How To Bleed Shimano Deore XT Hydraulic Disc Brakes by Performance Bicycle

Learn how to Bleed Shimano Deore XT Hydraulic Disc Brakes. Next time you need to do annual maintenance, shorten or replace the hose, this video will give you the confidence and know how to do it yourself.
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[@GNX157]

Coming from an automotive background, this way makes no sense to me. Why not just put the reservoir on, fill it, and hook the syringe to the caliper bleed, crack it open then pull back on the syringe from closed and draw the fluid thru the whole system till there's no bubbles in the hose?

[@micheleformenti603]

Best Shimano brakes bleeding tutorial I've ever seen. Thanks a lot!!!

[@giomoro]

I think this is the best tutorial out there because it follows the shimano instruction you find inside the bleeding kit. Many other tutorial skip some steps. This tutorial instead is complete and also more clear than written shimano instruction during certain steps. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@CanTURKeyed]

this helped me perfect with my new xtr brakes thank you for your decent video slow talking and perfect bleeding procedure

[@philipsmith1041]

thanks, good vid. Just remember to put the plunger back in to the reservoir pot before unscrewing it.... my work area looks like a hydraulic shop at a B grade forklift factory!

[@DonSmith1]

Thanks for making this video! This was definitely the best one out of all the others I watched, really appreciate the focus on the XT brakes.

[@TimmyTheToolman]

Great video tutorial. Thanks for putting it out there for us DIY bicycle mechanics.

[@danielolar611]

Timmy Hayes

[@stevearmstrong8864]

Great video, very informative, clear and easy to follow!

[@vmao4868]

Excellent instructional. Gives me the confidence to my own bleed. Thanks guys.

[@brianmartin1343]

Best video I've seen on this. Very nice! Thanks!

[@bicycle6407]

well done. this is the best video i've seen yet on shimano brake bleed. thanks!

[@samhorspool1307]

Thanks a lot mate! Worked perfectly! Tried following a different video that did not use the syringe, which ended up wasting a lot of time and mineral oil. Will recommend and thanks again!

Excellent video; in fact the best I've seen regarding this issue. Clear visual presentation, good explanation, very professional. Thanks alot!

[@johannrissik]

Great video, thorough, accurate, neat. Thanks

[@markfoster2033]

Easy to follow video,thanks for posting.

[@idozen13]

Great helpful vid! Now I'm gonna wanna do this myself

[@mikhail911]

best tutorial video by far all over internet. thank you

[@donmallett2536]

Great info at a professional level. Thanks!

[@darinloftis3756]

By far the best video made for this process. Was doing it all wrong from a previous video I found! Thanks!

[@fulcele]

Pasta e fagioli

[@natjes6017]

Thanx a heap, great tutorial. This was real thorough with proper covering, and I can´t believe that 30 people didn´t like it. Chapeau!

[@DaMaCi54]

Perfect tutorial! Thanks a lot!

[@christopherschmid3168]

THANK U SO MUCH 4 this manual ! Everything else is half the job !!!

[@allworkandnoplay76]

Best bleed video I've found! Nice work.

[@ianpavey5483]

Excellent video. Everything is instructive and all the talk is relevant and concise.

[@aidan5172]

Thanks for the tutorial. Video was a great help.

[@kerrermanisNL]

Man, thanks for the great video! It was a bit different for me because I don't have a bleed nipple, but the instructions of the bleed kit showed the alternative. Was basically the same for the rest of the ride. Did kind of mess it up on the first try because I didn't have the bleed block in right, so the piston got stuck and some fluid leaked out. Let's hope my brakes still work after that. It definitely has great brake pressure again though. Thanks a lot!

[@ctmtb]

Best video out there on Shimano brake bleeding.

[@broeselhuber98]

This was the first time I was bleeding my Shimano Zee's and it all went perfect thanks to your video:D

[@rodecost6764]

Bravo ! Superbe tutoriel qui démontre la bonne et seule méthode efficace pour purger les freins Shimano.

[@alemonje8461]

Man.....Just thank you. Awesome helpful video.

[@cakepanda]

thank you, great tutorial!

[@pedallinraw]

Good tips! I'm familiar with hope brakes but need to bleed my shimano set up! This should help!

[@supa_zombie_bud7922]

video is clear and easy to understand thank-you

[@emileviljoen]

GREAT video, thanks a lot.

[@rodecost6764]

Best video I've seen on this. Very nice! Thanks! a lot !

[@jonmurph589]

Hey, thanks for the tutorial. 👍

[@thedippytribe4294]

Great video and well explained

[@Twolf300]

That was well done. Thank You

[@arseniecatalin6493]

Thank you!...it is really helpfull!

