TRP Tech Talks - Mountain Bike Bleed Procedure for TRP and Tektro Brakes

[@forty-second]

this is by far the most detailed guide, enabling almost any biker to be able to bleed hydraulics on our own. Thanks TRP!

[@VinnyHotsauce]

These bleed so much easier than my old SRAM Code R brakes. The video is well detailed and I love how comments aren't disabled. I wish every manufacturer was this good.

[@Smegma_pirate]

Thanks guise.. the lever purge is clutch for all the brakes I’ve bled since I found this video.. no mush no squoosh just rock solid

[@gravitygabri3l]

Way easier to bleed than a Hope or Shimano system. Ill be purchasing a set for sure! Plus they have excellent customer service! TRP also sells small parts for the lever unlike Shimano. Wish they would sell seal kits for their calipers though.

[@trollingthunder152]

you can see fluid leaking from the bleed port on the caliper when the fluid is being pushed in from the syringe. While bleeding my rear brake, that connection was allowing air into the system and i was constantly getting air bubbles running through the system. The syringe and caliper do not create an air tight seal.

[@86309]

agree, the ring seal on the screw in fitting for the syring to caliper junction is not good at all. very frustrating.

[@georgiaguardian4696]

Great guide helping me to work on a 2019 SPECIALIZED CROSSTRAIL ELITE CARBON!

[@Argbeil]

Is this a bike?

[@SuburbanSurron]

my rear brake line snapped off (i clearly didn't install it right the first time) and lost so much oil while riding but thank you guys so much for this video so i can finally ride again. bike shop wanted to hold my bike for 2 WEEKS to bleed the damn brakes, i figured i'll just learn something new

[@RC-fp1tl]

How did it snap off? Just curious so i don’t end up doing something wrong. Thanks!

[@SuburbanSurron]

@@RC-fp1tl guess I didn’t push the line into the master enough and the pressure just made it pop off

[@dawnpoint]

Been a mechanic for several years, and for the life of me I cannot get a proper bleed using that lever cup. The levers always go soft when the bike is flipped upright. I have to use a second syringe to pull vacuum in the lever and I ALWAYS get tons more air out that way. Then the levers don’t go soft in the vertical test. Only way I’ve ever been able to get them to pass that test.

[@panhandlemtb4308]

So I love these brakes but have had nightmares bleeding them. I actually sent the rear back to trp and they pressure test it. Put a new hose on it and sent it back. Trp is great!! Anyway, I hooked it up and did a lever purge and its still a sponge factory!!! This has been an ongoing battle for me. I am going to go home and use a syringe at both ends and see if it helps. My front dhr works magically but ever since I bent a rotor on the rear, its never been the same. The bite point is all over and then once I think ive finally fixed it, its back to the sponge factory hahaa

[@dawnpoint]

@@panhandlemtb4308 Bleed it with the funnel and then use a syringe on just the lever to vacuum air out of the top of the system. It's worked for me every single time now.

[@panhandlemtb4308]

@@dawnpoint when you say use the syringe on just the lever, what is going on during this at the caliper end? Do you push the fluid through from the lever to an empty syringe at the caliper?

[@dawnpoint]

@@panhandlemtb4308 No, the caliper is closed. Just attached a fluid-filled syringe at the lever and gently pull on the plunger. It'll get tons of air out.

[@panhandlemtb4308]

@@dawnpointI hooked a syringe with fluid on the lever and a few little bubbles did come out right away but then that was it. It feels a little better but still not like my front brake. Curious, when I bled then like in the video, the pistons had some wiggle room. Should they be tight to the 9.9mm bleed block or not? Mine definitely have a bit of wiggle room.

[@chrissymmank774]

Great Video! Any notes on bleeding the Auriga Twin brakes?

[@mrkeopele]

thank you, i was having trouble..i have a super deluxe bleed kit and it is necessary on these brakes!!! syringe, cup, bottle, fittings, hoses, pinch clamp,

[@sPGgwUxYrSd7Cf5H]

I like my TRP brakes, they feel great and perform well. That being said, I think they could have been designed better for a cleaner bleed process. Shimano’s newest brake design takes the trophy in ease of bleeding especially with the relocation of the bleed nipple distal to the brake line. In my experience with the TRP brakes, the bleed ports leak oil when you are replacing the t15 bolts/installing the bleed nipple. This drains oil from the system and introduces air it also makes a mess. That being said, when you do bleed these brakes you are not left with the spongy feeling I have experienced with many older shimano designs.

