The REALITY of Setting Up Hydraulic Brakes

[@etc29a]

Been using cheap hydraulic brakes with basic resin pads and lower end shimano rotors since 2017, the mt200 I believe, and that's the last time they were bled. No real problems except for some maintenance but not often (wiping rotors, replacing pads, cleaning contaminated pads a few times, bedding in new pads). They feel and work great for such a cheap product, they adjust themselves and have been used for all sorts of riding including tours, brevets, gravel. I have had the bike fall over numerous times and two crashes but they still kept on working, no ripped hydraulic lines or anything similar.

[@SurpriseMeJT]

I've also got some MT200 calipers on a bike and they're just as good for my type of riding as my SLX brakes on another bike. I even like the cheaper non-servo wave brake levers so much that I got rid of my SLX brake levers to "downgrade" to the hightest end Shimano non-servo wave levers. Tons of modulation.

[@kikooo3o]

idk what came to me back when i purchased my Shimano MT200 that i immediately bought a bleeding, never had a issue and i do after every 2-3 brake pads because the fluid does get dirty. I used them for like 2 years with the uncut hoses until on day suddenly realized it looked messy and ridiculous lol. Then first time i shortened by hydraulic brake hose, i just bought a couple of barbs and olives (somehow cheaper to just buy a kit of 5 sets of the fittings plus a hose) and used the redneck way of just wrapping the hose with a cut of tire inner tube to grip and not score the hose because im gonna clamp it with a pliers, then using brute force and grip strength to initially insert the barb then realized i didnt put the olive and the locking nut in the hose. Use a soft wood to hit until it's flushed with the hose took a couple tries, couple of the fitting, some hose, and a lot of swearing and surprisingly it worked and never leaked for years Until i few days ago when i was greasing up my headset bearing i stupidly kinked my front brake's hose, it's not leaking and i can put full pressure on it but im not comfortable using it, tried doing the redneck strat again but it's not working. until i again wasted some fittings and ran out of hose. Im stubborn and will not bring my bike to the shop, it's not like im not going there to buy a new hose and the fittings. Currently waiting for the barb inserting tool i bought online.

[@1mp0r7g4m3r]

This is the way! And those brakes are going to become so cheap (they are already like $7 at the OEM level), I think they will eventually become disposable, like cartridge bottom brackets have become. No need for any finicky maintenance, just replace them when they stop working well (assuming external routing).

[@komoonkh]

Never ever swap them for Sram haha😅 you will cry a lot

[@chuckrodgers4780]

I have shimano metallic pads on our MTB’s zero system issues after 3 years of use . One set of new pads but that’s it . We have SRAM on our two gravel bikes, resin pads , about 3000 miles of use this year , no issues ,did need new pads on my bike. Getting ready to do a system bleed . All my road bikes still run rim brakes , totally easy

[@dogit5988]

This is why I’m glad I took auto shop classes in high school back in 1975. Basic wrenching and mechanical skills can be applied to all forms of transportation.

[@jacobatherton8339]

I've been wary of trying hydraulic brakes just because of installation complexity compared to cable actuated. I'm glad you went through the process and shared your journey with us 🙏

[@kikooo3o]

i recommend buying your own bleeding kit like what Rus have on the video (also always have spare bottle of brake fluid), and also the barb fitting and cutting kit. it is daunting at first but it's fun doing it with the right tools

[@zwicker5585]

@@kikooo3o or... just use cables

[@Likelybiking]

Before I started working in a shop I had never bleed brakes and it was also intimidating. I also made a huge mess the first few times haha Now I do them multiple times a week with little spillage! It definitely gets easier and they definitely require less maintenance once set up.

[@davidsnow5811]

Loved the 'tightrope walking without a net' vibe of the video. Few are brave enough to show the process so openly.

[@winterwatson6437]

ive started using waxed thread to tie cables to frames instead of zip ties-hitch, some wraps, and another hitch. looks better than zip ties and more resilient to boot

[@werttius]

Leftfield and utterly intriguing! o__o

[@zwicker5585]

waxed thread? Like just knotted? Sounds iffy tbh

[@scottw4202]

Thanks for making this video Russ. I like that it was not a polished perfect installation. I’ve done hydros only one other time, and someone walked me through the process. It was one or two years ago now, so this is a nice refresher since I’m gonna have to do it myself soon. Perfect timing!

