Bleeding hydraulic brakes after 1 year - worthwhile?

[Binaural]

I've got a 1yo Canyon set up with Guide R brakes. The lever feel has always been a little spongy for my taste and I am wondering if it's worth bleeding them after just 1 year - are factory bleeds commonly of poorer quality? In the past I've had excellent results bleeding factory Shimano brakes, and really bad ones bleeding Avid brakes, so overall I am unsure if it's worth the time and money.

On a related note - how often do you all bleed your brakes? Yearly, every X years, never?

 

[Minlak]

Hopes:- Bleed them yearly
Shimano:- Bleed them yearly
Never cause I felt I had just once a year I do a full service bearing change etc.
Sram:- Bleed them 3 times in a day about every 3 weeks.

 

[Calvin27]

Shimano - about 12 months between bleeds. Mostly pre-emptive. Anything from XT to Deore (and the one below it)
SRAM - about 4 times a year. No idea about guides, but had avid since juicy and avid times.

 

[JTmofo]

I've got Guide RS on my Canyon. I've bled them twice in 12 months. They needed the bleed both times. I have a bleed kit, which is well worth the one off $$ outlay.

I do it as part of a major service (cables/grease bearings etc).

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[Flow-Rider]

Dot brake fluid needs to be flushed at least once a year as it absorbs moisture. If you flush them more often the brake system will last longer, corrosion builds up inside the piston bore areas and shortens the life of the seals.

 

[schred]

What he said. You can of course do it less frequently but then dont complain when the brakes aren't 100% down the track. Dot fluid also changes colour as a visual indicator it needs replacing, but you can't see the fluid in an MTB system so it's better to be preventative imo. Option b is they are SRAM - sell or 3pointer to nearest bin.

 

[JTmofo]

What he said. You can of course do it less frequently but then dont complain when the brakes aren't 100% down the track. Dot fluid also changes colour as a visual indicator it needs replacing, but you can't see the fluid in an MTB system so it's better to be preventative imo. Option b is they are SRAM - sell or 3pointer to nearest bin.

Send me your Guides rather than throwing them in the bin!!!!
I love my Guides (with sintered pads), better brakes than many out there if maintained properly.

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[ozzybmx]

Was a Hope fanboi for years and still have quite a few sets, but nothing in the last few years have beaten Shimano for power and price.

Reckon I gave SRAM up after my Juicy 3 and Juicy Ultimate fails... they should stick to making drivetrains.

 

[BT180]

Had my RSCs for 20 months and they haven't been bled once. Still going strong.

 

[Oddjob]

Had my RSCs for 20 months and they haven't been bled once. Still going strong.

It must be sorcery. Burn the witch!

I bleed my Shimanos as needed. Which often means years between bleeds.

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[Zaf]

Had my RSCs for 20 months and they haven't been bled once. Still going strong.

The Guide RSC's on my Strive were faultless as well, even the guy who bought the bike has never had to talk to me about them after the sale. Makes me think Canyon might do something sneaky with their setup to fix the issue.

 

[BT180]

It must be sorcery. Burn the witch!

I bleed my Shimanos as needed. Which often means years between bleeds.

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hahaha They pull up the broom pretty quickly!

The Guide RSC's on my Strive were faultless as well, even the guy who bought the bike has never had to talk to me about them after the sale. Makes me think Canyon might do something sneaky with their setup to fix the issue.

Yeah, I hear and read all sorts of stories on Guides, but mine have been faultless. No sticky levers, no sponginess, no bleeds, etc. Just periodic pad changes and they're just like new again.

 

[urallwrong]

So many "as needed" comments. I bleed my Shimano brakes every 3-4 months(of use) or every pad change. Worth the 20 minutes spent, and the oil is typically quite dirty. Maybe I should brake less?
Oh...... And I'm also OCD....

 

[ozzybmx]

So many "as needed" comments.

I work on the policy of 'If it aint broken, dont fix it'

 

[cokeonspecialtwodollars]

But if it aint braking then definitely fix it

 

[stirk]

Preventative maintenance is preventative!

Speaking of which, lately my brakes need some pumping up after a ride in the car where the bike lays on its side....time for a bleed?

 

[Binaural]

I think I am sold on getting a bleed kit and giving this a go. Thanks for the advice!

PS I once bled a set of Shimano dual piston caliper brakes for a friend's commuter bike. 5 years later they are arguably less mushy than the Guides....

 

[ozzybmx]

Speaking of which, lately my brakes need some pumping up after a ride in the car where the bike lays on its side....time for a bleed?

A couple of pumps and they're back to 100%... up to you.

If you are seeing a decrease in performance, spongyness, loss of modulation, ect.. anything that that feels out of the ordinary, bleed them.

I keep up to date with 99% of the preemptive maintenance like bearing greasing, BB servicing, fork and shock seals, hub servicing and the likes... but brakes, I'd be looking for a problem or you actually might introduce one

 

[Mr Crudley]

Preventative maintenance is preventative!

Speaking of which, lately my brakes need some pumping up after a ride in the car where the bike lays on its side....time for a bleed?

If they feel a bit spongy after lying sideways or upside down after you have worked on the bike then put an elastic band around the lever and grips.

Leave it in the grabbing a handful of brake position for a while. Give it a few hours and it will sort itself out and go back to normal.

This is all the fiddling I've ever had to do with my old Juicy 7's. Never touched them otherwise apart from new pads.

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[ChrisJC]

Preventative maintenance is preventative!

Speaking of which, lately my brakes need some pumping up after a ride in the car where the bike lays on its side....time for a bleed?

Very common. There is only 30mls or thereabouts in the system and as your pads wear the reservoir level drops quickly When you lay your bike upside down or on its side an air bubble enters the system at the reservoir. The fix is to remove the filler cap, top the oil up. pump the lever (you'll get a few air bubbles come out and the oil level will drop down). do this several times till the bubbles stop and the reservoir is full.

P.S. This works for Shimano XT, SLX etc. Can't speak for Sram as I haven't had the pleasure of working on them yet!