[@mrkeopele]

I'm retired, and just learning this bleed procedure, got a great kit, has a lot of accessories, I did a cup on top pull down with syringe no bubble bleed and NO LEVER AT ALL, so i find this video and I'll attempt everything he is saying! any tips from you? My brakes say Tektro Dorado E23, 4 piston caliper.

[@timmallard5360]

I like the bleed cup! Nicely done!

[@vailguy99]

Great video @trpcycling, just curious as to the thickness of the bleed block?

[@TRPcomponents]

The thickness of the bleed block is 9.9mm.

[@Alistair_Spence]

Would this method apply to your Trail EVO, and DHR EVO brakes too? Thanks.

[@alejandrolemmo]

Hi, I liked the video, very nice. I just got a new pair of G-spec slates, I was wondering if there is a method particular to these to shorten the hoses and bleed the system, since I did not find a lot of info about it.

[@TRPcomponents]

We just uploaded a new video that might help! Check out the new"EZ Plug MTB Brake Installation Video"

[@rustyshackleford3915]

Nicely done video. I was referred to this video by a Tektro customer service rep and while I like the reverse pull to insure bubbles are remove, I'm doubtful that this will solve my problem, which is: the pads on my Auriga WS caliper do not seem to auto adjust as the pads wear i.e., the pads/pistons, completely retract back into the caliper. This creates significant lever travel to make the pads contact the roter. The front system doesn't do this and both pads and rotor and very new (about 2.5mm of pad material remaining). Does this sound like a bubble issue in the line?

[@derboy7585]

I have the same - how you ended up?

[@rustyshackleford3915]

@@derboy7585 I ended up making a shim out of very thin aluminum sheet metal. That worked fine, but finally got around to doing a better job of bleeding the rear caliper (make the bike front higher than the rear). But for whatever reason, it still feels like a poorly designed brake system compared to motorcycles and cars which have simple valve you crack open while pressing the brake pedal or lever.

[@marcopaula1539]

Goodnight! There is no Slate T4 repair in the Brazilian market, how do I acquire it?

[@45graham45]

Are there any seals on the bleed port plugs? I've read that these brakes have issues with the bleed port plugs leaking oil.

[@rhyshaynes9660]

I've got some really old fluid in and get lots of brake fade on the T4s will this completely replace the fluid it's seems like you draw old stuff back in somewhat?

[@TRPcomponents]

Yes, this will replace all the fluid in the line. You'll push a near full syringe of oil from the caliper up to the bleed cup to do so.

[@rhyshaynes9660]

@@TRPcomponents Awesome thanks for quick reply

[@jahveli]

I recently purchased the advanced bleed kit so I can bleed my G-spec trail S brakes. The bleed block doesn’t fit. Should I be using a difference size block? Can I still bleed them without it? Thanks.

[@TRPcomponents]

Did you press the pistons back into the caliper first? You can also use something solid (like a few quarters) to take place of the bleed block.

[@lewisskids230]

With these brakes, is there a lot of lever movement to have the brake fully on? Or is minimal? I'm a rider who doesn't like very move lever movement and am trying to find some good brakes to run

[@TRPcomponents]

If you run the lever blades a little further out, you can get the system to have almost no lever travel before the pads start engaging. The brakes are linear in terms of power.

[@SoulSkis]

These have a lot of lever travel before engagement. I hate it. You have to run the levers fairly far from the bar or you they will pull to the bar. My Shimanos were like this too and the stroke adjustment did very little. I've been fiddling with these for quite awhile trying to get them dialed and so far I am disappointed.

[@oscarpos]

What you do whit the rest of the oil you save or Throwaway

[@45graham45]

Will a Shimano bleed cup fit thesae brakes?

[@jeffmccall5760]

can you mix the pink and green mineral oil? Is there a difference?

[@wolfganghaberl3092]

What's the correct torque spec for the "caliper bleed plug"? The manual on your homepage (which is still only available for HD-M841 / non-Evo) suggests 0.3 - 0.5 Nm which seems extremely low for an air/oil tight seal. Included with my set of DH-R Evos (HD-M846) was just the manual for the Quadiem which calls for 6-8 Nm for the caliper bleed valve?? What is the correct value?

[@TRPcomponents]

The bleed port plug at the lever side of the brake would be torque value of 0.3- 0.5 Nm . The T15 caliper bleed port plug would be 2-4 Nm (confirmed with our factory). The 6-8 Nm refers to our old bleed port "valve" which was a different design than current "plug".

[@cadehampt]

Hi, I bled my brakes and it seems like only one side of my pistons are pushing in. What would cause this?

[@TRPcomponents]

Sounds like it could be air behind the pistons, contact our service team at [e-mail] form further assistance.