[@felixjackson2670]

Good job. Well done ,being so honest and filming your first disc brake experience. KZbin can be SO helpful for research/learning. Although been a bike mechanic from bike shop to race team to home workshop I STILL need to reference KZbin on occasion. With common sense/cross referencing etc one can learn a great deal.😊

[@juliapoelstra3624]

Well I just learned about these disposable olives and barbs today! Thank you! Kudos to you for expanding your skill set, even if you don't love this style of brake.

[@jeffreydzialo]

I love it when opposing pistons refuse to protrude evenly. It's got to be my favorite surprise at the end of a bleed.

[@MW-ud8zp]

That dropper looks mint!

[@RodMesa-e2t]

Thanks for dissuading me from hydraulic brakes! (j/k) Watching you tackle this helps me feel like I could do the same.😺(Die-hard cable fan)

[@johndunbar2393]

Very comprehensive video, Russ. I have hydro brakes on several bikes, but have never had to mess with them, and it always seemed pretty daunting. This video makes it not seem like such a big deal. Thanks, man!

[@pierreblenderbuss9807]

I used to use cable discs--there is no comparison in stopping power, and given my mass (I am 6'7" and could lose a few kgs)--hydraulic is the safe option. I am using the Surly Corner Bar, which allows hydraulic lever mounting. Have swapped to Shimano XT brakes, which are excellent. Haven't bled Shimano's yet but have done SRAM and Hope. It's a bit of a pain . . . so certainly something I would consider getting a mechanic to do.

[@LordNormandy]

I had the exact same problem the first time I installed a micro spline cassette. It is like a 3D puzzle. Fun build video.

[@comounaverdura]

You did a great job on the build.

[@chrisjong8412]

Getting the Park Tool bleeding kit will make it much easier, its not cheap but comes with a lot of adapters that are coloured and a good manual

[@htonmusic]

coming from the mountain biking world i find it quite interesting/hilarious you're completely fine setting up a triple chainring but doubtful with hydraulics! we all got things to learn!

[@bradhoare9388]

Long enjoyed your videos Russ, and respected your attitude to some modern technologies that you have argued aren't necessary for everyone. However I myself have loved hydraulic disks since I first encountered them. Much kudos to you for showing your willingness to try new tech, which makes your videos more relevant and informative for viewers. Well done 👍

[@chuckrodgers4780]

Only half way through , so exciting . It’s great to see you attempt something new. Now back to the action!!

[@cntchds]

Good on ya, Russ! I think you took the hardest route on how to do your first attempt at hydraulic brakes. Usually the Shimano brakes come pre-filled and pre-bled, so there is only one cut needed and since the other end is still captive very little fluid will come out. By starting from scratch with the caliper, hose, and brake lever all disconnected you have more chance for a mess. Next time, I'd highly recommend purging all of the air from your syringe before pushing fluid through the caliper. The way you had it with a big air bubble at the end of the syringe means you're one move away from pushing air into your lines. Nice thing about hydraulics, now you're done! As long as there isn't air in the lines (which I think you did a good job on the bleed) it'll be years before you need to crack it open again for maintenance. If it ever feels like it's getting squishy, you can just put the cup back on with some fluid in it and pump the lever until the bubbles all come out. Easy peasy. Way to try something new for the new year!

[@HenryKissingersGhost]

I have a very similar gear setup and it was low enough to bike up from the Sagrada familia to Tibidabo without feeling like I needed to bail on the hill portions. Although I enjoy hydraulic brakes on my bike, I think cable brakes are great and should still be the standard. I think meeting someone who knows how to service their hydraulic brakes is as rare as meeting someone who can true their own wheels.

[@johnkem2630]

Good overview of your experience in setting up the bike and hydraulic brakes. I also like the simplicity and ease of repair of cable V brakes. I also have avoided hydraulic disc by using Bb7 & TRP cable disc brakes. Thanks.

