Finally saw the light on disc brake bleed kits...

I used to think spending $60 on a bleed kit was a total ripoff and just used a turkey baster and some tubing I had laying around. But last Tuesday I was out on a group ride near Boulder and my front brake started feeling super spongy right before a steep downhill. I pulled over and tried my little DIY bleed trick, but I just ended up with a mess of oil on my hands and the brake still felt like garbage. A buddy let me borrow his legit Park Tool bleed kit and I had it fixed in 10 minutes with zero mess. That experience convinced me that sometimes the real tool is worth the money even if it hurts the wallet. I still feel a little dumb for fighting it for so long. Has anyone else had a similar moment where a cheap fix just made things worse?

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2 Comments

davis.mia5mo ago

You spend years thinking you're too smart for the tool companies and then you're standing on a hillside with brake fluid dripping down your arm. That turkey baster probably cost me more in lost time and stained clothes than just buying the damn kit in the first place. At least now my hands smell like mineral oil instead of shame.

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eva6665mo ago

Yeah that's a rough lesson learned. I mean who hasn't tried to save a buck on brake work and ended up regretting it pretty fast. Brake fluid eats through everything and the smell lingers for days no matter how much you wash. Honestly the proper tools pay for themselves after one messy job.

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