even if the bottle is quite cheap. Will try the LHM stuff next time I think.

LHM is defo more viscous than Shimano Fluid.

Could you mix LHM with normal Shimano? And would it help with the viscosity to make it easier to bleed? I have some Shimano MO but not really enough.

a mate of mine bought crypto, i bought shimano mineral oil.

whose laughing now eh?

Motorex who make some lubes for Shimano also make Fluid 75 which is I am sure totally different and will void your warranty and cause your world to implode, but also works fine.

I’ve just bought some shimano mineral oil on eBay, was £7 for 100ml but it’s out there..

I’ve got about 1ltr of the stuff sat on in the shelf in my garage an no Shimano brakes to use it with. Am I sat on a Gold Mine?

Why are shops that sell car parts called ‘motor factors’?

Factor: A doer or transactor of business for another person
A person or organization that buys and sells goods for others, on commission

Because of the huge amount of stock items they might need parts companies had stuff they stocked but only paid for when they sold it, acting more as sales men on commission.

I’m sure I’ve seen someone using baby oil before?

I’ve got a bottle of LHM, it’s much closer in viscosity to suspension or engine oil than brake fluid. It works, but the brakes feel different and it was a bit of a PITA.

Shortages aside, the Shimano stuff is normally £16/big bottle, it’s not worth the agro of trying other stuff. The motorex stuff sounds like a good bet though.

Would diesel work?

I’m wondering if you could get a perfect bleed in them the same way trials riders bleed DOT fluid brakes with water in a bucket? Just a bit messier to clean off.

I’ve used cooking oil from a french refuge when in the alps before and I pulled a shimano hose off in a crash. Luckily had goodridge fittings so was just a case of shortening the snapped hose, but I made sure to fully flush out any of the blue stuff (magura I think) that was already in the system and rode like that for about a year no problem. Did end up scrapping the brakes due to piston leak but the other end that was running shimano genuine stuff died around the same time too!

Thinking about it, 2T oil must be a similar viscosity? and I presume it’s designed not to boil so that it coats the crank and cylinder?

I’ve been using the LHM stuff since Shimano started making disc brakes and have never had a problem with it

Is this the stuff?

1Ltr Mineral Oil on Amazon

EDIT – just noticed the delivery charge 😮

Bought 100ml of the eBay stuff which, they claim, is genuine. Repackaged from bulk purchase, allegedly.

It’s the right colour, anyway.

Morgan Blue Hydraulic Mineral Oil works superbly with Shimano brakes IME.

It’s available for about £30/litre – how does that compare to the Shimano stuff or other alternatives?

b230ftw
Full Member

Its the same stuff as Citroen LHM suspension fluid. Get it in huge bottles in Halfords. Exactly the same stuff.

It’s not the same, just compare them side by side. I had problems with the pistons not retracting after using LHM.

Would I have to drain all my shimano mineral oil before using a different type of oil ? Or can I just add it to what’s already there

LHM will work, bit it isn’t the same. Its more viscous. I used it for a while, but my brake were definitely more sluggish. Especially the levers.

Allegedly Johnson’s Baby Oil is mineral oil and pretty low viscosity, people claim to have bled brakes with it.

A quick google suggests it only a couple of quid for 500ml.
Now my search history has ‘baby oil’ in it…

As if it didn’t already….

I have used LHM from Halfords with no ill effects. I also once bled a brake halfway down the KLL side of the Devil’s Staircase with water sucked up from a stream and dribbled into the reservoir. (Not my bike. Not my worn pads. Not my basic error popping the piston while changing pads. I just happened to be the mug that had to remedy the situation.) That worked all the way down to KLL via the Ciaran Path. I replaced it with mineral oil as soon as we got home.

Other recommended fluids can be read about here.

Pentosin CHF7.1 can be bought from EuroCarParts

I recently got some from ze Germans (R2bike) but they are currently out of stock.

Magura Royal Blood in my new Shimano brakes on the Mojo4. No issue with bleed or performance. Only 4 rides tho.

I’ve also used the LMH stuff from Halfords and found while it worked OK it was more viscous than the Shimano stuff so getting a really good bleed was harder and the lever feel was different; little bit slow and dead feeling. But when you squeezed the lever the bike stopped, so it was OK but not great.

I’ve since stopped using it and I have used Epic Bleed’s Shimano compatible mineral oil and the Bikehut mineral oil brake fluid (different to the LMH stuff) in the past and that had a much better feel and as far as I can tell gives same performance as the Shimano stuff.

https://epicbleedsolutions.com/collections/fluids/products/shimano-mineral-oil?variant=30362383319114

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-brakes/bikehut-mineral-oil-brake-fluid—125ml-169049.html

Epic Bleed solution do 3 types of mineral oil (Shimano, Magura, Generic) and the description on all of them is that they are compatible with Shimano, Magura, Formula. So I’m guessing that all those brand’s brake fluids are cross compatible?

If you’re in the UK I can send you some genuine shimano mineral oil poured from a litre bottle into a thoroughly cleaned and dried out little 200ml bottle, just cover the postage.

I don’t have any Shimano brakes any more but simply used to use ISO10 hydraulic oil. I always have 20-25 litres of this in stock as we use it in vintage vehicle brakes, machinery etc. The problem with baby oil and the like I’m guessing is it won’t have the required additives to prevent foaming, overheating etc but will have perfumes. Whatever pressure and heat is encountered in mtb brakes, I can’t imagine it being more than would be found in 10 ton vehicles…

Just to add – just checked the viscosity of iso10 and it looks to be about half as viscous as LHM so may be better as a short term option.

I’ve got loads in my shed. Maybe I should start bottling it for eBay 😜