[@nelsonholditch6633]

Thanks Russ. I found the video useful. I have hydraulic brakes on my Mtb. When I bought my new gravel bike with drop bars, I wanted the simplicity and the look of cable brakes.

[@Nix_sound]

I've been watching your channel from the beginning and I'm super stoked you've finally done a hydraulic setup. May I say that you did a top notch job, just as well as any experienced home mechanic. I totally get that they're trickier (and intimidating with the precise cutting) and messier than cable brakes, but I believe that once set up, the power and modulation is so much better, it's worth it everytime. After you 've done it a few times, it becomes pretty quick to do, so when you have a new bike, or upgrade calipers etc, it's a sinch. Another pro hydraulic, is they require virtually no maintenance or pad adjusting after initial setup. Can you say that cable brakes don't require constant adjustments? I'm in total agreement that electronic shifting sucks too (I'm not talking about performance)

[@blair-alan]

Way to go, Russ. I loved watching an honest video about setting up hydros for the first time. I watched a ton of videos before i attempted it but there are so many different "adapters" and various sizes of hoses, barbs, olives, etc. that the videos don't often explain. The videos made me feel like an idiot for not knowing this stuff. One thing I discovered by using cheap barbs and olives is that it works best to put the olive on the hose before inserting the barb. I had some cheap barbs that made it difficult to add the olive after it was inserted. I've also discovered the wobbly cassette issue the same way you did... ugh.

[@amatildaj]

This was awesome and I felt seen. I got a Crust Clydesdale fork for Christmas and am installing it on a Bridgestone MB-2 I found at Goodwill. Someone on Craigslist was selling a new front only Shimano XTR hydraulic brake so I jumped on it. I bought a new mountain bike last summer with Shimano hydraulic brakes and I really like them but it bugged me that I didn’t know how to work on them. So I too have jumped into watching Shimano hydraulic brake installation videos in prep. I’ll probably try it this weekend so this video was very timely. I don’t think mine will be as much work as the line with seems about the correct length. It was really helpful to watch someone do this on a real project.

[@CarlynTucker-s9m]

My Canondale mountain bike is hydraulic, touring is mechanical disc, and the road bike is rim pads. I have only done very basic adjustments with the hydraulic brakes and have let the folks at the bike shop do the serious maintenance. I really appreciate you walking us through the process, your observations about the different designs ( hex nuts, Allen wrench screws etc.) that one finds was helpful. Also, the fact it may be a bit messy was good information. I like keeping things simple especially with the touring bike so I think I’ll stick with the cable mechanical brakes. Keep up the good work and thanks!❤

[@zwicker5585]

Exactly how I would be set up if I rode downhill mtbing again. Its the only are where I feel hydraulic is worth it

[@jack002tuber]

Look at 11:08, that cable is really bent hard. Can this be smoothed out?

[@jeffandersen6233]

Fun and a bit anxiety provoking video. Fascinating watching your problem solving. I just bought my first disc brake bike a few months ago with GRX hydros. I've come to appreciate them especially now in the cold months. If I need service my LBS will definitely do it. That crank is so junk yard parts cool. Just shows highly polished forged cranks are not needed.

[@boyzout]

What is your silver dropper seatpost ?

[@stuttmax.]

I would like to know that too.😮

[@rmstnble]

I would also like to know that too 😧

[@zwicker5585]

he mentioned it in a recent video about new trends. I believe its new from pnw

[@cornerstonechiropractic6185]

I love it! Very funny - in a good way! “Hose…House-ing”, etc. Watching you, I saw exactly what I imagined I would look and sound like. Very helpful. Encouraging to see you try something new. It will make it easier for me. Thanks Russ

[@randomfellow6157]

Who else was screaming at the screen to get him to stop installing the barb without the sleave, compression nut and olive on the line? Boy, he got lucky.

