How to Bleed Hydraulic Brakes - Shimano® Flat Bar Levers

Рет қаралды 792,090

Күн бұрын

This video will go over how to bleed Shimano® hydraulic disc brakes featuring flat bar levers using the Park Tool BKM-1 Brake Bleed Kit.
Questions or comments? Leave them below!
For Shimano® Hydraulic disc brakes with drop bar levers, see: • How to Bleed Hydraulic...
For a text-based version of this procedure, see: www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/r...
See all our disc brake videos in our Disc Brakes Repair Help playlist ▶︎ • Repair Help: Disc Brakes
Video contents:
00:00 Preliminary Info
02:00 Bicycle Prep
04:20 Bleed Kit Prep
04:57 Bleed
06:25 Bleed Kit Prep - Spent Fluid Container
07:04 Bleed
08:52 Burp the Brake
09:37 Reset Bicycle
10:45 Clean Kit
➤ Tools & materials used:
BKM-1 Hydraulic Brake Kt - Mineral - www.parktool.com/product/hydr...
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➤ About Park Tool:
Since our founding in 1963, Park Tool has been the leading name in bicycle tools. Our KZfaq channel is an extension of our mission to be the ultimate resource for mechanics and riders of all skill levels. Here you will find comprehensive repair help tutorials for a wide range of components and processes, as well as troubleshooting guides, tips and tricks, and information on the latest Park Tool products.
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Пікірлер: 430

@jakedaonlysnake 22 күн бұрын

I counted at least 4 steps that no other brake bleed tutorials I've seen on yt have included (doing the 42 degree angle, flicking the brake line, applying brake pressure and doing the quick open/close thing, burping the brake... etc). I definitely prefer this type of tutorial versus the "good enough" kind.

@lazerblade75 3 жыл бұрын

Simple and easy to follow. Takes the mystery and expense out of bike maintenance. I can do it I can learn a new skill I can save money I can justify buying more tools

@onegrapefruitlover 2 жыл бұрын

Same here, although I’m not sure about having saved money. I spent like $700 worth of tools to save around $50 at my local bike shop. Admittedly, those tools will continue to save me money, but it will be at least 3 years of DIY servicing until I break even 😅

@Mylity66 Жыл бұрын

@@onegrapefruitlover you don't need $700 worth of tools, you need the tools you use for your bike/s I have around $100 worth of tools they all fit in a box and I can take apart and service everything on my bike, often, on other people's bikes as well. If you don't have an air fork, you don't need a shock pump, for example.

@vitoscaletta3511 3 жыл бұрын

You have me convinced to just goto the bike shop

@bremsstrahlung2306 3 жыл бұрын

Loool 😆

@PhilosophicalPawn 3 жыл бұрын

I bought a kit and now I regret buying the kit.

@PhilosophicalPawn 3 жыл бұрын

Just took my bike into a REI and they got it done for just a little more than what the kit was worth. Yeah, I will never bleed my own brakes again.

@malykemmanuel5556 3 жыл бұрын

This is why i still stick to mechanical cuz its easier

@kartboarder22g17 3 жыл бұрын

I work on cars and this just seems like too much, imagine tilt the car at a 30 degree angle. Remove the caliper to bleed it. lol

@briangarner 4 жыл бұрын

This is by far the best instructional brake bleed video I have ever seen. Bravo guys!!

@canofrockstar 3 жыл бұрын

I swear this channel has the most thorough instructions, everything else is just down to individual technical skill + experience.

@josereneducharme142 4 жыл бұрын

The serynge holder is the unsung hero of the bleeding procedure.

@gboyspeed 3 жыл бұрын

Any flashlight holder will do same job

@starballs2009 3 жыл бұрын

Or zip tie

@smallhatshatethetruth7933 3 жыл бұрын

@@starballs2009 Velcro straps are good for temp situations. Come in handy to keep lever pressed when needed too

@starballs2009 3 жыл бұрын

@@smallhatshatethetruth7933 yeah velcro is definitely better than a zip tie but both will work fine even for pressing the lever

@TheGotoGeek 3 жыл бұрын

Toe straps. They’re great for all sorts of things besides strapping your toes.

