Shimano 105 R7020 Hydraulic Brake Bleed

Shimano 105 R7020 Hydraulic Brake Bleed If you find the videos helpful and would like to make a small donation to help support the channel you can do so here www.paypal.com...
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[@paulhatcher951]

This video is very good. Many Shimano brake bleed videos do not include the air removal step shown here where you hold the lever in and quickly undo/redo the bleed nipple. Simply pushing new fluid into the system is not enough to remove air from the system. Early on in my Shimano hydraulic lever experience I was finding that the lever soon became very soft. Because there was still loads of air in the system that had not been bled out properly.

[@beek]

Best video on bleeding your brakes! Bravo

[@marcbehm4747]

FFS can I just have my rim brakes back? What a pain in the ass. You do good vids though, thanks.

[@scottnorland4214]

Super helpful. Thanks for being so thorough.

[@MasteringGrappling]

Ive watched several videos about his topic. You did a Great job. Other videos aren’t as thorough.

[@chenrushan219]

you're the only video bleeding right, I watched a bunch of other videos, and followed their procedure with no success until I see yours, thank you so much for this great lesson

[@LukeMichaelJames]

I just spent 2 hours doing this. Got through 250ml of mineral oil, put brand new pads in and the lever is still shite. I give up

[@eod4usa]

Try power flushing it with a large syringe, inject all new fluid from the lowest point. Air rises, bubbles should be eliminated. While injecting from the lowest point, squeeze the lever a bit too.

[@nigelmcclean4166]

Also...I would recommend pulling the lever BEFORE cracking the bleed line

[@dirkkampen22]

You said you had to warm up the hose on te bleed nipple because otherwise it was too tight? Or does it shrink when heating up? Mine keeps popping of…..

[@johnpreston8155]

That was a really excellent tutorial. So often I'm left with unanswered questions after watching a video but you covered everything in great detail. Really, really helpful.

[@johnsochor5380]

I am just a little confused about how to stop excess lever travel when using part worn pads. Do I need to make sure that the reservoir is topped up to the top once I put in my part worn pads? Or is there another tip?

[@larrygross1248]

The reservoir needs to be full. Unless there's adequate fluid (liquid pressure) in the line, your brake levers will be squishy. Adequate pressure requires the reservoir to be completely filled.

[@SnakebitSTI]

Normally, you just need to reinstall the brake pads and rotor and give the lever a few firm squeezes to advance the pistons. If there’s an excessive gap, the pistons are supposed to advance further than they retract, taking up the extra space. Too much air in the lines or a sticky piston (dirty seal) can prevent that from happening.

[@STINKLEYOB]

Local shop did mine and they were crap. I then used this method and it works really well!! Thank you👍🏻🙂

[@poxcr]

Local shops usually have the most incompetent mechanics. Either the old fart who doesn't give a fuck or the clueless kid who thinks he knows everything because he's been riding mountain bikes for the past 5 years.

[@ephargha]

Thanks for the video, I was frustate to adjust the free stroke in 105 r7020 since this type doesn't have the free stroke bolt that we can turn to adjust it (the other STI system have it). Been using it for almost 3 months And I almost give up then I found this very useful video. Once again thank you! You should add description that this is also the way to adjust the free stroke for 105 r7020

[@WowRixter]

That extra step with the used pads is fantastic! First time I've ever had that explained so well

[@jerbyabante9977]

Hi Sir, why I experiencing when bleed block was placed the lever is firm but when I put back on the wheels the lever was still spongy.

[@mvds3974]

My Scott Addict R15 has hardly any space at the rear caliper's bleed port, so the method with opening and closing the port while squeezing the lever would be absolute hell. Is it OK to at least unbolt them from the rear fork whole doing this?

[@mathiash5000]

I gotta say, I love this channel. I've been building up a new bike for the first time over the past week, and your videos have been so incredible helpful. Thank you so much!

[@michi500cele]

This video help me a Lot! Tomorrow I Will run to may workshop to bleed My brakes with yours tips.

