How to Bleed Tektro Hydraulic Disc Brakes | BleedZone Kit

[@kennethheintzeman2892]

I just have to say thank you for this video. Suffered through several other tutorials they were unclear and left me more confused. Again, thank you.

[@bleedzonekits]

We're glad our video is clear! We appreciate you!! :)

[@carl_thunder]

I'm glad I found this video. It's super clear to me how to bleed the brakes on my Giant Talon 1. Thank you so much :).

[@bleedzonekits]

You're welcome :) Glad it was super clear!

[@tobien4814]

Your descriptions are very clear. Will try it out myself the first time.

[@bleedzonekits]

Yayy, you've got this!

[@heksogen4788]

What i would recommend is to add brake block[which should be in the kit] and then press the lever with brake block inside. It will prevent the movement of pistons, but it should make sure that the lever and reservoir is clear of any air bubbles.

[@bleedzonekits]

Yes, the main purpose of the brake block is to fit snugly between the pistons of your brake caliper to prevent them from moving outwards during the bleed process, and pressing your levers can help remove air bubbles :)

[@andrewdouglas1963]

Hi. I tried tonight for the first time to bleed my tektro brakes. I was hoping it would improve braking performance but there was no improvement at all. I only have experience with tektro hydraulic disc brakes and not Shimano so I don't know if Shimano would have better performance. I've had 2 bikes with tektro hydraulic disc brakes and both are far worse performance than any v brake. I was under the impression hydraulic disc brakes would be better than cable brakes. Is there something wrong with mine or are they worse than v brakes?

[@bleedzonekits]

@@andrewdouglas1963 I believe the general advantage of disc brakes over V brakes is that they perform optimally even in water or mud and can have more stopping power. However, if yours have far worse performance than your V brakes, something might be wrong. Could you clarify some more on what specifically is not working well with your Tektro disc brakes?

[@andrewdouglas1963]

@@bleedzonekits Thanks for getting back to me. Just poor braking power. I was actually out on Saturday with a friend going down some downhill trails and noticed his bike had exactly the same tektro brakes as mine. I took his bike for a spin and his brakes were substantially better than mine. I left my bike into a bike store in Saturday afternoon and they suggested Shimano hydraulic brakes so I opted to change to them.

[@bleedzonekits]

@@andrewdouglas1963 Okay got it. Yeah, if bleeding didn't help much, perhaps something else is wrong with your Tektro brakes, and in our experience, Shimano hydraulic brakes tend to be more reliable. Good luck!

[@ironman1518.]

Thank you!! Great video, BUT am confused. You CAN use Shimano brake fluid in Tektro hydraulic brakes? I though Tektro ONLY used Tektro fluid?

[@bleedzonekits]

Yes, they're both mineral oil so they should be interchangeable!

[@cadehontanon9535]

So the video features 2 syringes but the tektro kit I just bought only has one ?

[@bleedzonekits]

We sell a few different kits for Tektro brakes. If you purchased from us, you may have purchased a Tektro bleed kit that has a funnel, which should be bled like Shimano brakes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5ncdpVsbsd2n7s. However, if that's not the case and you received an incomplete kit, we can definitely ship you the missing syringe!

[@robertszklarzewicz6159]

best video i have seen on bike brakes to date thanks

[@bleedzonekits]

For sure, glad to hear it helped!!

[@khcopter]

Thanks for the video but all I had to do was take out brake reservoir screw. Add some mineral oil pump the handbrake. Add a little more oil pump it again and they were good as new!!

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks for your comment and glad to hear you got your brakes working again! The concern, however, with simply adding oil from above and pumping the lever is that while you might successfully remove some air bubbles, fluid gets dirty and does break down over time, which is why you might need to drain the whole system and put in fresh fluid depending on the condition of your brakes. If you haven't bled your brakes in a long time or at all and if you ride frequently, your brakes may need a full bleed. Over time, dirt or air contaminate the system, both of which reduce brake performance. The reason why you wouldn’t want contaminated oil is because dirt changes the viscosity of the fluid and hurts the fluid’s ability to dissipate heat, possibly even damaging the brake itself.

[@qianglongbusi]

I saw a video removing bleeding tube from the caliper first after pumping then removing top one, I am confused now as which one is correct...

[@bleedzonekits]

Essentially, when the bleed port at the lever is closed first, it’s comparable to covering one end of a straw with your finger and the water holding because of the greater air pressure under the straw. So that's why we remove the bleeding tube from the lever first in order to close the lever bleed port first. You can remove the bleeding tube from the caliper first only if you use a tube clamp at the lever. If you choose to pump the levers while bleeding your brakes, just make sure the bleed block is in place.