[@johnboy7161]

worked out first time. thanks

[@MontyScheluffe]

Worked perfectly!

[@owengune]

great video, thanks

[@SGGTEDITION]

realmente muy instructivo el video para tener una idea de como proceder de forma doméstica en el sangrado de frenos shimano..

[@maximiliankellner5340]

thank you!! my brake is working again... had some air after changing my two brakes!

[@DrMarcelo72]

Excellent tutorial! I suggest strapping the syringe to something while doing this procedure to prevent it from flopping loose. Mine did while I was on the phone and all oil poured out on the floor. :-/

[@performancebike]

+Francois Terblanche Only a small amount of oil should run in to the bag, so we would not reuse it. This is a good way to make sure the brake line stays free of any dirt or particles that could clog it.

[@-nexodus-2799]

Performance Bicycle n

[@nikosntourountakis6576]

GREAT VID !!!

[@cannondaletaurine]

Great video! Good explanation, easy to follow and it always works fine. Much easier than Avids. Thanks!

[@boltegeo]

when you do the rear caliper do you also remove it from the bike like you did with the front

[@reallyratherwouldnt]

Great video...thanks...

[@superbikesify]

Due to bleed mine and going to follow this easy step vid ...thanks

[@aigarraudsepp]

Hello. Very good video. Thanks very much.

[@MikeinCC]

Great video overall. My only suggestion is to insert a step at about the 4:17 mark, and that would be to dispose of the oil you purged up through the caliper, that's now sitting in the funnel. Then re-install the funnel and add some fresh oil. I wouldn't want the contaminated oil reintroduced to the system.

[@innocentbystander6620]

Thanx for clearing that up mucker, nice one.

[@Aaron40117]

brilliant! thanks very much.

[@user-ku8qp3lb5x]

best bleed video on the youtube!!

[@janipapp7671]

great video.

[@LuisManuelHdez]

Good vid. Thanks.

[@fcsaldanha]

Hey there! Great tutorial, I have simple question, I've followed all of your steps and there was no air coming from anywhere at all, but when I reassemble everything I feel like the brake lever isn't as stiff as it should be, so what is the travel for the lever so we know it's completely bled and free of air? I have a set of SLX disc brakes by the way!

[@joopdejonge7385]

Thank you Sir verry helpfull clear video..

[@fernandoperezborrero7215]

I like the video as you recommend to move the brake lever into different positions after bleeding the caliper procedure. 45º first and then 30º to finish completely horizontal after all. I find difficulties when bleeding internal cable routing for rear brake hoses than cannot be dettached and left totally vertical. I hang the bikes in a wall rack but the hose must have a small loop that trap the bubbles. Always! Any recommendation? How they do in factories?

[@cameronrobertson9518]

CLEAN YOUR PISTONS BEFORE PUSHING THEM IN

[@Munzer1977]

good demo

[@maximusmarzy]

awesome thanks!

[@4ndyr0g3r50n]

Very good video - makes me feel better about bleeding mine. Just one question though, I don't have any isopropyl alcohol so can degreaser (muc off bio drivetrain cleaner) be used instead?

[@darkodragic1963]

Perfect!

[@sayparler]

Can't wait for the Spring, to reassemble my bike, and bleed the brakes!

[@Janhartman74]

Best tutorial I think, one thing I do is I squeeze a little oil out of the bleed nipple before pussing new oil in, There is always a bit of dirt in the nipple since the cap is very loose and comes of once and a while during cleaning.

[@philippino5950]

Focusontrack v

[@ahmadaz7739]

Good idea, thanks!

[@fotosdimitri6559]

You make it an easy job.

[@valentingarampon3679]

Fantastic !! :D

[@codenamesteeveknight673]

Quite good.

[@meinquad2425]

the best brake ever

[@ApekshitRajSingh]

what does bleeding do? does it makes the brakes similar to those of cars and bikes? does it makes them more powerful?

[@danielkuzev4992]

This is the best video on the topic put there!

[@imprezawrc3243]

Great video I noticed you hand tighten the bolts on the brake with an allen key, is it ok to do it that way or do you need a torque wrench ?

[@performancebike]

Either way is fine

[@ElmerShox]

nice very informative video. thanks for sharing

[@cmoore714]

Great video. I am planning to bleed my Shimano Deore brakes for the first time on my 2014 Bronson. Is it OK to use another bicycle specific mineral oil, like the Finish Line product, to do the job? That's what a local bike shop sold me when I told them the job I wanted to do. Thank you.

[@performancebike]

+cmoore714 the Finish Line mineral oil will work just fine.