@ketansaart1546 4 жыл бұрын

I see skilled senior with humble vocabulary and moustache, I susbscribed instantly😎

@wammo12345 4 жыл бұрын

That senior is Calvin, he is a Park Tools legend, author, mechanic trainer, total expert.

@ketansaart1546 4 жыл бұрын

@@wammo12345 Very awesome 🙂

@bznbrian 3 жыл бұрын

Senior? Calvin is 27 years old!

@xylerkajiyama7544 3 жыл бұрын

Respecto boomero

@simonmeredith1612 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Luke you have to do it for you in your room I have

@OnlyDans848 Жыл бұрын

Lots of people (including myself) miss the point where you put a strap on the lever then open and close the bleed port. This is vital for a firm lever! If you miss this point you'll have a brake with no air but not enough fluid and pressure to give a firm feel.

@molley17 Жыл бұрын

thank you! I've got no air bubbles left in my system but cant get my brakes to feel firm going to try this.

@OnlyDans848 Жыл бұрын

@@molley17 cool! How do they feel?

@bznbrian 3 жыл бұрын

I want this guy to live in my garage!

@jaspreetsidhu5708 3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a kidnapping scenario.

@joshuapieterse1145 3 жыл бұрын

Don't forget to ask to bring the tools as well

@fergusdonaghy3124 3 жыл бұрын

I'd sleep with Calvin

@bznbrian 3 жыл бұрын

@@fergusdonaghy3124 Calvin is a Shaolin Monk and swore an oath of celibacy. Sorry to disappoint.

@BikeIsLife4EverGG 3 жыл бұрын

a lot bullshit in this video. compare only what is indicated in the shimano videos

@AlexKost-tq6bj 7 ай бұрын

Best brake bleed video on youtube. I've watched a bunch and this is clear, crisp, to the point, professional, and with some great detail on stuff that other videos skim over. Thank you!!

@tablatom 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant, thanks for making this process so so clear for a beginner.

@chrisjohnson5717 Жыл бұрын

Couldn't ask for a more perfect explanation, thanks!

@wjeurs 3 ай бұрын

Love the in depth. Done it so many times now but watch this instruction everytime again

@Samsonmetaphysical 4 жыл бұрын

Please don't be intimidated by there being so many steps in this bleeding process. It's a lot easier than it looks, get those hands dirty.

@G-man45444 4 жыл бұрын

Gotta be honest bro.... this is intimidating. I just got my first downhiller with hydro brakes and have never serviced hyydros.... 30+ years of mountain riding and I’ve always had rimmy’s for brakes .... wayyyyy more easy to maintain but hydro discs are the sh*t !

@consuminglight 3 жыл бұрын

Found this one first, felt a bit intimidated due to seemingly many steps. Followed the Mountain bike global network one.. straight to the point and into the action. Very easy.

@kiloindia9798 3 жыл бұрын

@@oneangryme I agree that most of the time this is more than needed, but I'm really happy to have the extra steps laid out. I do my wrenching at 140 ft above sea level. My local rides max out at a few hundred feet, and I don't use the brakes for more than a few minutes at a time, but sometimes ride at 8- 10,000 ft. Brakes that work fine in the desert sometimes get quite dodgy when I get to Telluride, Durango or Big Bear without the extra attention to detail.

@karenehrhardt8423 2 жыл бұрын

It is true that not all these steps are needed all the time, but they assure a better bleed - especially if you are having trouble with the Shimano wandering bite point problem.

@JasperJanssen Жыл бұрын

I mean, it’s basically a fairly simple process - first push clean oil from bottom to top, then push clean oil through again from top to bottom while removing all the air.

@swerv512 9 ай бұрын

OMG. I actually did it and it works great. I couldn't believe it. Best video tutorial ever!

@Dylan_Draper 2 жыл бұрын

Just followed this process for the rear brake on my Giant Anthem, as it was feeling very spongy, and it worked like a charm! This was very clean compared to other methods I’ve done in the past too!