[@gravelbikemark]

Cheers Pal - Fitted some 105's for the first time followed your video and now I have 2 fully functioning brakes. Ta

[@andybray5118]

Best video on the topic I've seen. I couldn't work out what was going wrong until I saw your work. Brakes now fixed and so is our (very ably assisted by my wife) sanity.

[@danielsotelo3942]

One of the main reasons hydraulic disc brakes go spongy, even if the bike is fairly new is by the way you store a hydraulic disc brake bike. You need to store your bike in a horizontal position, if you store it in a vertical position, you will place the wheel caliper higher than the brake lever reservoir which contains "air" and hydraulic fluid. Its ok to flip a bike upside down for a while, but if you store it for days. weeks or months, the air will travel upwards and into the brake line at a rate of o/a 1/2" inch about every 3 or 7 days. Once you have an air bubble in your brake line, BINGO! Your brakes get spongy. Of course, there are many other reasons, but this is the most common.

[@richardbryanesq]

Rear brakes could be more difficult because of the hose angles?

[@paullewis6064]

Brilliant video thanks very much very helpful 😊

[@TheNoblessecret]

Thanks. This Video helped me a lot. Had to disconnect the brake links to Route them through New aero handlebar. After reconnecting the lines the brakes had Zero pressure and Regular bleeding did Not worked. But the Method in the Video did the job.

[@ceounicom]

i like your maintenance videos. Most others i come across have a person either waffling on endlessly about "What IS a brake, anyway" (stuff you already know)/or going into unnecessary technical detail about how hydraulics function, or else just glossing over huge parts of the process. What's helpful is simply going, "step 1, do this, step 2, do this" , which is what most people need.

[@jaspreetsidhu5708]

Own experience when I run it with a bleed block I find that it's a bit more spongy, I end up bleeding with the wheel/disc brake in (fills the reservoir a bit more). And I also use a two syringe system just like sram does it (mineral oil in two syringes, my bleed kit just screws in with some tubing on the shifter, I get lots of the micro bubbles out. best brake feel I've had in years).

[@SirAdammmmm]

Really appreciate this video, thank you. Question though, what was the purpose of pushing 3 syringes full from the bottom? Would it have a different result if you just filled it from the cup up top and bled through there? Also would it be worth me tilting the bike forward like that from the start? Thanks again

[@rabrhee]

I suspect the first pushes were to clear out any dirt, which wouldn't perhaps come out the bleed nipple. The extra ones I think are done because more dirt came than was expected. Once the dirt was out, swap to push from the top to bottom to shift all the air out the bleed nipple.

[@stevenholt6883]

It’s insane that it takes this much effort and process to bleed a modern brake system. I think I need to show this to my shop

[@wasupwitdat1mofiki94]

I had to replace the hose to the rear brake caliper because it got a crimp where the hose is exposed under the bottom bracket. I could squeeze the lever and get good braking but the lever was sluggish on the return. Anyway I used you method exactly as you described and seriously I had to fill the cup about 15 times maybe more to get all the air out. Weird thing is I would stop seeing air for a bit and it felt like I had good amount of lever but then loads more air would suddenly appear and the lever would hit the bar again. This happened about every cup full. I just kept doing the routine over and over but I think it's good now. I sealed up the system and the lever feels fine now. I just can't imagine there would be that much air considering the amount of fluid I pumped through the system. I also copied and made me a catch bottle like yours. It sure beats using a plastic bag. Thanks for posting this video and helping home do it yourself mechanics.

[@jgogl9791]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Pls could I ask - if air bubbles rise through the system (so, towards the lever), why don’t we only ever pump the fluid through from the bottom (so, caliper) upwards, to encourage the flow of the bubbles? I suppose that’d mean you can’t use the brake lever like in this video, but using a syringe with some sort of pump action at the bottom and perhaps one sucking at the top too. Just wondering!

[@FreeToCycle]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4eWh5KPd7F3jLc

[@hesberenschot1816]

@@FreeToCycle thanks for replying. Apologies for being thick but I don't follow - the alternative method in that video also moves the fluid from top to bottom, against the natural upwards flow of bubbles.