[@stevenr5149]

I had a nearly identical experience. On my last build, I had wanted to save on brakes and recycle my older ultegra hydros(which were installed at a shop). After I did the rear hydraulic brake successfully, I could not bring myself to start the front brake. To save money, I bought cheaper Juin tech F1 brakes and put them on the rear of 2 bikes and the pair of Juin tech GTRs on the front of each bike with 180 rotors. Perfection achieved. I can't imagine an average rider owning good cable actuated disc brake paired to a front 180 disk rotor and needing more braking power.

[@mitmon_8538]

I'm still a die-hard cable brake person. I just don't have a reason to switch since I'm functioning just fine on my cable brakes. I have a commuter bike that came with hydros, but once those brakes go, I'm switching them to cable. I've already done the front since it was having issues and it was easy to remove since the hose was attached externally. The rear brake hose runs inside the frame, so I'm going to have to deal with that mess once the rear goes.

[@Vilendank]

The multiple points of failure on hydraulics get me every time, today I finally discovered the source of the squeal on my brand-new Saints - the banjo was loose, if I hadn't been swapping out my forks, I would not have seen the drips in realtime and just assumed the stain on the floor was from the weeping tire sealant. Other points of failure: a non-90 degree cut on the hose, over or under - tightening the olive-crusher, getting the wrong olive and barb (saints and ? use a larger bore barb than other shimano offerings), not cleaning the pistons, contaminating the pads/rotor, blowing out the lever cylinder bladder, etc etc etc. I am sort of at the point where I will only buy hydraulic brakes from brick-and-mortar stores just because there are so many points of failure and certain brands have inconsistent QC. Like, I've been installing hydraulic brakes for over 10 years and this is the first time I had to consider checking the banjo, which admittedly is a me problem. Also the tubing attachment for bleeding shimanos leaves a lot to be desired, you can't just whip out the bike, lean it against something and start the bleeding process, and finding a spot for the syringe when you need your hands free...ugh, keeping track of where your spills are/what your hands have touched... it takes a lot of practise to get the work area and work flow dialed in, it can be a real turn-off for a hydro DIY beginner, and can have expensive and catastrophic results, even a drop of oil will make your resin pads unusable.

[@mediumrick7667]

I have bikes with both cable and hydros. Both work. I'd say the hydros work better but I really appreciate the simplicity of the cable brakes.

[@alexmurdock9101]

Good job for a first time. I would make a few suggestions: you left the cable/hose way too long. Even with a handlebar bag (I personally use a Road Runner Jumbo Jammer) it just pushes the hose down out of the way. Also, you really could use a work bench. Working on the floor sucks.

[@redgar6467]

Appreciate you doing this on camera. Thanks.

[@glenzigdan]

There are little dots on the lower cogs you can line up. There is a line on the back of the derailleur cage with a 51t b limit marking. It's just called a hose. Good on you for trying something new.

[@steveschoenborn8949]

I don't know if it matters for bike stuff, but I know for for motorcycles, DON'T SHAKE YOUR BRAKE FLUID! It puts micro bubbles in fluid and makes it harder to bleed and get a firm lever.

[@chuckrodgers4780]

Yea, you did great . The next bike will be much faster. Every time you do it will be smoother. We have 5 bikes with hydraulic brakes and they are now so easy to care for. Totally excited that you tried this , great video. The cave of new ideas .

[@michaelavich]

Exctied to see this built up and your review. Love the look of what Sour is putting out :)

[@hmudesign]

I love how much resistance you have towards electronic shifting. I’ll bet if you ever get a set and set it up nicely, you’ll look back and think, what was I fighting back there. I think I was pretty late to the di2 game, well given that I’m over 50, cycling all my life, yet got my first di2 group set about 10 years ago. Now all my bike builds have some form of di2, 1 x 2 x… and I seldom build mechanic shifting bikes any more. Di2 is definitely not needed, but it’s just so good, especially when I started experimenting with satellite buttons in strategic places for different hand positions. Once in a while, when I am out riding my bikes I think of you and how I am sure you would love this if you’d get the right introduction to it. The other day I modified a Poseidon Redwood to take di2, pretty awesome setup, big gears and very clean:). Anyway, good video, my fellow commuter photographer friend :)

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

I’ve reviewed bikes with electronic shifting. My issue isn’t with the performance but that it locks you into a walled garden eco system, non repairability, expense and the forced funnel of limited options.