@ddragic1 10 ай бұрын

Yup, me too. Previously, I followed a different video and never got that firm feel. Just did front and back on my Anthem Advanced following this video exactly and my brakes are perfect for once!

@Lil_tylenol Жыл бұрын

Yeh this was a awesome explanation and by far the best directional video that is done in a very easy to understand tutorial!

@declanjoyce8640 3 жыл бұрын

Perfectly demonstrated...thank you

@jackharry1646 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your excellent videos they’re all so informative.

@AC-sr3pb 8 ай бұрын

Very good and helpful vid. Easy to follow once you get going. Just finished doing a full bleed. Old oil was SO dirty.

@alexmalone1642 3 жыл бұрын

Respect for u sir! U are profesional mechanic😎

@pacosenderos 3 жыл бұрын

Excelente video, muy buen kit de sangrado como todas las herramientas Park Tool. Greetings from Spain

@dude0fhazard359 Жыл бұрын

Very good instructions! Thanks for the service and comprehensive video!

@user-cx2bk6pm2f Жыл бұрын

As always, a fantastic education.

@msteiny 2 жыл бұрын

it's a year since this video dropped, and ya'll just save me a $100 visit to the bike shop. Thank you Calvin & Truman for these amazing video how-to's.

@kaltonian Жыл бұрын

brilliant Kelvin, you are a park tool god m8, i have been thinking about doing this for a couple of weeks now but my mtb is pretty new & not had much riding done on it, also wondered if bleeding would be the same as a car, either way so glad that this video is out there, thanks kelvin,

@davidryder3374 2 жыл бұрын

Bicycle tool companies must have the record for the number of bespoke specialty tools required to do any kind of maintenance.

@TorontoPopulistConservative 2 жыл бұрын

And they always cost a whole lot more than viable off the shelf alternatives. Bike tool companies make Macgyvers out of us cheap wrenchers. My bottom bracket needs a pin spanner and I'm so close to just trying out a fork with some bent tines.

@JoshuaTootell 3 ай бұрын

Y'all are definitely not mechanics 😂

@sudisha2009 3 жыл бұрын

very informative. Thanks. I look forward to bleed my breaks when its a time...

@marcelsantisteban5087 4 жыл бұрын

Nice work,,,with all the tools and gadgets in the world

@FoyeTroute 4 жыл бұрын

Good looking bleed kit Calvin

@ingush1989 Жыл бұрын

Best tutorial on KZfaq

@bwg2020 3 жыл бұрын

PRO! I'm bringing all my brakes to Calvin after watching this vid.

@C9H0S 2 жыл бұрын

Lots of bleeding, Lever etc... 👍🏾🤠 Great jobs fallaz.

@bangtwister 2 жыл бұрын

Top quality video. Thanks!

@heymofo1981 4 жыл бұрын

bang on i was struggling to get that last bit of air out of the system with my shimanos and just tilting the bike and the resovior helped a lot, thanks

@danielbromley849 2 жыл бұрын

Can you do just this part first to see if it corrects the issues? Then do a full bleed later if brakes are still unresponsive?

@Adam-xo7cv 2 жыл бұрын

@@danielbromley849 Yes.

@TheDarkInstall 2 жыл бұрын

Calvin is the Jeff Cavalier of bike mechanics.

@sonnyfung5135 4 жыл бұрын

VERY PROFESSIONAL.

@cyzam 2 жыл бұрын

this is so professional

@MariusGiurgi 3 жыл бұрын

Wow.. this seems like a lot of fun :) I think I’d gladly pay someone to do this for me.

@fergusdonaghy3124 3 жыл бұрын

That's why he has 513k subscribers

@markusschaffer9712 Жыл бұрын

Great video,great mechanic and an awesome’stache!

@ed0078 4 жыл бұрын

Great video

@PhazonSouffle Жыл бұрын

Much more in depth than the GCN guide on this subject.