[@GeorgeHutchinson-l8p]

This guy is the best. Top class mechanic who is also a great teacher, what more could you want.

[@Dean1011]

This tutorial save my day...thanks 😁👏🏻👍🏻

[@andrewm6192]

@11mins this method works a treat!!! Cheers for the video from sunny North Devon

[@niklasgecius5574]

you solved my problems! thanks for this

[@secondabyss8789]

Thanks for the video. I’m glad I found this. I followed directions from park tool and had the same travel at the lever. I had never saw the last bit at the end about how to get all the air out. What kind of replacement pads do you use in this video for the 105. There’s so many different options and I had bought the wrong ones. Thank you

[@FreeToCycle]

Shimano L03A Resin Pads

[@daaknait]

Thanks, mate!

[@dh7314]

I have part worn pads but plenty of life left. Are you saying they shouldn’t be used after bleeding? Only new ones?

[@FreeToCycle]

You can bleed the system with the worn pads fitted! Otherwise if you use the bleed block then refit the worn pads you’ll wonder why the lever goes back to the handlebar!

[@sakttan]

Thanks for the great video. I have bled car and motorcycle hydraulic systems. Shimano's hydraulic system is far more finnicky and apparently more prone to trapping air in the system.

[@DR_1_1]

It's either air bubbles when draining the oil down, or dirt remaining in the circuit when draining down, make your choice...

[@ryu2241]

Thx for making the vid

[@FreeToCycle]

Not a problem, hope it helps you out!!

[@jakegray8553]

My brand new bike has this groupset and the rear brake lever travels all way back to the bars and has no grab. Shop reckon the entire shifter needs replacing

[@FreeToCycle]

If it’s not leaking fluid anywhere then probably just needs bleeding properly!

[@DavidMackenzie]

Another great video - thanks.

[@gabscar1]

This is golden. Thanks for sharing!

[@michaelsteven1090]

You had a lot of air in that front brake if you had to do 6+ cycles..I've never had to do more than 1-1/2 , same brakes, including the rear..It's never been that tedious..just sayin..thanks great channel.

[@baronvonbongo]

All your videos are excellent. Thank you. Can I ask what bleed kit you're using? Looking to pick up the same, preferably with oil included.

[@FreeToCycle]

I’m using a genuine Shimano bleed kit you can purchase a complete bleed kit online that will include the oil.

[@ahmadbudiman80]

thank you for the very informative video and i just got my new bike today. when i pull the lever is the same lever position in the beginning of your video. i guess my LBS didnt want to waste 30 minutes just to get all the bubble out.

[@ajpratt3954]

Is it crucial to keep the hose submerged in the catch bottle liquid?

[@FreeToCycle]

It helps stop air going back up the hose and into the caliper!

[@lazaroroseno1131]

Top

[@wkbe]

@free to cycle I don't understand last part. So if I bleed with quite worn pads - not to much (and I don't have any other option), then I don't use bleed block? You recommend then bleeding it with wheel on to prevent pistons coming back?

[@leewilliams8574]

Hi, I've lost my brake and have bled it and it returned a few miles later I lose the brake lever pressure again, any ideas? I've got shimano Rs685 brakes. I cam bleed it again and will have a good brake bit I loose it again, only on front. When I bleed it is full of air. Brake lines are internal in handlebars. Thanks

[@FreeToCycle]

If there are no visible fluid leaks anywhere then I suspect you still have air in the system somewhere. Just a case of bleeding it over again!

[@leewilliams8574]

@@FreeToCycle Great thanks for the reply. I've have bled it several times but seems to loose the pressure after a ride? I'll give it another try. Thanks again.👍

[@FreeToCycle]

Check the bladder hasn’t got a pin hole in it!