[@jkeough449]

ALso, is there a point at which you should pump the levers? When? BTW I tried to bleed my rear brakes yesterday with this kit and it worked ok but the oring fell off the sealing screw in the lever section and I think air got in so I'm repeating the whole process today.

[@bleedzonekits]

You’d want to pump the levers before removing the syringe or funnel from the bleed port and you would need to make sure the bleed block is in place, so you don’t overfill your system. We pump the brake levers after the entire bleed to make sure the brakes are no longer spongy. If you need further help, feel free to email us: [e-mail]

[@galtbarber2640]

I had to attach the hose directly to the bleed nipple without the adapter on my textro brakes. The fluid that came out at the top syringe was full of old mineral oil, seemed somewhat cloudy and dirty. One little step the instructions skip is re-tightening the bleed nipple after pushing new fluid.

[@bleedzonekits]

Yes, for certain Tektro brake models, you will need to attach the hose directly to the bleed nipple on your caliper! Thanks for your comment, and re-tightening the bleed nipple after pushing new fluid is a great idea :)

[@j.stonehouse5004]

I am useless with tools, but this video made me confident I can do this. And I did. Thank you

[@bleedzonekits]

We knew you could do it! :)

[@coreylahey7344]

I followed this tutorial and my brakes are just as bad if not worse than before bleeding. also, is there a syringe attached to the tubing at the brake lever? am I supposed to drain all the old fluid out? after flipping my bike over earlier to do some tire maintaince, my rear brakes just don't work at all. not to mention my brake pads (tektro e350) are held in with a pin and not a screw, I had to call my bike's manufacturer to get instructions on how to remove the brake pads. please provide more clear instructions.

[@bleedzonekits]

So sorry to hear that you were having trouble with our tutorial! Yes, there is a syringe attached to the tubing at the brake lever that acts as a kind of funnel, and you do drain the old fluid out by pushing new fluid through the brake system. If your brakes have been bled correctly and they’re still not working, you could have a leak in your system. Even the smallest leak in your brakes will allow air to enter the lines and negatively affect your brake performance. Common leak-prone areas in the system include the caliper from damaged seals and the hydraulic fluid lines often from corrosion. You might want to check the fittings at the ends of the brake line and the master cylinder cap screws as well. Another issue could be that your brake pads are worn out. If you bleed your brakes again, put the brake pad, all the caliper parts, and the wheel back without removing the funnel, and then pump the lever until it’s firm. When the brake pads are worn out, you might need extra fluid and often bubbles could be trapped at the lever. Unfortunately, due to the many Tektro brake models, we were not able to cover all the methods of removing the brake pads in one video, but we’re glad you were able to get instructions from your brake manufacturer. If you’re still having issues, definitely let us know and we’ll work to figure this out with you.

[@randywagner6917]

Where does the old oil in the brake line go to when you inject new oil at the caliper? Does it just spill out all over the lever and handlebar?

[@bleedzonekits]

The old oil goes into the syringe at the bleed port on the lever :)

[@komoonkh]

I need that adapter. It is very difficult without it. My kit came with the shimano funnel and a basic hose amd syringe. But my brakes need the screw on adapter, dang it.

[@bleedzonekits]

It sounds like you purchased a Shimano kit instead of a Tektro kit. We do sell a funnel adapter on Amazon that allows you to use a Shimano funnel on Tektro brakes: www.amazon.com/dp/B093RG55MX. However, you'd also need the M6 adapter for the caliper as well, and we sell a basic Tektro kit with the adapters here: www.amazon.com/dp/B08DLFM4JL. Hope that helps, and let us know if you have any other questions!

[@whazzat8015]

Best vid out there. There are 3 ways to do this , check them all out. Their's is the simplest

[@bleedzonekits]

Aww thanks

[@carlosinfanta1191]

Thanks so much for your video. Excuse my ignorance, is it the same procedure for the rear brake too? Do I also need to put the bike in a vertical position as I've seen in other videos to do the rear brake? Or is it not necessary? Much thanks!

[@bleedzonekits]

Of course, that's a great question! The bleed procedure for the rear brake should be identical to the front brake. From what we know, it’s not necessary to have the bike in a vertical position. However, it can help to have the caliper parallel to the lever to reduce the slight oil leakage when opening the bleed port.

[@carlosinfanta1191]

@@bleedzonekits Thanks so much!

[@flatinsixth]

Just about to do mine, same calipers. Does removing the bleed screw at the caliper end not introduce air into the system? Or does the fluid just dribble out with gravity?

[@bleedzonekits]

From our experience, a little oil leakage does happen when you’re removing the bleed screw from the caliper, but it doesn’t introduce air into the system!

[@philg6757]

Excellent instructions, thank you.