[@MrPoonis]

Sick video and instructional! Terrible song choice! It sounds like someone is killing a parrot every 10 seconds lol.

[@michaeldally6396]

Hello there, Just a quick question about the Bleed funnel, on the website it says it's compatible with most brakes series but not with the Slate series however you can get a Slate Bleed fitting adapter so you can use it for the Slates, I was just wondering where I can find that adapter as I've scoured the website and cannot find it, is it including in a bleed kit or where would I find this? Thanks

[@mrkeopele]

TOOPRE kit is very full of adapters and fittings

[@dave1343]

nice video but I have problem with my G spec Quadiem, my rear brake not working they are spongy and It's very bad to work when I press the lever the rear disk slides, but I make bleeding and everything from video

[@TRPcomponents]

Hi there, thank you for commenting with this issue. Please contact our customer service team at [e-mail] or (801)-648-7079 and they can assist you further.

[@Flutiedb]

I bought the advanced bleed kit that says it has everything I would need. so now I need to get the cup too? or is the video outdated?

[@TRPcomponents]

Unfortunately the advanced bleed kit does not currently come with the bleed cup. You can use the other syringe without the plunger to achieve the same effect as the cup.

[@AimbikeGresik]

Brake TRP slate T4 satu clamp dengan shifter SRAM GX... Apakah bisa..?

[@TRPcomponents]

Yes! Check out the HD3.3 Adapter here: trpcycling.com/product/shift-lever-adapters/

[@russbowerschannel449]

thank you

[@SoulSkis]

Why no way to close off the bleed port on the caliper? Sounds like a horrible idea.

[@RobbieLogan707]

It didn’t work my brake lever still touches the handlebars

[@TRPcomponents]

What kind of fluid are you using?

[@RobbieLogan707]

The big bottle for all trp and tektro brakes

[@RobbieLogan707]

@@TRPcomponentsthese are the 4th trp brake I’ve installed/ bled and this is the first time I’ve ever had this issue i just got the brakes and thought it was weird they didn’t come pre bled could it be an issue with the lever

[@bdubs1967]

Good video. Still applies to new EVO trail and slate. One request though....can you guys stop using TORX screws? They're the worst.

[@bosun120]

Anything different (bike position, etc.) that needs to be done for rear brake bleed procedure? This video from Park Tool seems to suggest the entire frame needs to be tilted almost vertically to sit on the stand, so the bar levers are directly above the calipers: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXfPqXWVZ69-n8U Thanks for the video instructions!

[@TRPcomponents]

Great question! It will definitely have a positive impact on your bleed if your frame is tilted up like the park tool video. The reason this is being done is because it positions your caliper as the lowest point and your lever reservoir as the highest point, allowing air to naturally flow up and out of the system much easier. You can still achieve a solid bleed without tilting the bike, but you might be doing the back flow one or two more times before the system is fully purged from air. In the end, best practice will be to tilt the bike. Hope this helps!

[@86309]

a clear cup wold make more sense.....

[@SoulSkis]

They are available in other kits. A must have in my opinion.

[@86309]

@@SoulSkis agree, just no reason why brake companies you make solid colors,. they know better

[@DirtTrailGuy]

Please lower or ditch the music. Thanks

[@jonandrews6839]

Insanely complex and illogical way to bleed brakes. I don't take the wheels and discs off my car to bleed them. I fill the brake reservoir then use a mighty vac hand tool to draw it through. Makes no sense to have to take wheels and pads off. Never seen a process to push fluid UP from the caliper. Crazy.

[@n8s59]

It's only "complex and illogical" if your braindead.

[@TRPcomponents]

Hi Jon, thank you for sharing your thoughts on our video, we really appreciate it. I hope you know there are quite a few differences between a car and a bicycle meaning, how you bleed brakes on an automobile doesn't quite apply in the same way to a product that has been designed for an entirely different application. Given the way the channels have been cut in our caliper and the natural gravitational rise of air, it is much more effective to bleed our brakes from the caliper up, and then use the natural movement of the master cylinder as a back flow to ensure any emulsified air has been purged from the system. We also like to remove the wheel and pads and insert a bleed block to prevent contamination of either surface with mineral oil, which does make a lot of sense, if you have ever felt a contaminated brake. If you have any other questions about the reason behind all of these "complex and illogical" procedures, don't hesitate to give us a call at (801)-648-7079 and we would be happy to explain.

[@VinnyHotsauce]

You clearly don't know what you're talking about. Have you ever bled brakes on a bicycle before?

[@bccal5982]

Troll

[@scottmeyer748]

My guess is you drive single in the carpool lane and don't signal to let others know what the hell you're doing. Just a guess based on your system of bleeding brakes.