[@hil3007]

Happy you went thru the process! Hydraulic brakes are supper common nowadays and we find them on entry offerings so they're no longer niche back in the older days where we run canti or vee brakes. I'll be on the same boat that I won't swap the whole fleet to hydro but will not hesitate to run them if building a new bicycle designed for hydro. You tinker with and designed bicycle components so no way you are not lacking in mechanic skills. I started playing around with relacing wider rims to older QR hubs, did exactly the same. Loads of internet research, bought the needed tools and jump right in! With internet resources nowadays, it removed the initial barrier to learn in person, just the desire to indulge and dive right in! Be forgiving with yourself, learn from mistakes and things will only get better 👌 Cheers! Always enjoy your videos.

[@biamarconchi]

thanks Russ. yeah i'm a cable guy... but i know i'll have to explore hydraulics at some point. Glad you did it. i'll look at it again when it will be my turn.

[@JoshuaMarcAragon]

Beautiful build! If the cables are externally routed, hydros are easy. Even when you have to route internally, it is still not too hard. Especially if running mineral oil systems. Bleeding brakes just takes a bit of practice, but it's easy to get a hang of. My last frontier is suspension maintenance on my mountain bikes. But I think that will stay with the local bike shop.

[@alanpage8911]

TPR make a cable actuated hydraulic calliper, which might save having to swap the brake lever out. If you anticipate bike touring/camping, one might cut the brake hose lengths to fit around gear mounted off the bars, to avoid a jiggling load bending the hoses. Topping up brake fluid in the brake handle cylinder is good when the braking gets soft, and pumping the handle will help burp air out of the line; using fluid in the cylinder cup you had.

[@TheBridgee100]

I use a semi actuated system which runs cable to the juin tech hydraulic disc brake caliper. Found the bleed was very messy the first time also. You get better the more times you do it. The beauty of the semi acuated system is that you have no barbs or olives and you adjust modulation. I've heard that the stopping power isn't as good as a full hydraulic system; however I'm happy with the stopping power and appears to work fine.

[@NelsonSherry]

FYI: Your basic Shimano bleed kit would not have all the confusing extra parts. The syringe hose would also have a fitting that holds onto the bleed nipple much better than the kit you used. Thanks for another good video. I vastly prefer hydraulic to cable.

[@MBB31]

Against recommendations (Bike Sauce, Spindatt) I installed Shimano MT200 on 2 of my Poseidon Flat bars. The compression less housing was $60 vs the complete lever, Disk brake calipers housing and rotors for $40 on ali express. So far they have worked great!

[@stephenkohler3472]

I only really appreciate the smooth modulation of hydro's on mountain bike day-rides. I prefer cable brakes on gravel, fat, or bikepacking bikes.

[@peterbedford2610]

On my mtb, hydraulic disc are nice because the terrain is steep and bumpy where I usually ride. The hydraulics are much easier on my hands for the long descents. My more road oriented bikes use bb7 cable discs brakes. Work fine. Those cranks are interesting.

[@theodoredobrowolski8525]

I built my own brakes great learning experience but bleeding them was a bit of a pain.

[@klammi85]

For your first try you did better than me! One tip for the bleeding, put the brake line vertical and tap the hose while you press fluid through, that way you can get 100% of the bubbles out. You did nothing wrong still, just a tip. I dunno if that´s a MT400 or 200 series brakes but both are pretty good for the money! Once you have set up those hydraulic brakes properly, they are just the best! I do once a year fluid change. And if you compare cheap mechanical brakes and cheap hydraulic, theres no contest.. But dont be those weirdos who prefers hydraulic lever with a mechanical brake saddle

[@sagehiker]

Next step would be to learn how to do a field bleed that will get up back home. I had a pair of three year old Tektros (OEM) that came with a bike that sucked air without leaking. I did have a vial of oil in my kit and got rid of the bubbles. And got home with both brakes in the hill country. The were replaced with BB7s after the second occurrence. This is a great video story worth watching.