[@bleedzonekits]

Glad it was helpful! Happy riding :)

[@darylbarker9849]

Thanks for the tutorial. It's been a while since iv bled brakes

[@bleedzonekits]

No problem! Glad it refreshed your memory :)

[@jacosmusic]

Hi! I took my bike to a shop for bleeding the brakes and when I went for a ride the rear one wasn’t breaking at all when descending, I had to pump the lever to get some breaking. Came back to the store and the mechanic said the lever must be damaged and I had to replace the brakes or trying to get the spare parts for the lever. I’ve searched a lot and can’t find neither the parts nor any info about lever damage causing sponginess and everything points to poor bleeding. I have Tektro M275 and if it help to diagnose, I found that the bike doesn’t brake at all when upside down, which didn’t happen prior to the bleeding. Thanks in advance for your help!

[@bleedzonekits]

Hey! If your brakes have been bled correctly and they’re still spongy, you could have a leak in your system. Even the smallest leak in your brakes will allow air to enter the lines and negatively affect your brake performance. Common leak-prone areas in the system include the caliper from damaged seals and the hydraulic fluid lines often from corrosion. You might want to check the fittings at the ends of the brake line and the master cylinder cap screws as well. Other tips during the bleed process if you have the bike shop try again or attempt it yourself would be to remove your brake caliper and rotate it so that the bleed port on the caliper is at the highest point during your bleed. It helps to gently tap the caliper and hydraulic hoses as well to dislodge any trapped air bubbles. Lastly, when you finish bleeding, pump the lever a few times, which should drop fluid levels, and then top off the oil at the brake lever. Worn pads would also make it essential to pump the lever during the bleed process because braking with worn pads requires more brake fluid. Our suggestion would be to return the brake pad, all the caliper parts, and then pump the lever until it’s firm before closing the lever bleed port. If your brakes don’t work at all when your bike is upside down, then it’s highly likely you still have air in your brake system. With your bike upside down, all trapped air bubbles would rise to the top making your brakes ineffective. Hope that helps, and let us know if you have any other questions!

[@johnwilson7809]

Sounds like the bike shop may not be the most honest business in town.

[@majorwoody1720]

My kit i bought only had 1 fitting that fit from a hose to the reservoir or caliper so i cant have 2 syringes. Can i do it with the little funnel at the top? I tried 3 times and all didnt work and my brakes are really loud even after i wiped them down good

[@bleedzonekits]

Yes, you could use a funnel at the top. Are you saying you tried it with the funnel and it didn't work? If you bought a kit from us that was supposed to have more fittings/hoses and didn't receive them, please email us at [e-mail], and we will send you the parts you are missing!

[@majorwoody1720]

@ no i bought a different kit off amazon, thank you though. I wanted to use the 2 syringes but couldnt. I saw another video about taking the lid off and watching the bubbles come out the hole in the cylinder and that worked great. Still not as strong as id like. Its probably my pads and rotors but it works a little bit better than how it was when i started

[@Brad-99]

Hello bleedzone Will tektro kits be one Amazon any time soon ? pls and thx Cheers !

[@bleedzonekits]

Hi, thanks for reaching out! At the moment, we do sell our Tektro kits on the Amazon US market and are currently working to expand to the Canada market and the EU market (which will take longer).

[@derkunde1801]

4:05 why removed the port at this point? The oil is coming out again or not?

[@bleedzonekits]

Are you having issues with oil coming out? Removing the syringe from the lever first and closing the bleed port may help reduce oil leakage. However, even in our video removing the fitting at the caliper first with the lever slightly higher than the caliper had minimal oil leakage. Essentially, when the bleed port at the lever is closed first, it’s comparable to covering one end of a straw with your finger and the water holding because of the greater air pressure under the straw. We are starting the clean up process at 03:26, so no, the oil shouldn't be coming out again except for maybe some slight leakage. Please reach out if you have any further questions!!

[@НиколаПавлов-и7ь]

So i have one of those universal kits but they only come with reservoir syringe and the cable thingy for the mineral oil to get the problem is i dont have adapter whats an alternative? Sorry if my english is not good.

[@bleedzonekits]

Hey there!! Thanks for commenting!! It sounds like you may have bought the wrong kit. You'll need one that has adapters. Here are some of the ones we sell. Please reach out if you have anymore questions!! :) Pro Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B08F29P2MG Master Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B08CSYBXDJ Standard Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B08F147Z36 Basic Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B08DLFM4JL

[@johnthompson2598]

Whi decided that replacing the retainer bolt with a split pin was a good Idea ?

[@bleedzonekits]

There are pros and cons to both. But, I guess the manufacture went with the split pin instead of the bolt. Some concerns with bolts are the possibility for it to strip the thread and caliper.

