Temu mtb brakeset

[Andymann]

Interesting read this.  I have been having a brake issue of late that no-one seems to be able to sort and the last bike shop who I took my bike to said it was sorted and when I picked the bike up and the lever went back to the bars again, casually said "Oh well you'll just need to buy new brakes then...." 

Its a set of XT brakes, but M785's so they are probably due for replacement - frustrating thing is it's just the rear one - front is fine, but the rear needs to be pumped two or three times before it bites and at best, when it does, it's very average.  When it does bite, lever travel is fine until you need them again. Used to be fine until I replaced the pads and now it's just shite.

They have been bled 3 times, twice at a bike shop which I am told is very good - I wasn't overly impressed - but that's not the discussion here.

There are no leaks so it's pretty perplexing - so either the fluid is bypassing the seals in the master cylinder or there is some crazy trick to bleeding M785 brakes - but the Internet seems to think it's a fairly simple brake set to bleed.  Nevertheless, seems like I will indeed need new brakes.

Merlin has no stock, and there was a set on Bikehub but they have been sold.  And R6k for a new Set of M8100's just seems crazy for the 40km Xterra rides I do.

 

So maybe a set of these might just be the ticket.....

[ChrisF]

14 minutes ago, Andymann said:

Interesting read this.  I have been having a brake issue of late that no-one seems to be able to sort and the last bike shop who I took my bike to said it was sorted and when I picked the bike up and the lever went back to the bars again, casually said "Oh well you'll just need to buy new brakes then...." 

Its a set of XT brakes, but M785's so they are probably due for replacement - frustrating thing is it's just the rear one - front is fine, but the rear needs to be pumped two or three times before it bites and at best, when it does, it's very average.  When it does bite, lever travel is fine until you need them again. Used to be fine until I replaced the pads and now it's just shite.

They have been bled 3 times, twice at a bike shop which I am told is very good - I wasn't overly impressed - but that's not the discussion here.

There are no leaks so it's pretty perplexing - so either the fluid is bypassing the seals in the master cylinder or there is some crazy trick to bleeding M785 brakes - but the Internet seems to think it's a fairly simple brake set to bleed.  Nevertheless, seems like I will indeed need new brakes.

Merlin has no stock, and there was a set on Bikehub but they have been sold.  And R6k for a new Set of M8100's just seems crazy for the 40km Xterra rides I do.

 

So maybe a set of these might just be the ticket.....

 

I had a similar issue with rear brakes, also Shimano ... on a new bike.  I took it back to the dealer no less than 5 times .... last time they charged me to bleed the brakes, on a set that did not work correctly from the start.  And no, the paid for bleed did not help ...

 

I took the bike to Mark and booked it in.  I picked it up later that afternoon .... Mark just smiled and said it was sorted.  And it was SORTED !!!  Next 3 000km was an absolute pleasure.

 

I replaced the brake pads and bled the system .... damned if I could get the lever sorted ... kept on going soft .... took the bike to Mark and said "I fixed it until I broke it.." 

 

I went upstairs with him and he showed me .... unbolt the caliper, let it hang .... hose one long gentle uphill to the lever.  Now bleed the system (spacer in between the pads) .... jip, that last bubble comes out and it is perfect for the next few thousand km.

 

 

 

Seriously sad that so many "authorised dealers" are not up for these most basic tasks .... but 100% ready to sell you a brake upgrade .... bl!kskottels ... 

[Andymann]

8 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

I had a similar issue with rear brakes, also Shimano ... on a new bike.  I took it back to the dealer no less than 5 times .... last time they charged me to bleed the brakes, on a set that did not work correctly from the start.  And no, the paid for bleed did not help ...

 

I took the bike to Mark and booked it in.  I picked it up later that afternoon .... Mark just smiled and said it was sorted.  And it was SORTED !!!  Next 3 000km was an absolute pleasure.

 

I replaced the brake pads and bled the system .... damned if I could get the lever sorted ... kept on going soft .... took the bike to Mark and said "I fixed it until I broke it.." 

 

I went upstairs with him and he showed me .... unbolt the caliper, let it hang .... hose one long gentle uphill to the lever.  Now bleed the system (spacer in between the pads) .... jip, that last bubble comes out and it is perfect for the next few thousand km.

 

 

 

Seriously sad that so many "authorised dealers" are not up for these most basic tasks .... but 100% ready to sell you a brake upgrade .... bl!kskottels ... 

Thanks.  The last resort before I bought new was to buy some mineral oil from Takealot and try myself.  I have bled many bike clutches and brakes in my life so I figured I couldn't make it worse!

My plan was to actually inject fluid from the bleed nipple with a syringe and pipe and then let it fill the bleed cup on the master cylinder, but maybe I must use your method.

I did read on the net that you need to get the caliper really low - so I figured I would hang the entire bike from a  bike stand with the bars as the highest point.  But maybe I just need to remove the caliber!

Thanks for the tip!

[WT]

Hi @Andymann

From your previous post you mentioned the brake is much worse since you changed the brake pads. Did you bed those pads in? It can take a bit of time for new pads to bed in properly. Won't fix the squishy lever tough, that unfortunately sounds like a bad bleed.

Apologies if you knew this already, I forgot this fact this weekend after excitedly upgrading a rear brake. Landed nicely on my rear end in the street after trying to manual with those new and very unbedded brake pads🤣

Highly suggest picking up a bleed kit and a small bottle of mineral oil and just do it yourself. Actually not difficult at all and saves a bit of cash in the long run.

DISCLAIMER: Shimano does recommend a gravity bleed which is better in the long run. I have though (with great success) done bleeds from the caliper by removing brake pads, adding a stopper between the pads and then using a syringe to pash oil from the caliper op to the lever. Then when the nice clean oil starts to come out at the top, simply close the caliper bleed nipple and lever bleed port. Put brake pads back and you're done.