@alexmalone1642 3 жыл бұрын

Greetings from Bucharest România 🇧🇪

@kusumakusuma9548 2 жыл бұрын

Hey dude, just saw your clips on de- airing hydraulic brakes. I got a good laugh. Wasting of time and money. I have been doing major brake service for trucks and cars. I just did my brakes for my Cannondale. Just top up from the top and release from the bleeder below. That's it. Less then 3 minutes. The lines are packed and good to go.

@andywhitby8198 Жыл бұрын

Anyone else caught out by "bring the lever away from the grip as far as it will go"? Turns out my lever fully detaches! And it feels very difficult to reattach. Yet to resolve, but hopefully I can work out what to do soon. As with everyone else, otherwise immensely grateful for this and all of your videos!

@Crand0m Жыл бұрын

Happened to me; luckily it was only a couple of mins of finagling to get it screwed back in (had to squeeze the brake a bit and screw it at the same time).

@fardinahmed5562 3 жыл бұрын

Nice work

@boejoss Жыл бұрын

Great video thank you

@jamesr5741 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant!

@bagherbay5866 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a million

@communist-hippie 28 күн бұрын

Best tutorial

@alexmalone1642 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for Bucharest România 😇

@kcyclopoints 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@vipunladva4309 3 жыл бұрын

A clear cup! Simple yet genius! 😂

@zeyshaanrafiq 2 жыл бұрын

What an amazing video, n here's me thinking I know how to bleed brakes adequately! Fantastic covered everything, so easy to follow

@chazpokestock8915 Жыл бұрын

Probably the longest, most pain in the ass bleed procedure ever...

@donaldfranklin5391 3 жыл бұрын

Asome video

@bobhopeandnohope300 4 жыл бұрын

Minor thing but I'd resist putting the lever bled port in the same pot as the pads. Lessen the chances of contamination.

@ghilbid 4 жыл бұрын

Although a very thorough educational video, this is a tedious process and for someone like me who would be doing this once a year, the probability of meeting an accident is quite high. Therefore, I'd let the mechanic at the bike dealership do it for me who probably bleeds ten brakes in a day and, hence, has good muscle memory for the job. But I will be watching him do it and make him follow the procedures in this video.

@michak9265 4 жыл бұрын

@@ghilbid I highly doubt he would do that like in this video... He will likely just push the fluid from the bottom and that's it.

@dmarsh15 2 жыл бұрын

I came here to say this

@PeterMisovicProfile 8 ай бұрын

Great thanks!

@alexmalone1642 3 жыл бұрын

Very clever 😇

@CJ-zk1kl 3 жыл бұрын

Very thorough but I'll have to watch a couple of times. A lot of sequences. I do not have disc brakes thankfully.

@rolannandlal4369 3 жыл бұрын

He's the best

@ritchierich66 2 жыл бұрын

Great video I just scored the BKM bleed kit Thanks

@damp_squid Жыл бұрын

Kit paid for itself after two bikes. I'll be doing this every spring. Got the process down to 15 min. My favorite feature of the kit is the stop plunger. Though make sure to pull it out before pushing fluid up from the caliper, launched the plug across the garage lol

@SoulSkis 5 ай бұрын

After doing the bleed I like to put a little positive pressure in the system with the syringe. I can adjust the travel of the lever before engagement this way. The Shimano adjustment at the lever doesn't do squat and I hate a lot of travel before the brakes engage and having to keep the levers so far from the bar.

@Onigure 4 жыл бұрын

I thought I had it rough with my road bike calipers. My condolences.

@alexmalone1642 3 жыл бұрын

Il profesore 👍

@TimTigerMix Жыл бұрын

Love all the Park Tool Videos! Greetings from Germany where we love precise engineering-Instructions! I do have one question: I have Shimano SLX M7100 brakes. After the whole process, my front brake lever is responding super directly/sharp as I prefer it to do so. My lever for the rear brake is responding slightly softer. I read a few times that this is very often the case, that rear brake lever is always a bit softer when braking. Is that true? Or is it more likely that there is somewhere still some air bubbles hidden. The only "mistake" that i can come up with is, that my bledding nipple was facing to the ground when I did the part with quickly opening and closing the bleed nipple while a strap is pulling the lever. But the syringe was facing upward just like in the video. Might this have been a factor, why the rear lever reacts minimal softer/less sharp After the whole process? Thanks in advance!

