japslap Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Hi, just wondering the pros and cons for bleeding brakes with water? I've always followed magura's recommendations but I've noticed some people are using water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robotrhys Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) It voids the warranty with magura if you dont use 'royal blood'; but to be honest, brakes are brakes and I'm sure they will try to get out of most disputes by suggesting you havent set-up or maintained your brake properly.. I use clutch fluid for citroens which i bought from halfords which is virtually the same as royal blood but a third of the price. Avoid using 'dot' oil however as it will corrode the brake seals unless your using hope brakes which are the only brakes designed to use dot oil. hope that helps. Edited January 2, 2010 by robotrhys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter916 Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 people tend to like water for the very quick lever response but in the colder climates you need to add ati-freeze to keep from getting a broken lever when the water freezes. mineral oil is thicker than water so it doesn't flow as quickly but it is impervious to freezing unless its Arctic cold. I would look for a very light viscosity mineral oil, maybe Shimano brake fluid?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japslap Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 It voids the warranty with magura if you dont use 'royal blood'; but to be honest, brakes are brakes and I'm sure they will try to get out of most disputes by suggesting you havent set-up or maintained your brake properly.. I use clutch fluid for citroens which i bought from halfords which is virtually the same as royal blood but a third of the price. Avoid using 'dot' oil however as it will corrode the brake seals unless your using hope brakes which are the only brakes designed to use dot oil. hope that helps. hi, yea I figured that was the case about the warranty, was just curious about it as I've never really heard about the water getting used other than on this site but just wanted to get people thoughts on why they did, cheers for the top tip on royal blood replacement from halfords Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japslap Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 people tend to like water for the very quick lever response but in the colder climates you need to add ati-freeze to keep from getting a broken lever when the water freezes. mineral oil is thicker than water so it doesn't flow as quickly but it is impervious to freezing unless its Arctic cold. I would look for a very light viscosity mineral oil, maybe Shimano brake fluid?? OK, big thank-you, now we're getting to the real pro and con reasons why people would prefer it over the magura royal blood, cool man cheers helps get a better idea of why people would, I think I have to try the lever feel of someone's before I changed though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke_zoo Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) OK, big thank-you, now we're getting to the real pro and con reasons why people would prefer it over the magura royal blood, cool man cheers helps get a better idea of why people would, I think I have to try the lever feel of someone's before I changed though Magura you pay for the name and get little oil, I bought some and it did not even bleed my front hs33 so water F T W! Edited January 2, 2010 by Luke_zoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey-uk Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Magura you pay for the name and get little oil, I bought some and it did not even bleed my front hs33 so water F T W! Well you must be shit at bleeding then 'cos the 50ml tub of it bled my rear hs33 twice and my front marta disk once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisa Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 The lever returns a lot sharper than using the royal blood. You can use the citroen LHM fluid but I found it a bit slower again than royal blood. I will always use water as its done me proud for many years now. Where about in belfast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japslap Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 The lever returns a lot sharper than using the royal blood. You can use the citroen LHM fluid but I found it a bit slower again than royal blood. I will always use water as its done me proud for many years now. Where about in belfast? Thanks good to hear from someone who's been using water for a few years, was kinda thinking about the last ability factor, I put Belfast down as a sort generalisation as I live in Bangor but end up going anywhere the train can take me on my travels, when I've a baby sitter for my son that is, tough getting time when your a single parent! where in Belfast you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisa Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Thanks good to hear from someone who's been using water for a few years, was kinda thinking about the last ability factor, I put Belfast down as a sort generalisation as I live in Bangor but end up going anywhere the train can take me on my travels, when I've a baby sitter for my son that is, tough getting time when your a single parent! where in Belfast you from? The water won't eat the seals it just won't lubricate them which will destroy them in the end if they aren't lubed. I use some silicone lube on the master and slave seals with no problems at all. I live in east belfast, ridden in bangor a lot in the past. Is there still the twins and aaron cosbey riding down there? Im just getting back into it after a brief spell to bmx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japslap Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Magura you pay for the name and get little oil, I bought some and it did not even bleed my front hs33 so water F T W! yea I'd agree you don't seem to get that much but 50ml should be enough to bleed at least two brakes according to tarty bikes - http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?pr...p;category_id=5 But I gotta say I went for the Monty oil from tarty which is 250ml for £5.87 which seemed a bit more reasonable - http://www.tartybikes.co.uk/product.php?pr...p;category_id=5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONZA_TRIALS Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Water bleed only corrodes your Seals if you have air in it x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japslap Posted January 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 The water won't eat the seals it just won't lubricate them which will destroy them in the end if they aren't lubed. I use some silicone lube on the master and slave seals with no problems at all. I live in east belfast, ridden in bangor a lot in the past. Is there still the twins and aaron cosbey riding down there? Im just getting back into it after a brief spell to bmx. so how often do you find you would need to lube the seals and re-bleed you brakes again just out of interest? Yea Aaron and the twins are still going strong-as far as I know Aaron came first in his category at fort William last June, the twins live down the road from me and I see them from time to time on the trials bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruairidh m Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Pros: You get a faster reaction time. Cons: You will need to bleed again and again to keep air bubbles away, in the winter the piston freezes and also the water freezes expands and breaks the Magura lever and hose. Pros: You get a faster reaction time. Cons: You will need to bleed again and again to keep air bubbles away, in the winter the piston freezes and also the water freezes expands and breaks the Magura lever and hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ullapool Trials Rider Posted January 6, 2010 Report Share Posted January 6, 2010 Pros: You get a faster reaction time. Cons: You will need to bleed again and again to keep air bubbles away, in the winter the piston freezes and also the water freezes expands and breaks the Magura lever and hose. Thats only cause my brake freezes all the time. Anyway you don't have a water bleed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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