[@fox0trap]

So, I have the kit now. Question... I have partially worn pads, but only barely worn; low kms on them. Once I take out caliper block, can I put the pads back in, put the wheel on, and having the funnel still in place at the reservoir, pump the lever a little to fully top up the res and remove last bit of air? Will my lever keep firm doing this? Cheers.

[@NYGiants4Life]

I've tried to find different videos, and this is the one I can understand the most. I'm still confused as to why we have to pump the oil from the bottom to the funnel, and then fill up the funnel from the top to empty it from the bottom while bubbles come out. I want to do this myself, but I can't until I know exactly why I'm doing all this. Also, what would I need to do if the liquid comes out really dirty as I've seen on other videos.

[@fabiopunk1661]

I have a brand new system and cannot get the "hard" feel on the levers. However, I remove the funnel and close the reservoir BEFORE removing the bleed block and reassembling the pads and wheels. I thought for a new system this could be done as the pistons would be in the same position with the bleed block and with the wheel. However, I think that also with a new system it is paramount to reassemble the pads before removing the funnel and closing the reservoir. I will give it a try.

[@mahermoussallati791]

Well done 👍👏

[@adammillsindustries.]

Can anyone recommend a good bang for buck bleed kit??

[@jsmit9484]

Why don't the first bleeds with the syringe on the calliper not push all the air out, since the bubbles already rise?

[@johngilroy6983]

Thanks 👍

[@archlinux8640]

Okey, now I know why I choose TRP Spyre (-: ...but i have to change to metal pads!

[@sintaxerror62]

Thanks! I am now ready to do it

[@jamesclark9128]

Aye burst the bladder in the shifter what did aye do the oil leaking

[@g5magic]

Can you bleed the rear too? Most people showed how to bleed the front break. Thz

[@welshluke1971]

Brilliant great video 👍

[@angrahell]

Worked great thank you!

[@jasonpepin2000]

Thanks for this video, would you happen to have name or part number of the bleed kit you used?

[@FreeToCycle]

Bleed kit TL-BT03S , you also need the adaptor for road levers Shimano Y0C698050.

[@jasonpepin2000]

@@FreeToCycle Thanks for the quick reply! I have the same groupset, I'll be looking into those.

[@bigshoestofill1019]

You sir, are a genius. You saved me a lot of frustration so thank you!

[@columomalley4630]

is there any difference with doing the rear brake - do I need to change the angle of the bike because the calliper is higher than the cable at the bottom bracket? thanks

[@kunegunda69]

Great video. The bottle You used comes from a kit set or You made it by Yourself?

[@FreeToCycle]

The bottle is home made!

[@kunegunda69]

@@FreeToCycle , Thanks for quick replay .I used bag but idea with bottle looks more comfortable. I assemblly now bike by Yourself and i did it with You movie. Now breaks are excellent and i never had so good/strong break feeling in the past in bikes which i bought in shop. I`m a fan of Your channel .Thank You a lot !

[@aaronkeogh]

So if I’m using part worn pads should I put the wheel back on and then pump the pistons out with the pads in, then take off the oil cup on the shifter? Or would that overfill the system?

[@FreeToCycle]

That’s the best thing to do otherwise you’ll have air in the reservoir, just remember to do the opposite when fitting a new set of pads!

[@aaronkeogh]

Free To Cycle, I’ve made the mistake before of pushing the pistons back after filling the reservoir up with used pads, resulted in a tiny tiny hole in the reservoir bladder that kept leaking and bubbling very slowly and making the hoods slippy -> lesson learnt 🤬

[@aaronkeogh]

Free To Cycle thanks for the video by the way

[@joukerozema9114]

@@aaronkeogh Were you able to replace the bladder? It looks like I can't find shimano replacement bladders online.. It looks like my shifter is showing a similar tiny leak after bleeding. Thanks for your answer!

[@aaronkeogh]

@@joukerozema9114 only way to get a new bladder is find a used shifter on eBay that you can salvage or buy a new shifter unfortunately, otherwise look online for Shimano specialists who may have some in stock, or contact your local bike stores to see if they have any.