[@MTB_FANATIC99]

Is bleeding back nrakes the same process im guessing??

[@bleedzonekits]

Yes, it's the same process! Reach out if you have any more questions.

[@rommelreyes2209]

When you push fluid from the bottom, do you need to pull the syringe at the lever?

[@bleedzonekits]

It’s optional, but if you feel resistance when you’re pushing fluid from the caliper, pulling slightly on the syringe at the lever could help relieve some pressure from the system!

[@PaToni_MTB]

I tried to do it the way you explained it, but I can't push any oil into the calliper. When I pull the brake lever, I can se the level of oil in rising, so the channel must be open in a way. Any ideas?

[@bleedzonekits]

Hey there - sorry to hear our bleed process isn’t working out for you! I don’t think it’s your brake lines, as you can see the oil rise when you are applying pressure to the lever. I would suggest try pushing oil out through the syringe/tubing while it isn't connected to the bleed port. If oil is coming out then it’s most likely your caliper that is needing replaced.

[@PaToni_MTB]

@@bleedzonekits thanks for your advice. I had to screw the lever completlely back, then the channel was open 👍

[@bleedzonekits]

No problem - happy to help!! :)

[@PrincessCraftycorn]

When I unscrew the bleed port on the bottom caliper oil goes everywhere because my one doesnt have a tidy nipple I can seal first :( this vid still helped me fix my brake tho so thnx!! ♥

[@bleedzonekits]

We're sorry to hear it got a little messy, but stoked you were able to fix your brakes!

[@VietPho]

Do any of your bleed kits work with the tektro hd e350 ?

[@bleedzonekits]

Any of our bleed kits for Tektro brakes are compatible with the HD-E350 model!

[@mattiass.nielsen506]

Hey. Awesome video. Isn't it possible to lever bleed tektro brakes?

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks! If you’re referring to pushing the fluid through the brake line by pumping the lever, that will work too. However, air moves upward, which is why we bleed the brakes by pushing fluid through the caliper. Let us know if you have any other questions!

[@snoggful]

Yes you can, I have just did mine, the levers were touching the bars, bleed from the levers, only a few air bubbles came out, now they are very stiff.

[@Kentii_CoD]

when do you gonna have some of these bleedzone kits they say they are not avaiable for a while please put some in amazon

[@bleedzonekits]

They're currently all in stock, but at the moment, we only sell them on Amazon in the United States and Canada. Are you located in the either of those countries?

[@Kentii_CoD]

@@bleedzonekits oh no im not in the usa or canada maybe you know any bleed kits like your one same or like this one

[@bleedzonekits]

​@@Kentii_CoD Sorry, but I don't know where you're located either! We do offer international shipping on Etsy if you wanted to place an order from there: www.etsy.com/listing/858304310. However, you might have to pay more for shipping.

[@inoj1854]

Very helpful. Knocked this out in about 10 mins

[@bleedzonekits]

Yay, glad to hear it helped!

[@liamg4539]

I did this for my rear brakes however oil was coming out the pin hole in the middle of the breaks.

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks for reaching out! Your hydraulic brake system should be a closed system, so it sounds like you have a leak. If you’re referring to the pin hole in the middle of the brake lever, our guess is that the rubber seal inside the reservoir got damaged. Hope that helps, and let us know if you have any other questions.

[@tslabuzz6647]

When I unscrew the bleed port at the caliper, fluid quickly drains out. If I go to fill it with new fluid then, won't it just come back out before I can get the bleed screw replaced into the caliper? Thanks!

[@tslabuzz6647]

Tektro HD-E350 model.

[@bleedzonekits]

If the caliper is parallel with the lever, oil won’t drain out when you’re finished bleeding your brakes and remove the adapter from the caliper. Additionally, the bleed port at the lever should be closed first, and when that’s done, it’s comparable to covering one end of a straw with your finger and the liquid inside holding because of the greater air pressure under the straw. Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns!

[@tslabuzz6647]

@@bleedzonekits that makes total sense, I did something similar yesterday to get it to work... thank you for your response!

[@xxcunninxx4882]

Whars purpose of blocking pistons?

[@bleedzonekits]

Great question! Fully pushing back the pistons and then inserting the block to keep them in place will ensure that the proper amount of brake fluid is in the system both during and after the bleed process. If you overfill the system by not using a bleed block to push back the pistons, that could lead to the brake pads not fully retracting, which would cause them to rub the rotor. Overfilling can also prevent the pistons from getting pushed back after the bleed, which can lead to difficulty when installing new brake pads due to the insufficient space from the extra fluid. Hope this helps, and let us know if you have any other questions :)

[@nilsador9630]

Still tons of air in those hoses, but thats why these tektro brakes are amazing. Thwy work better with air than expensive systems

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks for your insight! With our method, there shouldn’t be any air left in your system, but we’re glad that your brakes are working well for you.