@gregknipe8772 3 жыл бұрын

brahhhp! thank you!

@mtblover 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant! Thanks!

@davidb2697 3 жыл бұрын

Certain lever set screws / bite point adjustment screws, when set to their maximum extent, close the hydraulic system. Find the max point as described at 2:04, then reverse a turn or two to be safe. Your shop floor will thank you.

@shanemurphy8792 Жыл бұрын

Omg you hero! I only wish I had seen this comment earlier. Could have saved me much frustration and mess! I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong having never bled brakes before. This solved my issue completely :)

@Crand0m Жыл бұрын

Me too! My god I was wondering why nothing would drain out the caliper, it took hours and mineral oil everywhere until I worked out it!

@pedrazzinig 2 жыл бұрын

Best video

@Gwimpin 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. I have been wondering why not to use syringe attached to the caliper to create little vacuum in the system and get oil from funnel at the lever to the caliper instead of just pushing the lever and opening bleed nipple?

@JasperJanssen Жыл бұрын

Because you already have the lever on that side as a pump. And because syringes don’t pull a vacuum very well and if they did it would cause bubbles, rather than bleeding them out.

@anttiharing 4 жыл бұрын

On 1:46 the brake is installed INCORRECTLY! There's a 160mm rotor but a +20mm adaptor for a 180mm rotor. The pads won't touch the rotor braking surface sufficiently if ridden like that!!

@xGodfreyy 3 жыл бұрын

What is wrong then?

@Sandriell 3 жыл бұрын

@@xGodfreyy The adapter should be left off. Or alternatively a 180mm rotor should be installed.

@fergusdonaghy3124 3 жыл бұрын

Don't diss Calvin

@Drago0900 3 жыл бұрын

After the bleed was done he left it out when he reinstalled the caliper

@ichewtoast111 3 жыл бұрын

I think they did that for demonstration purposes

@dcristian969 10 ай бұрын

In my humble opinion : too many tools and steps. The syringe's step of pushing oil from caliper to oil funnel could be skipped as long as the next step is gravity bleeding when you get rid of any dirty oil in that plastic bag. And I dare say it is easier to remove dirty oil at the lowest point and not the other way round. However, very informative! So thank you for your efforts

@righteousone8454 3 жыл бұрын

This right there is why you should take the bike to a local bike shop. Yes, sir.

@simonm1447 3 жыл бұрын

This is just a bike, no a car with ABS systems (even there the brake fluid can be changed at home)

@dylan-5287 3 жыл бұрын

Honestly while this is a great video, it's over complicated. I could see doing this if you can't get the normal version to work. Lookup the shorter shimano bleed videos, one of Santa Cruz's race mechanics has a famous one. It's way easier than this and almost always works. But for a total technical process, park went through literally everything.

@philippecardin1109 4 ай бұрын

When the caliper work is done, do you put back the brake pads and the front wheel right away or after finalizing the lever work?

@marcoottaviano527 3 ай бұрын

Thank you, this video has been extremely helpful in convincing me not to get hydraulic brakes.

@polingification 7 ай бұрын

Good video, very helpful. Got quite lot messier at my first try today 😂 But it worked well. What i dont get,m why bleeding twice??

@braddo1972 2 жыл бұрын

Not sure why but you complicated the process

@Chance57 2 жыл бұрын

You are unsure? Did you happen to go to the manufacturer's website and read there version of the process? It is exactly as described here. Step 5 on and everything. He's not complicating it, he's following the manufacturer's directions. We could get away with it without doing a gravity bleed, but when you're a major company like Park tool putting a video up about how to, it's best not to contradict the manufacturer.

@calypso2niner 4 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial, thank you! Question: Why is the funnel adapter purple and not Park Tool Blue?

