Taken off another forum

To bleed a hope brake:

Tools required:

8mm ring spanner
4mm allen key for lever
2mm (I think) allen key for top cap bolts
3mm allen key
Plastic tubing
An old bottle
Some tape
DOT 5.1 fluid
Copper grease
A rag
Dust sheet /big rag

What to do:

*Put the bike in a convenient place to work on it, ie bike stand or somewhere it’s not going to get knocked.

*Remove the wheel and pads from the calliper to prevent contamination from leaks. Push pistons ‘home’ into calliper using tyre lever or a spanner

*Put dust sheet / rag under the bike where your working to catch drips

*Set up brake lever so the top of the reservoir is flat to prevent spillage.

*Put ring spanner over bleed nipple, followed by plastic tube. Feed tube into the old bottle, and tape the bottle to fork/frame to it doesn’t get knocked over

*Now, remove top cam and diaphragm from the lever.

*Undo the bleed nipple ¼ of a full turn (anticlockwise) and squeeze the lever slowly all the way to the bars.

*Close the bleed nipple.

*Let the lever return to normal position. – note how the fluid level decreases during this step.

*Repeat this open-pull-close-release procedure until all fluid is replaced. Remember to top up the reservoir periodically. If you see the reservoir empty, you will have introduced air into the system – keep going and don’t let it get that low again!

*Watch the tube on the bleed nipple for a colour change (showing you when the new fluid has flushed the system) and for bubbles. Keep going until no more bubbles are seen. It is worth tapping the lever and calliper periodically (sharply with a spanner or similar) to free trapped air.

*Once you are satisfied, close the bleed nipple and top up the fluid reservoir to the brim.

*Now get the rubber diaphragm (may be stuck under top cap) and roll it on from one side so as to minimise air trapped beneath it (if you just plonck it on top, there will be trapped air which may work its way into the system when bike is upside down). Keep the rag directly under the lever at this point, its can be messy with overflowing fluid.

*Then replace top cap, and wipe down lever.

*Remove bleed equipment from the calliper, make sure there is no fluid present that may contaminate pads or disk.

*Wash hands before reinstalling pads/disk – your fingers will be covered in fluid!

*Now dab copper grease on the back of the pads (helps reduce noise and seizing pistons) and reinstall them, followed by the wheel.

*Pump the lever to re-centre the pads.

*Ride

Lapierre Zesty 514 – is a great bike and it’s baby brother the 314 has just been awarded bike of the year RUNNER UP by What Mountain Bike (This month)

Cannondale Rush carbon 3 – as you said is a great climber but it loses all of it’s feel when you are making a decent.

Have you considered the Trek EX9 or Giant Anthem X1 (Bike of the Year)

Sorry guys I did mean 12th.

Have you eaten or drunk a large volume of water 30 mins before the session?

Guys, you should recieve information from Patrick and the team this week/early next week.

Used them loads on my Hayes HFX9’s and they were great.

Call me a cheap skate if you want but I don’t see any point in spending £50 on a pair of riding glasses because no mud guards means lots of mud on the glasses and how often do you correctly clean them and make sure they are grit free before buffing them on your dirty jersey?

My answer is ALDI! I purchased 5 pairs of their £3.76 tripple lens set glasses made by crane. They come with clear, dark and yellow lenses, bag, polish cloth and a flipping fantastic value for money.

I came off in the woods last week and face planted the ground, snapped my glasses and didn’t worry over my £3.76 investment. If it had been my driving Oakleys I would have been close to suicide!

If I owned them I don’t think I would have an issue with it after all, what else are they going to be used for? The buzzards and owls still nest there, the dear are always at the top of the blue bell forrest so it is not as if we are a problem. But the fly tippers are!

I have an EX8 and love it, most comfortable bike I have ever ridden.
Buy it from pedalon and get £350 worth of free stuff!

I think we all need to remember that the Cotswold way is not bike friendly and never will be and the Shrine woods are actually private property so anyone riding there is trespassing.

But that said, the guys who are ripping all the trees down have admitted to me and a mate that they are glad the woods are being used as historically most people go for walks on the beacon or down the Cotswold way. They also said that some of the tree felling is aimed to encourage riders (not sure how much of that is actually true) but they have removed some of the trees that make the trail faster.

Hiya
Have you tried Evans Cysles for a demo. I was in there last week and the guy behind the counter cliamed to be able to get any bike off the website as a demo.
I have an EX8 but a 18.5″ and I LOVE IT!

I haven’t as there is currently no evidence in which to proove it is this man doing it.
I am riding the route on Friday so will give you all a heads up when I get back. But will be carrying a camera from now on just incase.

Hiya guys
I have recently experienced many problems on the Shrine trail and am currently avoiding it as I think like a few people on here that someone is going to really hurt themselves.

A few examples

Keep an eye out of low lying tree branches at pedal height as I recently found a young sapling tied to the base of another tree stretching across the trail, luckily I had made a mistake on the run so had stopped. For information, it was in the top section at the highest point in Birdlip where the single track moves up and down the bomb holes before the shrine mound (cant remember what the burial mound is
called).

But this is not the first time as 2 weeks ago I found a larger tree bent over from the top in what looked like an arc shape, I thought it had fallen in the winds so rode under it, only to be flung off the bike as the tip of the tree was tied around it’s base catching my foot. This was on the run down from the wall ride to car park on painswick road (just before the wooden steps on the Cotswold way).

I could go on as last Saturday morning 9am, I found 4 massive pieces of the wall on the wall ride nicely located on the other side of the gap in the wall (the second time you cross over it before the first sweeping drop) so out of sight until you go over it. Luckily I had enough speed to jump them, but moved them as it was an accident waiting to happen.

I could list a load more oddly placed obstacles but there are too many to list so only highlighted the most dangerous.

It has now got to a point where I will not ride it in bad light as you never know what you will find. Plus I ride alone most of the time