[@a.n.mwaliullah1632]

Shimano Brake caliper piston popped out. How do I get it back in? :

[@bleedzonekits]

From our research, it looks like you can clean the seal, put on silica grease, and re-insert the Shimano piston. However, if that doesn’t work, you may have to get a new caliper.

[@dnc23x]

I am going to do this tomorrow on my brakes :) thanks!

[@bleedzonekits]

You'll do great!! Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns :)

[@dnc23x]

@@bleedzonekits oh noes! I have wrong screws :/ I have shimano kit and definitely not compatible with my tektro, nevermind, ordered the universal set :)

[@bleedzonekits]

Whoa, that was a rollercoaster! Glad to hear you figured it out!!

[@dnc23x]

@@bleedzonekits i managed to do it with a borrowed kit :) brakes perfect now!! thanks for the hints, we had finally a careless ride with my daughter yesterday, no more spongy brakes :) well, 4000 km driven and 3rd set of brake pads.. lots of bubbles there were :)

[@MrGuy999guy]

Please confirm you used only one syringe. Thanks

[@bleedzonekits]

There are two syringes for this kit. One for use at the lever and the other at the caliper.

[@benjaminfrank_]

I pop wheelies on my bike and I noticed that when both wheels are on the ground break lever feels good but when I put the bike in the wheelie position my break lever gets really spongy what does this mean and how can I fix ?

[@bleedzonekits]

Our guess is that you have a small amount of air in your hydraulic line, and when you put your bike in the wheelie position, all the air flows up to your brake lever, which is why it becomes spongy. We’d recommend that you bleed your brakes!

[@benjaminfrank_]

@@bleedzonekits thanks for response ,iv bleed the System twice and it still does it,maybe I need to try with bike in a more vertical position

[@bleedzonekits]

@@benjaminfrank_ Gotcha, if you’ve already bled your brakes multiple times with no improvement, something else might be wrong with your brakes! We have heard that Tektro brakes in particular tend to have more issues than other brands like Shimano. So if nothing works, your best bet might be to completely replace your brakes unfortunately.

[@jrockthecasbah]

Hi, I purchased this kit to bleed the rear Tektro brakes because the lever was very spongy. Other videos I’ve seen show the fluid being pumped up from caliper to the lever and then back down to the caliper. This step is repeated so the line is bled twice. Is this necessary or is one pass good? Is the funnel used for just Shimano brakes? Thank you.

[@bleedzonekits]

Hi there! From our experience, one pass is good. If the step is repeated so that the fluid is pumped back down to the caliper, that could lead to potential bubbles being trapped in the fluid line since bubbles tend to flow upward. Tektro has a two-syringe bleed method, and the funnels you’ll find on the market have threads that are too small for the Tektro bleed port. However, we do sell a kit on Amazon that has an adapter that adapts the Shimano funnel to Tektro hydraulic brakes: www.amazon.com/dp/B0918W9S7J. Let us know if you have any other questions!!

[@jrockthecasbah]

@@bleedzonekits thank you for explaining the number of passes needed. Just to confirm, when a brake bleed is done that also means the brake reservoir has been filled w fluid as long as you fill the syringe w the appropriate amount of fluid at the start? Thank you.

[@bleedzonekits]

@@jrockthecasbah In our experience, once we remove the syringe, we're able to close the bleed port and the reservoir is filled with fluid! When you're bleeding your brakes and pushing oil through the fluid line, there should be no air moving through the line, so once you remove the syringe, the brake reservoir only has fluid.

[@jrockthecasbah]

@@bleedzonekits thanks so much for clarifying!

[@skmanny2525]

How often should you bleed brakes?

[@bleedzonekits]

When you suspect air may be present in your brake system and your brake lever starts to feel spongy, it is time to bleed your brakes. Some people advocate bleeding brakes every year or every two years as part of their service routine!

[@johnwilson7809]

Only when you need to, like when the lever is too spongy. Because it's a closed system, will last a very long time.

[@gribof8306]

Please tell me the characteristics of the adapter

[@bleedzonekits]

In this video, we use M6 adapters!

[@gribof8306]

@@bleedzonekits thanks)

[@LetArtsLive]

I have watched a lot of videos about this. Then when I went to go try to do it it was not quite so easy for me. And I could not get the metallic brake pads for 3 months. I think I got oil on the brakes I know that's bad. If the oil gets on the rotor can't you clean it off with alcohol? My rotors are $20 or something

[@bleedzonekits]

If the oil gets on the rotor, you can easily clean it with alcohol, but the main issue is oil on the brake pads, which causes them to squeak. Since oil tends to soak into the pads, it's difficult to wash out. From our experience, completely removing oil from brake pads that have been contaminated is nearly impossible even if you bake them in the oven. So what you might need to do is replace them or just work with the squeaking. Good luck!