[@Frostbiker]

Getting out of your comfort zone is hard, but publishing your efforts online is a few steps harder. Kudos!

[@erics9214]

The industry definitely wants us to go hydraulic. When I set up my gravel bike a couple of years ago, cable actuated brifters were nearly non-existent. The hydraulics have proved to be dead reliable in thousands of miles of riding. I've ridden both the GDMBR and the XWA on the same set of brakes with only bleeds and pad replacements. The bleeds had to be done at home or by a shop, but pad replacement is easily field serviceable. So, despite still having some field serviceability reservations about riding in more remote areas, I can't say that I'd switch back to cable actuated. The stopping power and modularity of the hydraulics is just better than mechanical.

[@serega1302]

What about riding on really cold weather? How disk brakes performe in lower temperatures?

[@Frostbiker]

I've never had problems with mineral oil hydraulic brakes, but it rarely gets below -15C where I live. I've heard that below -25C or so the mineral oil becomes more viscous and makes braking a bit harder, so some people who ride in very cold temps prefer SRAM with dot fluid instead. I don't think it's an issue for most people in most places.

[@tomconway6808]

I just picked up a KS EXAFORM dropper post with a lever under the seat like this, and it did not work correctly from the start. I hope you start a trend so we can get some higher quality options on the market. After I bought a mountain bike with a dropper post I wanted to dropper post all of my bikes. It's so nice from the perspective of being able to stop and put your feet flat on the ground. It also helps with transporting the bike and reset your seat post height with a press of a button.

[@davidjfife]

I am interested to hear your thoughts on a 1X. I was super hesitant to switch to one on my tandem. But my 2X11 with a 11-34 sucked on the Bend trails especially with a camping load. I wanted to go with XT 2X with a 10x42 to get that 16 low. But couldn’t find any cranks that would work with the timing belt. So, ended up with a SRAM 10-52 and absolutely love it. Less shifting than with my 2X and a low of 17 for the loaded hill climbs.

[@UWMailing]

When I build up cargo bikes that have a long front end I use a hydraulic tubing coupler kit to graft on a couple of extra feet of hose so that it can reach. Replacing the entire hose like you did is definitely a cleaner look, but the coupler kit is a little quicker as you only have to disconnect the lever end of the hose in order to lengthen it. Also, I do think it's worth using a torque wrench (with crows foot attachment) when tightening the master cylinder hose retaining bolt. The olive/barb combination needs the correct amount of compression so that it deforms enough to make a seal, but not so much that it gets damaged and then leaks. Achieving that torque by feel is difficult in my experience. I'm always surprised (when I use the torque wrench) at how much force it takes to achieve the correct torque on that retaining bolt.

[@markmartello]

I believe they're called "brake lines." Also, I put hydraulic brakes on my Jones bike that came with cable actuated disc brakes. I didn't have to remove the lines from both the calipers and the levers, just from the levers. That kept most of the brake fluid inside the lines and only introduced air into one end of the line. Its a lot easier to get the air out of the top than pushing it all the way through the line from the caliper up to the levers. Just my 2 cents.

[@mediumrick7667]

Thanks. Be interested to hear your impressions of hydros compared to quality cable brakes on the road/trail.

[@Pcbootleger1]

Always love watching your videos. From my observation it seems that either your B screw needs to be tightened on the rear derailleur or your chain is too long by a link.

[@antonskrobanek5291]

A Sour! Amazing! Love the brand.

[@dsa5394]

I have a weak hand and love my hydraulic disc brakes. I've bled the brakes once and felt it wasn't really needed. Just change the pads, and you're good again.

[@BobHume-SR]

You might want to try TRP Hy/RD calipers. They are cable actuated hydraulic calipers. The best of both worlds. They work quite well.

[@novation1000]

Good video....I just went through all that hydraulic brake install for the first time.. I found that you really need that barb press tool... a hammer wasn't working at all lol. My thumb hurts thinking about it.. buy the tool..

