Front disc brake doesn't work at all!

[Wes]

As some of you may recall, I recently purchased a used set of Hope C2 (the older ones) off the net.

Well I only had 6 rotor bolts laying around, so I could only install the rear brake, which is currently working awesome. Now today I went down to the lbs and bought 6 more bolts for th front, and now have the front brake all installed.

Only problem is that it refuses to work. When I'm riding I can pull the lever all of the way don to the bar, and the brake JUST BARELY engages... I lose maybe 10% of my speed, i.e. the brake is useless.

It looks to me like there must be massive amounts of air in the line. Does this sound like the correct dignosis?

And what is a Hope bleed kit and oil going to cost me? Are Hopes a particularly difficult bleed? ... it would be my first brake bleed.

Thanks in advance!

[anticlimates]

Can you see if the break pad(s) move when you squeeze the lever down?

You never mentioned if the pads were moving. If they are, then you're breaks just need adjusting.

[jonny.zee]

Originally posted by Wes
When I'm riding I can pull the lever all of the way don to the bar, and the brake JUST BARELY engages... I lose maybe 10% of my speed, i.e. the brake is useless.

It looks to me like there must be massive amounts of air in the line. Does this sound like the correct dignosis?

Yep. Although I've never run Hopes, If my Hayes were doing this I would bleed them.

[Wes]

pads just BARELY move... this is why the brake barely works.

I'm thinking they just need a bleed at this point, but the more feedback the better! :D

[Danksi]

Have you tried winding the dial on the lever right up? (fully clockwise)

If this improves the braking, then it should be in need of a bleed or even a top-up.

Check out the Hope website, www.hopetech.com. You can download the C2 service manual if you haven't already.

It describes how to bleed the brakes. It seems quite easy to do and you don't need a 'Hope' Bleed kit, just a piece of tubing for the bleed nipple.

I couldn't get hold of any DOT5.1 brake fluid, so I just got my LBS to do it.

[Mountain Biker]

if twisting the knobby doesn't work, be sure to check the caliper for signs of fluid leakage, esp. at the seam point between the two halves. My C2's seal went there, and appearently, it's a pretty common problem, esp. when they get old.

[Wes]

how much did it cost you to fix?

seeing as the rear is totally fine, and the front is total mush, it wouldn't surprise me if a seal leak was the case.

I think I may be screwed...

[Mountain Biker]

I went to ontop and they quoted me $30

[reddirt]

You just need to bleed your brakes. Even if you adjust the dial like some people commented it won't work great because you will still have air in your line which will make your brakes less efficient.

I don't know how much a hope's bleed kit costs, but if I were you, I would just get the fitting that fits on the bleed nipple, then go buy a plastic tube and use a small container to drain any extra brake fluid/mineral oil into.

I haven't bled hopes brakes but I'm sure its similar to hayes or any brake system for that matter.

Check the internet, I'm sure even HOPE's will have a website that would give you instructions to bleeding your brakes.

Hope this helps.

[Wes]

Yeah, I guess I'll just bleed it myself, and see if the problem persists.

If it does, then I'll assume there's a bung seal somewhere.

Now if only the guy I bought it from would respond to my e-mails...

[UFO]

if you dont see any fluid coming out, then you dont have a leak. it should be quite obvious. sounds like you have air in the system, i like to bleed closed brakes from bottom up, as air bubbles travel up more readily than down.

[BAC5.2]

Bleed them and you will be fine.

You should have bled them both as soon as they were on the bike.

ESPICALLY if they were purchased used. I bleed new brakes, just incase they were a friday afternoon package at the factory.

[JSinclair]

If the C2 is like the rest of the line of breaks it looks like they bleed just like a Shimano XT.

you can undo the top cap at the lever (Make sure it is level with the ground or you'll dump fluid) and check to see if the reservoir is topped up. Tap the line and see if any bubbles come out. If there is space in the reservoir, make sure to fill it.

The best bet os to go to a shop with a shimano bleed kit (They have this awesome clamp deally that seals teh entire system and allows you to fill the lines and reservoir) I am pretty sure that it will work on the Hopes.

[UFO]

the c2's are a closed system brake, not open system like the XT's and most other brakes on the market today. they dont have a resevoir for brakefluid to automatically compensate for pad wear like open system brakes. think magura hyrdo rim brakes :)

i always bled closed systems from bottom up. all you need is some sort of container to catch fluid overflow from the lever, but it is much more consistant than bleeding from the top down. in this case, make sure that your adjustment knob at the lever is all the way out before you bleed. then dial the knob in accordingly to get proper lever feel.

[pete]

Originally posted by Wes
Yeah, I guess I'll just bleed it myself, and see if the problem persists.

If it does, then I'll assume there's a bung seal somewhere.

Now if only the guy I bought it from would respond to my e-mails...

if i sold someone a good brake that only needed a bleed and the tool was spazing out because he decided to worry for weeks about it before actually trying to bleed the damn thing I too would not respond.

[BAC5.2]

Yea, brakes need bleeding. It's one of those added benefits of owning disc brakes.

Like UFO, I bleed all closed brakes from the bottom up. Just keep on squeezing fluid through until no more bubbles.

Don't get brake fluid on your paint.

[XXX_er]

wipe everything with alcohol ,after its all dry,pump the brake and look for leaks