[@whazzat8015]

You take the wheel off and the pads out, because none of us are as good at doing this as we think we are. wipe, wash, clean, wash glove. Sterile tecnique. Pads be expensive. Be careful , use good wrenches. That pad retaining bolt is made of butter, and the jerks put Loctite on it.

[@mattiass.nielsen506]

Use some fine grit sandpaper and scrape the surface then bake the pads in the oven (200 celcius around 20 min) then sandpaper again and it should be good to go. Repeat if nessesary. Worked awesome when I accidently spilled oil on my pads. 😊

[@MattExzy]

I noticed I had to 'burp' some air from the lever when doing mine. Otherwise, this is the way to go :)

[@pincheguero]

yeah I wasn't getting good results until I pumped the lever gently while depressing syringe. MUCH better after that technique.

[@bleedzonekits]

Thank you! We really appreciate the feedback :) Yes, especially if you have brake pads past half life, it would be a good idea to keep the adapter and syringe on the brake lever at the end of the bleed process, clean the caliper, return the brake pads and wheel, and then press the lever a few times until they're firm.

[@JT-xy8ys]

It worked! Many thanks!

[@bleedzonekits]

Awesome! So glad you found it helpful!!

[@sawyermcdonald2908]

Important Things to know!!!!! 1. Do not pull the brake lever with the pads out and no piston block! the pistons can fall out and the system leaks fluid everywhere. 2. Making sure the syringe is free of air is incredibly important! I can’t stress that enough!

[@bleedzonekits]

1. You're awesome - Great tip to remember!! 2. Yes, SO important to make sure the syringe is free of air!! Thanks for watching!! :)

[@goran1986m]

I have read that this brakes are very hard to bleed. I have this brakes too and i can't get them to work properly !

[@bleedzonekits]

If you have the right tools and information on how to bleed, the process of bleeding your brakes is simple and straightforward! Have you started on the bleed process? We’d love to help if you could provide more detail on what’s causing difficulties :)

[@goran1986m]

@@bleedzonekits yes i got the tools and even saw a few tutorials how to do it but the lever still feels spongy after the job is done. I did the type of bleed where you use obly 1 syringe pushing the fluid from the caliper to the bleed port on the lever.

[@bleedzonekits]

@@goran1986m Got it, then in that case, there may be other issues with your brake.

[@goran1986m]

@@bleedzonekits for example ?

[@bleedzonekits]

@@goran1986m As previously mentioned in the other thread, you could have a leak in your system. Even the smallest leak in your brakes will allow air to enter the lines and negatively affect your brake performance. Common leak-prone areas in the system include the caliper from damaged seals and the hydraulic fluid lines often from corrosion. You might want to check the fittings at the ends of the brake line and the master cylinder cap screws as well. Other tips during the bleed process if you attempt it again would be to remove your brake caliper and rotate it so that the bleed port on the caliper is at the highest point during your bleed. It helps to gently tap the caliper and hydraulic hoses as well to dislodge any trapped air bubbles. Lastly, when you finish bleeding, pump the lever a few times, which should drop fluid levels, and then top off the oil at the brake lever.

[@rdkuless]

Hi Libby.. this is great for standard hd brakes.. No one has done a video on bleeding a Tektro TWIN HD E525 or E745 brake system for tadpole trikes with one hand lever.. Since there are 3 HD hoses involved: 1 lever, 2 right, 3 left caliper. and everything is at one level (so gravity has no effect) and the Vertical handle bar makes it difficult to level the reservoir.. Can you do a video on how to bleed a Tektro TWIN HD E525 brake system for a tadpole trike..? There are hundreds of bleed videos for bicycles... Not a single one for recumbent tadpole trikes.. Nor can anyone find written instructions to do this.. If Tektro went to the effort to create Mirrored Calipers and a TWIN HD brake system with one lever, you might think they would tell us how to maintain or work on it. Much thanks.. Desperate in Oregon...

[@bleedzonekits]

Hi Rob, bleeding your Tektro brakes on your tadpole trike should be a similar process. The main difference is that you’d need an additional syringe and tubing for the extra brake caliper. The lack of gravity should not impact the bleed process of pushing fluid through the hydraulic line. We recommend that you first push fluid from one brake caliper and let it flow into your reservoir. Then you can repeat the process with your second caliper. Since you have a vertical handle bar, we’d recommend sliding your brake lever off the bar so you can level the reservoir. The Tektro brakes you mentioned look like older models that don’t have a bleed port at the reservoir, so you might find this video helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpmliIFtoLOseJI. We unfortunately don’t have the capacity to make a video for Tektro brakes on tadpole trikes at the moment, but feel free to reach out if you have any other questions as you bleed your brakes.