[@ttbmg]

He says, "This is actually as bad as I thought" lol... 😁 hydraulic brakes are awesome but the installation and maintenance is for sure a process. Awesome video 😎👌

[@Mike-de7wv]

Nice video - I love the way it accurately reflects the reality of bike work for most - workstand in the least-inappropriate room in the house, tools everywhere, hitches and cock-ups.. :p The only potential problem I noticed was air in the syringe during bleeding - it should be evacuated prior to fitting the syringe by holding it upright and pushing the plunger until only fluid comes out of the end, like doctors do on the telly.. if the brakes aren't great it's probably air in the system and should be sorted by bleeding again :)

[@johnwilliamson9453]

Every time I have to do a bleed, I have to re-learn the processs. The cheap bleed kits are pretty much junk, and I fight not buying a “pro” kit, so that has been my achilles heel. Thanks for the video!

[@markroberts6971]

Nolan has a good vid on chain length adjustment.

[@austinsp00l24]

I don't know why but this seems to be one of my favorite genres of video. I have cables on some bikes and hydros on others, I htink I prefer my cables for ease of adjustment.

[@trcsf334]

Great video! I have 5 bikes, all disc brakes and only one hydro, SRAM red system so I assume very good. I notice no difference in the braking power or modulation between that and the other 4 cable brake systems. I’ve been riding for 20 years and do 5,000-10,000 miles a year and do all of the work on my bikes, so not a novice. Hydro brakes are just another way for the bike industry to get you to spend more money. I applaud companies like Paul and Growtac that are still putting out great mechanical cable brakes and hope others follow suit because in my opinion hydro brakes are inferior. I’m not a racer and don’t do hard core downhill MTB, so maybe they are better there, but for the other 99% of us, I don’t think they make sense.

[@maximumschwa6993]

I’ve had some experiences with hydro brakes in freezing temperatures where, I think, the piston seals may have hardened a bit. The pistons/pads prematurely adjusted in giving a very short lever pull. Cable discs do need pad adjustments, but I never had an issue with them self over-adjusting.

[@Deedumdee]

That's a really pretty frame. Costs considerably more than I could afford for a whole bike and I'd never buy a frame without rear rack mounting points, but it's pretty all the same.

[@inthebush3]

Thanks for doing this as now I know what to do when my MT 200s eventually stop working....... Buy some Ztto cable operated hydros and install them🙂 I'm old and don't want to waste riding time.

[@jimk6862]

Great video thanks. I've found gravity bleeding hydraulic brakes to be simpler and more intuitive (no syringe needed)

[@ChrisCapoccia]

Good work. I saw the steps for messing around with hydraulics and decided just to let the bike shop do it

[@spektrumB]

My weekend -or-fun bike has hydraulic brakes, and my daily commute bike still uses cable disc brakes. Cable disc brakes are just easily to deal with and way more consistent.. No sticky pistons, no spongy lever feel because of air in the system like in an hydraulic system. Depends on usage, cable brakes are more than enough for daily commute and bike touring.

[@sammcclanahan3291]

In my experience my hydraulic brakes are 100% reliable. I have crashed a couple of times and had no problems with the brakes afterwards. They work and feel great. I would like to try some Growtac Equal brakes sometime

[@thecheshirecat5564]

Ah, there’s a tool to push the barb in… my desk wished I had known that, when I did that 😬 Big respect to try out some tech you’ve been very publicly not liking that much (it’s the first video of yours I watched, in fact). I’ll stick with the good ol’ cables, though :D

[@jonmarshall1502]

It’ll be interesting to see what you think of the brakes compared to your Klampers. Shimano hydraulic brakes are pretty simple to set up in my experience.

[@speedy1490]

Shimano got only one type of olives on all modern system soled. The hose inters/ "barbs" come in two standards. One for the "cheaper" BH-59 hosing is brass colored, the ones for the (stiffer) higher end BH-90 hosing (Deore, SLX, XT...) need the silver colored "barb". This is even explained in some Ali Express listings. But I would always buy original stuff. There still cheap and somewhat important for safety. Hope i could clear something up. Im a somewhat professionell Mechanic from Germany and always willing to answer quastions like that. The manufacturer manual also should help. Just get the Shimano Parts numbers for your Type of Brake Hose and be safe.