[@jakubsalanyk8830]

Good tutorial. Is the procedure different for the older Shimano XT (2011)? You can't thread a bleed funnel or a syringe into these.

[@performancebike]

it should be the same

[@svarasnj]

can you please let me know how thick the bleed block is? Would like to make it with 3D printer

[@joseferreira-sz2sg]

Hi there, Mark. I just bled my Shimano XT’s according to what I saw in your video. The outcome was very good despite the “enormous” amount of oil one spends in this process of yours :-) My second bike is mounted with regular Deore. So my question is that if I can bleed them in the same manner as you show here for the XT’s? Thank you so much, Greetings from Portugal. José

[@performancebike]

jose ferreira Yes, you should be able to bleed them in the same manner. There are some slight design differences between the XT and the Deore brakes. There is no free stroke knob on Deore brakes and you may have screws instead of allen bolts in some places, but the steps are the same.

[@cpshioti15]

Hello performance bicycle what is the difference between bleeding and burping hydraulic brakes (Sorry for my poor english)

[@jack91522]

Why do you have to extend lever to the furthest position and screw in the free stroke before bleeding? Is that the most optimal? After bleeding, unscrewing the free stroke opens or closes the gap between the rotor and pads? If so, wouldn't it be better to bleed with free stroke somewhere in the middle. Thanks for the helpful video!

[@performancebike]

+Jackson Lui According to Shimano, the adjustment of the lever reach all the way out and free stroke screw all the way in, is to prevent air from getting in the system during the bleed process and those are the original settings out of the box. They can both be re-adjusted once the bleed process is completed.

[@francoisterblanche2553]

Is the oil that has now run into the bag Useless? Or can i just pop that back in the bottle?

[@pipitfarlouze]

Does it works for deore, slx, zee and saint too or is there something more/less to do ? Nice tutorial between :)

[@performancebike]

Ray Gh the steps are close, but there are some differences. You will need to check you owners manual for the correct procedure for each model.

[@Groove_C_Arma]

Have seen several of the most popular "how to" tutorial on YT and some use bleeding block while some don't. What is the difference (if any) and what is better? Thx

[@performancebike]

+GrooveArmA2 What we have given you here is exactly how Shimano says to bleed there brakes and how we train our mechanics to bleed XT brakes. There may be other ways to do it, but we can not recommend them do to the increased risk of damaging your brakes.

[@AHFNDJEKD]

this is the best tutorial.He completely followed shimano's manual for bleeding their brakes. Congrats

[@1AtlantaKid]

Hi, What is the correct Lever action on Shimano hydraulic brakes (50% travle or 90% etc..)? I bought a set of brand new Shimano XTR, the docs said it was pre-bled, I also bought a Shimano bleed kit, so I installed the front one as is (no bleeding), but for the rear one, I had to take out the hose and route it through on my Cannondal Scalpel frame openings, I performed the bleed process as explained on this video, but both brakes the front and rear the lever action is almost to the handle bar (about 95% travel) before the brakes lockup (about 1/2 inch space left between lever & handle bars). When I look at the new bikes at the stores, their hydraulic brake's lever travel is around 60-70% ! The fact the factory bled front brake and rear brake that I bled both travel pretty far, I think either I am missing something or that is how XTR works. Just a side note, I did not change the rotors, previously the brakes on the bike were Avid Juicy 7. I have bled car brakes and I know the piston move out as pads wear down etc, is it the same concept on the bikes? Plz advise.

[@performancebike]

it's sounds like the issue my not be with the way the brakes are bleed. Check your reach adjustment. If you have the brake leaves set to close to the bars the brakes are not going to engage until the leavers are almost to the bars. Adjust the leavers further out and they should lock up sooner.

[@1AtlantaKid]

Thank you, I took it to the local Performance Bike and they adjust the reach adjustment only.

[@traingp7]

What is the black tool on the syringe tube. I thought that tool was to hold the hose onto the end of the nipple so it doesn't come off when bleeding. How did you keep the hose on the bleed nipple?

[@performancebike]

traingp7 The tool is called a “Tube Holder”. Over time the end of the tube on the syringe will stretch a little. Slide the tube holder over the end on the tube once it is on the bleed nipple to insure a secure fit. We did not use the tube holder in the video because we were using a brand new bleed kit and the tube alone had a secure enough fit on the bleed nipple.

[@kenstogie]

if you are looking for a better video on how to do this that is more thorough......Don't...this is the best one.

[@aldrinallanigue3671]

Is it the same steps that you do in the shimano no series brake?