[@deljoofficial1758]

What's the name of that wrench bro?

[@bleedzonekits]

This kit includes a 7mm combination wrench, a T15 torx wrench, and 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm Allen wrenches. Hope that helps!

[@tamleny50]

Thanks

[@bleedzonekits]

Happy to help!! :)

[@dixienormis3614]

She definitely knows about bleeding

[@bleedzonekits]

Haha thank you. Just sharing some of that bleeding knowledge with the community :)

[@MrT-tn4qe]

yup, this is a full bleed one too, usually ppl just have vids on the lever bleed which is not as concise

[@jviews1]

thank you. Very good.

[@bleedzonekits]

Happy to help!! :)

[@justinthomas3769]

At what time interval do we need to bleed?

[@ocal6477]

If you bike a lot, once per year

[@bleedzonekits]

When you suspect air may be present in your brake system and your brake lever starts to feel spongy, it is time to bleed your brakes. Some people advocate bleeding brakes every year or every two years as part of their service routine!

[@johnwilson7809]

Pretty much never. It's a closed system so will last a long time.

[@Jose-bm9rf]

This process is only half of it. This way there is always air in the braking system since you make a video explaining everything Thanks

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks for your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear you still have air in your brakes! Could you clarify what steps are missing? Our bleed process is designed to remove all the air by pushing new fluid through the brake system, and we and many other viewers have had no issues with the bleed process in our tutorial.

[@kolhozzznick]

Спасибо, все понятно. Готов к прокачке.

[@bleedzonekits]

здорово, рад это слышать!

[@goran1986m]

It's impossible to get all the air out... Brakes are still spongy...

[@bleedzonekits]

Bleeding your brakes to remove the air in your system is definitely possible! However, if you’ve already bled your brakes multiple times with no improvement, something else may be wrong with your brakes that you might need to look into. For example, you could have a leak in your system, such as in the hydraulic fluid line or brake caliper.

[@goran1986m]

@@bleedzonekits i did not notice any oil leak but i will inspect it tomorrow again... Could it be the the seals in the caliper is bad or something similar ? I already cleaned tge pistones and worked them out

[@bleedzonekits]

@@goran1986m Yes, checking the seals would be a good idea!

[@filipog4]

Very helpful, thank you for this video! :)

[@bleedzonekits]

You're welcome! Glad to hear that :)

[@JaimePRyan]

✓ BIG shout out to all involved with making this "MTB Bike Bleed Tutorial". ✓ Even BIGGER (like Monstrous) shout out to the talented, smoke'N hot girl in the video! If you're reading this you would have me watching tutorials for things I don't even own! Haha, Excellent job tho on the real girl! #Muah #YouRock #Informative #xxx watched numerous videos over a course of several days before I attempted my first break bleed and installation of Shimano 4 piston calipers. Each video had it part of useful information that I was able to understand and I took a piece for every vid & eventually attempted & successfully proceed to do my own. *-*-*-*-*-*+*+* had this video existed ....👀 well it did exist technically😂, but had I found it several months ago it would have been the only one I watched. Such an excellent layout of important bulletin parts. You guys rock!

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks so much for the kind words!! We’re glad to hear you were able to successfully bleed your brakes and that you found our tutorial especially clear :D

[@ianleach1972]

Excellent video thanks.

[@bleedzonekits]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jailbreakoverlander]

I heart Libby.

[@bleedzonekits]

Thank you!

[@rxxx8390]

Thx

[@bleedzonekits]

No problem!

[@Gk22632]

That’s a lot easier than i expected

[@bleedzonekits]

Yeah, bleeding your brakes should be straight forward as long as you have clear instructions and it keeps getting easier the more times you do it!

[@johnathanthin]

it didnt help that the people who assembled my bike put like 2000 Nm of torque on the bleed port sqrew

[@Hunglowwang]

😂

[@bleedzonekits]

We edit out the part of us struggling to unscrew some of them XD

[@anotherlizard5718]

Огромное спасибо вам.

[@bleedzonekits]

всегда пожалуйста!

[@LetArtsLive]

I could not believe how dirty the brakes were

[@bleedzonekits]

Hahah yes, they definitely can get pretty dirty especially if you're an avid rider!

[@virginiamartinez1639]

Bravo 🇺🇾💯

[@bleedzonekits]

Thank you! 😄

[@ToThePointCT]

Fantastic thank you very much for the clear instructions

[@bleedzonekits]

Of course! Glad it was helpful!