[@TheRickurb]

My E bike came with hydraulic brakes. I’m leaning towards switching them out to mechanical when something goes wrong with the existing ones.

[@TheRickurb]

Wheres your Silca ratchet set? I bought one of those years ago on your recommendation. I use it all the time.

[@pedalhead13]

Good on you for trying something new, at least in order to better understand what about it you don’t like. I’ve been working on both SRAM and Shimano hydraulics on my bikes xyz times, and it definitely stops being messy as soon as you have done it once and know what you can expect. And no, you do not need to take spare oil and bits on the ride. If you bled it well, you will need to do it again next to never, bar an accident that rips your hoses, which is also very tough to achieve.

[@AndyMcClements]

Cable brake user here, I genuinely learnt something, ta !

[@stevekelly6544]

I dig that silver dropper, hope it gets to production someday soon…

[@thomaskuhn6541]

When shortening the brake line I usually just disconnect the line at the lever, hold it cut end facing up so the brake fluid doesn't come out, cut to length and reinstall. If I'm lucky I can do all that and not have to do a brake bleed, or at worst a quick gravity bleed to get out any air trapped in the line. If you do a gravity bleed you just fill the funnel with fluid, attach a drain tube at the rear caliper and the fluid will flow down the line when you open the bolt. When you see it coming out of the drain tube you just tighten the bolt on the rear caliper. I'm sure I'm at least the 10th person to add his two cents worth on this.

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

I wasn’t shortening the line but swapping in a longer one.

[@derekhobbs1102]

My advise, if you're going to play with hydraulic brakes more often, buy a proper flare nut spanner, just makes things a bit easier and less likely to round the nut.

[@Bikey_McBeardface]

Not sure why you removed both ends of the hose for the rear? Although maybe it's an MTB thing. Usually on road groups only the caliper end comes attached, but yeah, it's far easier than people think. As for the barbs, hoses and olives, The BH90 hose is thicker walled and has a smaller inner diameter than the BH59, the barbs for those are silver, the olives are Identical. You can get a BH59 barb into a 90 hose, and it will be fine most of the time, but it makes a very tight fit and the olive won't go over the barbed end without some force this can lead to under/over tightening of the nut and I suppose you could split/damage the hose (but I've never seen it happen). In the opposite side, if you put a 90 in a 59 the fit may not be tight enough and lead to leeks. You are safe to replace BH90 with 59 (or vice versa) providing you use the correct barbs, but it can alter breaking performance 90 is more "firm" 59 more Spongy (slightly).

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

The original hose on the rear was too short so I replaced it with a brand new hose kit, hence had to take it off the caliper and the lever.

[@Bikey_McBeardface]

​@@PathLessPedaledTV Yeah sorry, I must have missed it on first watch, I was having an argument with the shifting on my Zwift/Trainer bike at the time, which turned out to be the cassette as well coincidently (dead 14t cog). I think the hardest thing about Hydro brakes is remembering the procedure and which one is needed for each brand/type. I gave up, printed them all out and put them in a folder along with the front mech' procedure for Shimano "shadow" type, as that won't stay in my brain either 🤣

[@db_cooper3941]

I installed the same brake set and was worried I didn’t bleed completely as braking seemed poor. After tinkering I figured out adjusting brake lever throw drastically improved braking power and bleeding process was fine.

[@mmpolverefango9578]

Is it possible to know the name of the manufacturer of the beautiful seat post prototype? Tks!

[@mmpolverefango9578]

Oh..one of a my favorite bike ever, a very dream bike!😍

[@johndef5075]

Shimano hydraulic brakes are extremely easy to bleed. I was very hesitant to even try but Ive done it 4 times now and its really pretty simple.

[@johnmaheu4037]

If I am building the frame up I prefer cable disc brakes. Easy to setup, maintain and transfer to another bike in the future.

[@ahenrytheninth]

Old school xt/Xtr v rim clamps 20k miles, Cool stop pads. can lock them up in mud. lighter with little maintenence

[@NewtOrelands]

EZ-MTB makes the Best Bleed Kits and the TOPRE cutter/barb install is more than adequate