No-bleed hydraulic line cutting

[arrjay]

Hey all,

I've heard mention a couple time on the forums of a method of no-bleed hydraulic cable/line shortening.  I'm okay with the current length, but would like to internally route my brake cables without having to lose mineral oil (Shimano brakeset), replace the olive and other small part, do a full bleed. 

I searched the youtubes with some good instructionals on the stand bleed method, but couldn't find anything about a no-bleed method.  Any links or tips someone can share?

Thanks!

[Sussed.]

I think Carbon_Dude has put explanation in here about internally routing Shimano lines without have to bleed them.  I don't know whether you will be able to do it without removing the olive/pins tho as I suspect they will not fit through the frame !

[Vipassana]

The lines will definitely not fit through the frame with the olives installed. 

Do not worry about the bleed procedure.  It is not difficult on the Shimano brakes.  You can probably just get away with doing the lever side, but even if you choose to do the caliper as well, it really isn't hard.  I promise.
 
Buy the Shimano brand bleed kit.  It is really cheap and really well designed.  Then follow the instructions entirely that they provide with it.  Start with the gravity bleed with the bleed screw on the caliper up as the instructions dictate and then move on to the lever bleed. 
 
I setup 6 XT calipers this way and they all feel great.  I'm very pleased with how damn easy these were to setup.

This kit:
http://www.artscyclery.com/Shimano_Disc_Brake_One-Way_Bleed_Kit_/descpage-SH1WBTL.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjw6pGfBRD09M-TmYTBzqIBEiQAcRzH54oNg8h-QrdofQLn2EwKKzYWgZI3Oz1OkUvgsEpOQNIaAsee8P8HAQ

Or, if you have a syringe and plastic tubing already, then just buy the reservoir kit.  I found it locally for $9.99.  It was another $9.99 for the mineral oil.

I also had one of these from the local auto parts store and it helped a bunch with the gravity bleed.  Holds to the rotor too which is nice.


Amazon.com: One Person Brake Bleeder Kit with Magnetic Pad to Hold Collection Bottle: Home Improvement

[Sitar_Ned]

I did mine without bleeding them.

1) Hold lever end higher than caliper end.

2) Loosen nut, disconnect hose, and remove olive from elevated lever end. 

3) apply small strip of duct tape over open end of hose. Just pre-cut a piece of duct tape to be about the width of the hose, and then when you apply it, be sure to smooth out the tape as much as possible to prevent the tape from catching in the frame.

4) With the frame elevated, in order so that you can keep the now open lever end of the hose higher than the still connected caliper end.. Feed it thorough the frame starting at the bottom - the hole on the chainstay to be precise.

That's it, really. Be sure to always keep the correct side elevated, don't forget to remove the olive from the hose so that you can put it back on after you've fed the hose through, and be sure not to over tighten the nut when reconnecting the hose. Should be all good.

That said.. This is certainly the lazy man's way, and if it doesn't work and you spill mineral oil all over the place.. don't blame me! 

[brmeyer135]

Am I reading correctly, you reused your olive and pin Sitar?
Or, are you saying, you obviously want to add it after going through the frame so it's not stuck down at the chainstay?

[Sitar_Ned]

Well.. both.

I thought I'd point out the obvious, to help OP avoid forgetting to remove the olive (like I did) and have to reroute the line. Also, I did end up reusing an olive. I actually think i ended up reusing the same olive twice while trying to cut my line to the perfect length. i have read that you shouldn't reuse them, really.. but so far no problems.

[arrjay]

I attempted the no-bleed method, cut the hose just below the olive/pin because i could not get it off - which then led me to lose a bit of oil.  So, I'll go ahead and pick up a bleed kit and end up doing things the "correct" way after all.  But it was worth a shot.

Frame looks real sweet with all the cables routed internally! 

[Sitar_Ned]

I also lost a bit of oil and all was fine. Probably a good idea to do the full bleed, just giving you some additional input.

[Carbon_Dude]

Here is a good how to on bleeding Shimano brakes:
http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/how-to-bleed-new-shimano-brakes/

Here is a DIY on shortening the brake line w/o bleeding the brakes:
http://www.epicbleedsolutions.com/blog/shorten-shimano-hoses-without-bleeding/

The trick is to actuate the brake pistons out a bit before you start, doing so this fils the line with some extra fluid, then after you cut and reattach the line you push the pistons back into the caliper forcing the fluid out into the brake reservoir, thereby avoiding introducing any air in the system.

Not being an expert with hydraulic brakes I have been successful about half the time with not getting any air in the system, but I'm sure if I did it more often I would figure out how to do the job reliably and never get air in the system.  Like others have said, if you do get air in the system just get the bleed kit and follow the standard bleed procedure.

[kave]

I just cut the line off at the top and routed it through the frame. I had the bicycle elevated so I cloud have the brake caliper lower at all times.
Brakes work perfect, I have also cut it off a second time to shorten it and it still works perfect without bleeding.

[jwilds1]

Getting ready to undertake this job.  So here's my thinking on the process -

1) remove pads from caliper
2) advance pistons
3) set caliper on floor
4) remove hose from lever
5) remove barb and olive nut
6) plug end of hose?
7) route hose from rear to front, with bike elevated (maybe tipped up?)
determine length of hose to remove, and remove it
9) reinstall barb & olive nut
10) reattach hose to lever
11) push pistons back into caliper
12) install pads and caliper to mount
13) install wheel & test brakes

Anything I'm missing?

[carbonazza]

I didn't do: 1, 2, 3, 6

Something you can avoid: I unfortunately touched the lever between 9 and 10.
Almost all brake fluid went out of the master cylinder, and I was good for a bleed.