[@81djensen]

I tried this. Now I have no breaks at all 😆😆😆

[@bleedzonekits]

Oh no, sorry to hear that! If you're able to explain in more detail the issues you're having, we may be able to help you figure out what went wrong.

[@johnwilson7809]

It's brakes, not breaks. And maybe you shouldn't be playing with tools? Just asking.

[@johnwilson7809]

Why remove the wheel?

[@bleedzonekits]

Removing the wheel helps to provide better access to the brake caliper!

[@johnwilson7809]

@@bleedzonekits But when you take the brake completely off, it seems access is 100%.

[@bleedzonekits]

@@johnwilson7809 In our experience, we've found it easier to access the brake after removing the wheel, and you might find it easier to take the brake off after you've first removed the wheel. However, if you skip this step, it's not a problem, and you will still be able to bleed your brakes!

[@johnwilson7809]

@@bleedzonekits The front wheel is no problem. But the rear wheel of my ebike is a bit more complicated with the hub motor. And of course, it's the rear brake that needs bleed.

[@kcyclopoints]

Super 😘

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks 😄 👍

[@darbymcbride41]

This video was hard to follow didn't specify enough about the upper bleed screw and whether or not to put a syringe there. Waste of my time

[@bleedzonekits]

We're so sorry to hear you had a bad experience with our tutorial. If you look at the 2 minute mark, Libbi begins to open the bleed port on the lever (upper bleed screw). Directly after, she says to check your syringe is smooth and screw the adapter and tubing into the bleed port. If you have any questions, please comment back here or email us ([e-mail]) and we would be happy to help!

[@paulbolus9399]

Tekro must have the worst system ever, I have never had to clean up so much oil :(

[@bleedzonekits]

Yeah, there tends to be some oil leakage no matter what brakes you’re bleeding, but perhaps you could try setting the caliper parallel to the lever to reduce the oil leakage when opening the bleed port, and hopefully it's less messy in the future! Also, the order in which you close the bleed ports is important. When the bleed port at the lever is closed first, it’s comparable to covering one end of a straw with your finger and the liquid holding because of the greater air pressure under the straw. If none of that helps, it might just be Tektro's brake system...

[@paulbolus9399]

@@bleedzonekits Yes I know all this, I have been doing it for quite a while but for some reason this one always makes the biggest mess.

[@johnwilson7809]

Or, you are not real good at this? Did mine several times with very minimal oil spillage.

[@n8s59]

TRP Rep here, you absolutely DO NOT want to use two syringes on our braking systems. You can actually introduce more air into the system with dual syringes. Please refer to the TRP MTB Bleed Procedure Tech talks for the correct process!

[@bleedzonekits]

Thanks for commenting! From our experience, the dual syringe method does not introduce air into the system. Bleeding with a funnel versus a syringe does not change the basic bleed process. We don’t know a reason for why bleeding with two syringes would introduce air into the system, and it’s the same method that Tektro, SRAM, and other brake manufacturers use to bleed their brakes.

[@n8s59]

@@bleedzonekits TRP = Tektro Racing Products (FYI it's the same company). We've been finding as of late, that using a second syringe has a tendency to foam up the mineral oil an introduce air into the system. We recommend pushing fluid from the caliper to a collection cup at the lever, closing off the caliper and then finishing with a lever purge procedure. This is our factory recommend procedure as of 2021 and why our bleed kit now only comes with one syringe. Cheers!

[@bleedzonekits]

@@n8s59 Thanks for your reply! From our experience, we haven’t seen a difference in bleeding using a funnel versus two syringes or heard of a customer complaint on this matter in all our years of selling our kit. The second syringe and tubing act as a funnel and collect the fluid, so I don’t see a reason for how it could foam up oil when it’s simply acting as a collecting container. Using a funnel instead of the second syringe doesn’t change the procedure of pushing fluid from the caliper to the lever.

[@sharebrained]

I’ve been struggling with bleeding Tektro HDC330s, and I think the two-syringe method is a problem only if you pull a strong vacuum on the top (handle) syringe, as it can pull air in through the threads of the bleed nipple. Compressing the fluid into the system from the caliper works better, though it does produce a small amount of oil leakage around the bleed nipple’s threads.

[@jkeough449]

Thank you for this video. Near the end, is there a reason you take out the tubing fitting from the bleed port at the caliper then remove the bleed block THEN close up the bleep port? Is there any problem with closing it up right after removing the tube and fitting?

[@bleedzonekits]

Happy to help! No, there isn't a specific reason why we did it this way. You can close the bleed port right after you remove the tubing if you'd like! :)