[@performancebike]

Aldrin Allanigue Yes, The steps should be the same across all Shimano brakes. There may be some differences (depending on the model) in the tools needed to open the bleed screw and bleed nipple. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

[@rohansingh-jf6yx]

what is the benfit to bleed brake .will the pads comes close by bleeding them

[@6___________99_____________64]

It helps you to go faster....

[@massimomastromattei4288]

Can you do it without removing the wheel? And without the bleed block? I don’t understand why the bleed block is used & pads removed?

[@performancebike]

removing the pads and using the bleed block is to ensure the pistons in the caliper are in the correct position for bleeding. If you bleed the brakes without removing the pads or using the bleed block and pistons are not in the correct position do to worn pads etc... the bleed my end up being ineffective and your brakes may not work correctly.

[@angusajm5545]

Is the procedure just the same for the newer M8000?

[@angusajm5545]

+Angus Mitchell ...and can the same M575 funnel be used?

[@shinji7800]

Thanks It's a great video. But I don't understand how you remove the old fluid. You push new fluid from the bottom to the top... (So there is old and new fluid in the plastic tank) ... but you fill up the plastic tank with new fluid (but there is again old fluid in there) and you push fluid from the top to the bottom (for eliminating bubble) ... What I'm misunderstood? Best regards

[@performancebike]

+shinji7800 a Bleed is only intended to remove air or possibly some debris form the system not to remove old fluid. Replacing the old fluid would be more of a Flush and that is not what we are covering here.

[@shinji7800]

Thanks for responding ! I'm French so I was no see the subtlety of "bleed"... I presume flushing is approximately the same but from the bottom to the top and replace oil of plastic tank befor began the routine of bleeding ?

[@m00nchildblues]

the lever mid way in video shows short lock up travel.but towards end it shows a long travel? Which is normal xt travel long or short?

[@performancebike]

The only time we changed the Lever position or free-stroke in this video was at the beginning. These changes were done so they would be in the Original Factory Positions so we could bleed the brakes properly. Once the brakes are bleed you would return the reach adjustment to what ever position is most comfortable to you and adjust the free-stroke to fine tune how quickly the pads make contact with the rotor. There is no " Normal" position for XT brakes and we are not sure what you mean by Long or Short travel?

[@alepics]

why do i have to screw in the free stroke screw?do i have to un screw it after im done with the bleeding? thanks!!

[@performancebike]

Keioz pr According to Shimano, the adjustment of the lever reach all the way out and free stroke screw all the way in, is to prevent air from getting in the system and that those are the original settings out of the box. They can both be re-adjusted once the bleed process is completed.

[@alepics]

Performance Bicycle thanks!!!

[@tokling8614]

how often you need to bleed this hydraulic brake of mountain bike...???

[@performancebike]

not often, only when you think there may be air or debris in the line... and if done correctly the first time you my never need to bleed them.

[@Indigo12273]

I bought a new set of shimano doere brakes and realize the rears dont grab the way they should. Is it unheard of a brake needing to bleed bled out of the box? I have to reasize it anyway but It not grabbing very well I assume is air in the line!

[@performancebike]

Reiki Master it's possible that they could need to be bleed, but it's more likely that they just need to be brokin in. All disk braks requier a brake in perioud before you get there full stopping power. Check out our article Breaking In Your Bike Disc Brakes over the Performance Bicycle Learning Center: learn.performancebike.com/bikes/advice/how-to-guides/bike-parts-and-components/breaking-in-your-bike-disc-brakes

[@Indigo12273]

Performance Bicycle I did that and then have been on about 5 rides since then and they still dont grab right. I just readjusted the hose length and now I know theres air in the lines im pretty positive thats what it is.

[@MyLouis13]

Performance Bicycle

[@norm4260]

When you first attach the syringe and hose to the calliper port you end up with a small air bubble in the hose, is there any way to prevent this?

[@performancebike]

norm4260 unfortunately no, not unless you are really quick.

[@norm4260]

Performance Bicycle Yeah I thought as much, really good video, thanks.

[@grischard]

+norm4260 I think you could start by pulling the syringe piston to pump oil from the funnel and get that bubble to come back from the hose to the syringe reservoir. Once that's done, continue as usual.

[@XeseKaiPese]

Hi, i did all the steps but on the last step(pressing the lever to remove bubbles) i got bubles for ever! Im pressing it like an hour and i still got bubbles! What am i doing wrong?!

[@tezkr]

+Konstantinos Konstantinidis system is pulling air in from somewhere. make sure your hoses, reservoir, etc don't have cracks or holes.

[@samcello300]

When you made this how many did you use

[@performancebike]

we don't understated your question " How many" what did we use?