[@herryswastika3708]

From my MTB time, i use to pressurize the system, ie closing bleed cap, and press syringe, close the 7mm screw. Is it necessary?

[@FreeToCycle]

Not necessary!

[@toadergheorghe7254]

Sunt foarte plăcute și foarte necesare aceste demonstrații pe care le fac acesti meșteri.

[@frakafrocka]

Why do both methods need to be done? What happens if u go straight to second bleed method where oil flows from cup at lever to caliper? Thanks

[@FreeToCycle]

Both methods don’t necessarily need to be done! By using a syringe to fill the system with new fluid in saves pumping all the old fluid out with the lever!

[@miles4463]

@Free To Cycle, can you reuse the oil that isn't dirty in the second step, when firming up the lever?

[@FreeToCycle]

Yes you can!!

[@maxduffield1171]

My bleed screw on the shifter stripped when I tried to undo it and now I can't get it off. Any tips for removing it?

[@FreeToCycle]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn-bdK2FlLqrndE

[@harrybbbb]

Been trying to bleed a new set of 105 brakes for two days. So frustrating. I’ll try this lot tomorrow. Excellent video again. Top man. Question: how the hell do you get the tube to stop on the bleed nipple

[@bastaboj]

How often should you change mineral oil in your brake system?

[@FreeToCycle]

Mineral oil doesn’t get contaminated with water like normal DOT brake fluid used in SRAM brakes. So there is no real need to change it unless you have a problem or disconnect a hose etc!

[@miles4463]

Ran what I'm guessing was 10 cups through and still bubbles were coming :O There's a slight difference in the pull of the lever, but I don't think it'll be possible to achieve the short lever/taught feel I favoured on my old bike (rim)

[@FreeToCycle]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4eWh5KPd7F3jLc

[@miles4463]

@@FreeToCycle legend, I'll give it a watch. thanks!

[@sintaxerror62]

Just tried doing it with part worn parts and it did not work. I am not sure I understand the last part of the video. Can we do it with worn parts or not?

[@christophercondron5388]

When you put in your partner worn pads back in and you have a lot of travel before the pads bite the rotor. Little tip... Take out the wheel pump the brake 3 or 4 times and put the wheel back in you will now have a solid lever

[@ayowser01]

Is there a need to push the brake fluid from the bottom to the top if the system is already filled and brand new? My new bike has horrible [lots of] lever travel. It doesn't engage until the very end of the travel. My bike shop told me that's just how bikes come built from the factory. I can't believe that's how it's supposed to be. Would I be fine bleeding from a reservoir from top to bottom- pumping the brakes, cracking open the bleed nipple, then closing and repeating?

[@FreeToCycle]

If the system is new and already filled then it’s fine to bleed from the top down!

[@larrygross1248]

Bikes with disc brakes are not delivered that way by design. Your bike shop is either lazy or lacking knowledge.

[@baribari600]

How is this different from the standard DM bleed procedure? I seem to have a similar issue, but my dealer swears there's no air in the lines.

[@larrygross1248]

He swears there's no air in the line? And how did he manage to prove that to himself? Air bubbles can get stuck in strange places, often in the brake reservoir itself (at the brake handle). Use the technique that's shown in this video. Your brakes will really be bled of all air.

[@alasdairgeddes]

I put new pads in and did what you said with pulling the lever and opening then tightening the screw. The levers still touch the handlebars. What can I to to improve it?

[@FreeToCycle]

There will still be air trapped in the system! The lever shouldn’t be near the bar if all the air has been removed!

[@alasdairgeddes]

@@FreeToCycle The pads are moving when I pull the lever but the gap between the pad and the brake disc means that they don't fully clamp the disc until the lever is on the bars. Would changing to Swissstop pads be part of the problem? I assume that they're the same standard thickness. I'll have another go at removing the air.

[@230Colin]

Can you re-use the fluid from the caliper end and put it back in the bleed cup?

[@FreeToCycle]

Yes if the fluid is new!

[@raff5604]

Am i seeing things or is the front brake on the right hand side????