@lincolntrains2639 4 жыл бұрын

I think it is because there is multiple funnel adapters as it is a universal bleed kit so they are colour coded

@izzy29413 3 жыл бұрын

Me after watching this DIY video: Yes hello. When’s your next available appointment?

@anayman7 Жыл бұрын

I bleeded my brakes yesterday before watching this, most videos just speak about pushing oil from bottom to top only, which will end up you having spongy and weak brakes, the steps of pushing again from top to bottom, pressing and quickly opening/closing couple of times, adjusting 30 degrees other side to get all bubbles, etc, today's evening I will try to fix my brakes again, wish me luck :D Note: I am also suffering from a case where 1 piston is extending more than the other one, not sure why, I cleaned and lubed them but still there 1 piston that is popping out more than another one

@dashofawesome64 11 ай бұрын

To really fix it then remove the pistons check how they look and maybe replace the sealing rings

@xichael 24 күн бұрын

Are we supposed to do the bottom to top bleed (step 4) and the top to bottom bleed (step 6), or are those intended for 2 different systems? In other videos I see people doing one type of bleed or the other, then going to the brake burping step. This video seems to suggest that we need to do both... is that correct?

@clownworld3107 2 жыл бұрын

That was a rocket science

@simonm1447 2 жыл бұрын

Shimano also has a good manual for this procedure, the video looks more complicated (since it covers different brake types) than it actually is. Hydraulic brakes using mineral oil (no Dot4) don't need bleeding really often, Dot 4 mixes with water (from humidity) over time but mineral oil mixes only marginally with water and can be left in the brake for years. Since it's normally a closed system you typically don't get air in as long as you don't disconnect brake hoses. Especially simpler models like the MT200 are also simple to bleed, they adjust the play of the pads by themself and if the pads are worn you just have to push the piston back (for example with a screw driver between the worn pads) and put new pads in.

@foodmore 4 жыл бұрын

Do a video for Magura brakes!

@parktool 4 жыл бұрын

Coming soon!

@galehess6676 2 жыл бұрын

8:57 burp emoji and noise are pretty gnar

@faisalmahmood1908 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, this is so much more work than my mechanical disks :(. Buying a new bike so going to have to put up with this I guess.

@simonm1447 3 жыл бұрын

The mineral oil can be left in the system relatively long, it don't get contaminated with water like Dot 4 in cars.

@florianohl4035 3 жыл бұрын

Or just buy a sram brake and save yourself like half the steps. I now have shimano and i just realized ill just let the mechanic bleed the shimanos.

@faisalmahmood1908 3 жыл бұрын

@@florianohl4035 too late lol

@danman5074 4 жыл бұрын

Once flushed all new fluid in theres no reason to use waste bag. It's better to use a hose attached to syringe with top off to flush air out of caliper. As this allows drainage hose to stay submerged. This will prevent any air from back traveling into caliper and cleaning of a waste bag!

@toms1946 10 ай бұрын

I've got a question. Watched quite a few vids on this and nobody mentioned bringing the lever outwards. What is the reason for this ? Trapped air ?

@avengers4ever888 5 күн бұрын

Do you think you can use normal mineral oil that you can get at the store?

@lopon12 3 жыл бұрын

What about the free stroke screw?

@vlbz Жыл бұрын

This is the most ridiculous bleed process. At a point I expected a rain dance or something to be part of it. It did work perfectly. Thanks for the video.

@adammacer Жыл бұрын

No kidding - having learned to bleed car brakes as a kid, then had Hope Mono Mini's on my last bike of 20 years, imagine my surprise when I switched my Fargo to flat bars, chose BL-M6000 brakes, then found out what a BS system Shimano have come up with, presumably just so they can sell more bits of plastic crap.. Regretting my choice now..

@skepticalmechanic 4 жыл бұрын

wow what a PIA!

@LeadingAbilityTrading-nz6kp 11 ай бұрын

Hi all, i have LT-Woo system and my rear caller is faulty, i would like a recomendation on what shimano system can i place, need rear hydraulic brake set plug and play for less than R1000. Thanks