[@FreeToCycle]

Yes that’s standard in the UK!!

[@kevinf1990]

Is it ok to reuse the fluid that comes out of the bleed screw into the bottle?

[@FreeToCycle]

Yes if it’s clean!!

[@tinribz]

Excellent vid. My local Giant store need to watch this.

[@CmyREDi]

Very lucky that you posted this video, with the exact model groupset and bleed kit I have. Can't thank you enough!

[@RacingRalphEVO]

What do you do with the dirty mineral oil?

[@FreeToCycle]

Take it to the recycling centre and tip it in the waste oil tank!

[@jonathangapay1724]

Hi! What do you do with the oil from the first three pushes up to the cup? Can you reuse them for the next push or do you dispose of it?

[@FreeToCycle]

If the fluid in the system is new then you can reuse it!!

[@jonathangapay1724]

@@FreeToCycle Thanks!

[@darrencripps]

The most comprehensive description of how to do this on the Internet. Nice one 👍🏻

[@toby000000]

Best video on this topic, loads of vids showing how to syringe fluid from the caliper to the lever - which I did and still poor brake performance. Have used this method, it's time consuming, but lever pressure slowly returning - thank you! Was beginning to think there was something wrong with my levers, or I had a leak somewhere!

[@roneysilveira7606]

Perfect explanation, step by step, many thanks from Brasil 😃

[@almin9751]

I just bought my first ever ever road bike and it comes with shimano 105 and coming from a motorcycle background where I do all my maintenance myself I find this incredibly useful and goes directly to my keep videos for when needing to do this myself, you are one of those Internet héroes thanks a lot!! 😃✌🏻

[@piet213]

I did the bleed like you said, with the bleedblok in the lever feels good. When i puth in the brakepads, the lever comes more to the handle Bars. The brakepads are new, how is this possible?

[@FreeToCycle]

Because with the bleed block in place the pistons cannot move! With the disc and pads in place the pistons come out and push against the pads which in turn push against the disc to stop the bike! If everything was a tight fit like the bleed block the wheel wouldn’t spin!

[@piet213]

Free To Cycle yes i understand that!! But i mean when i see youre video, when you have youre pads in and the wheel you only have to touch the lever. My lever has more travel.

[@piet213]

Free To Cycle I don’t know if you are still interested but i fixed the problem. I think my pistons were a bit stuck in the o ring in the calliper. I took the wheel out and applied the brakelever 1 time so rhe pistons came a bit out. Put the wheel back in and now its perfect.

[@FreeToCycle]

At least that solved the mystery!!

[@g5magic]

Best break bleeding clip so far. Thx

[@jmounce50]

This channel is amazing, so much good info. Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.

[@antoniosousa_61]

Greta vídeo. thanks. A question: you’ve the front brake on the right side. Is it correct?

[@FreeToCycle]

Yes!

[@antoniosousa_61]

In all my bikes the brake lever of the front wheel is on the left side. Right now I’m upgrading my system from 105 to Ultegra R8000 and beba-me confused about the position of the levers.

[@FreeToCycle]

In the UK the levers are right front/ left rear!

[@johntr76]

@@FreeToCycle I'm in US and do the same thing. Just makes sense.

[@christophercondron5388]

Yes in the UK the front is on the right. It's a lot easier to bleed the brakes this way when doing the back brake

[@Smithandrossiter]

SO HELPFUL. Thank you

[@2mvX]

The best video about bleeding. Cheers from Poland!

[@ohwhoaitzjoe]

I couldn’t get my brakes to stiffen up at all following the other tutorials out there. It wasn’t until I methodically did the opening and closing I was able to get my brake to stiffen. Thanks for your thorough insight.

[@Pasdechevredreamer]

Thank you very much for your clear systematic description, which worked wonders on my replacement.

[@ВсеволодФедулов]

Very useful guide for my 105 brakes

[@HansenPL]

Great detailed tutorial. Thank you.

[@marksorsa-leslie5128]

Brilliant tutorial - thanks for this