Again not the best practice in the long run but it is at least something you can try😁

Hope this helps!

[Andymann]

3 minutes ago, WT said:

Hi @Andymann

From your previous post you mentioned the brake is much worse since you changed the brake pads. Did you bed those pads in? It can take a bit of time for new pads to bed in properly. Won't fix the squishy lever tough, that unfortunately sounds like a bad bleed.

Apologies if you knew this already, I forgot this fact this weekend after excitedly upgrading a rear brake. Landed nicely on my rear end in the street after trying to manual with those new and very unbedded brake pads🤣

Highly suggest picking up a bleed kit and a small bottle of mineral oil and just do it yourself. Actually not difficult at all and saves a bit of cash in the long run.

DISCLAIMER: Shimano does recommend a gravity bleed which is better in the long run. I have though (with great success) done bleeds from the caliper by removing brake pads, adding a stopper between the pads and then using a syringe to pash oil from the caliper op to the lever. Then when the nice clean oil starts to come out at the top, simply close the caliper bleed nipple and lever bleed port. Put brake pads back and you're done.

Again not the best practice in the long run but it is at least something you can try😁

Hope this helps!

Thanks.  Yup, many years ago I taught myself to bleed motorbike brakes by using a syringe to suck fluid from the the master cylinder down the line and out the caliper - you can hold the suction on the syringe with one hand, loosen the bleed nipple and suck out all the air, and tighten all in one go.  Saved me from having to call my Mom to pump the lever!   Works great, but on a bicycle I fear you won't have enough volume in the master cylinder. I already have a bleed kit, so I just need to order mineral oil.

The second time I took it back, I did however notice there was oil under the dust cover where the brake line joins the lever so I asked them to cut a cm off the line, and replace the olive.  Previously after an hour I had zero brakes - they wouldn't even respond to a pump.  Now the joint is dry, but the lever is very spongy. But no wetness so that's a start.

Sad thing is, I get the feeling that because my bike is an unbranded carbon frame, with older components and probably the last remaining triple chain ring XT groupset in SA ("you should remove the small ring, it will save you weight....") I think it got moved to the back of the line in favor of the BMC's that came in.  They even asked me if the wheels were fake Rovals!  Bought the frame from China, and bought everything else here on Bikehub, including the *genuine* Rovals, a new SID, and a few other bits and bobs, with only the Groupset from my trusty Scott Scale that transferred over.  Was a brilliant project - I had great fun sourcing bits and it's a very very nice bike - super fast for what I need - 30-40km off-road Tri's.

Nevertheless, I will tackle the bleed myself and test on Saturday.

Hopefully I will have some good feedback!

 

 

 

[ChrisF]

5 hours ago, Andymann said:

Thanks.  The last resort before I bought new was to buy some mineral oil from Takealot and try myself.  I have bled many bike clutches and brakes in my life so I figured I couldn't make it worse!

My plan was to actually inject fluid from the bleed nipple with a syringe and pipe and then let it fill the bleed cup on the master cylinder, but maybe I must use your method.

I did read on the net that you need to get the caliper really low - so I figured I would hang the entire bike from a  bike stand with the bars as the highest point.  But maybe I just need to remove the caliber!

Thanks for the tip!

 

Maybe check with your LBS or one of the Hubbers about your specific Shimano break model.

 

Older was bled bottom up, i.e. syringe.

 

Some of the latter can sustain damage this way, and should only be bled top.down from the bleed kit reservoir.

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, Andymann said:

Thanks.  Yup, many years ago I taught myself to bleed motorbike brakes by using a syringe to suck fluid from the the master cylinder down the line and out the caliper - you can hold the suction on the syringe with one hand, loosen the bleed nipple and suck out all the air, and tighten all in one go.  Saved me from having to call my Mom to pump the lever!   Works great, but on a bicycle I fear you won't have enough volume in the master cylinder. I already have a bleed kit, so I just need to order mineral oil.

The second time I took it back, I did however notice there was oil under the dust cover where the brake line joins the lever so I asked them to cut a cm off the line, and replace the olive.  Previously after an hour I had zero brakes - they wouldn't even respond to a pump.  Now the joint is dry, but the lever is very spongy. But no wetness so that's a start.

Sad thing is, I get the feeling that because my bike is an unbranded carbon frame, with older components and probably the last remaining triple chain ring XT groupset in SA ("you should remove the small ring, it will save you weight....") I think it got moved to the back of the line in favor of the BMC's that came in.  They even asked me if the wheels were fake Rovals!  Bought the frame from China, and bought everything else here on Bikehub, including the *genuine* Rovals, a new SID, and a few other bits and bobs, with only the Groupset from my trusty Scott Scale that transferred over.  Was a brilliant project - I had great fun sourcing bits and it's a very very nice bike - super fast for what I need - 30-40km off-road Tri's.

Nevertheless, I will tackle the bleed myself and test on Saturday.

Hopefully I will have some good feedback!

 

 

 

 

I am convinced bleeding car and motorcycle brakes are a lot easier ...

 

 

Oooooo, those days of manually turning up the brake shoe dial on the 80's Mini ....

[michaelbiker]

This definitely sounds like a bleed issue not a faulty brake. But if fluid is leaking then you need to replace something. Make sure everything is super clean, leave overnight and check for oil spots. Shimanos are notorious for cracked pistons and the bladders can get damaged if you reset the pistons without cracking open the bleed port.

Otherwise if you are 100% certain there are no leaks, keep bleeding until the issue is resolved. Bubbles can be stubborn!

[Alouette3]

20 hours ago, Andymann said:

XT brakes, but M785

I'll just leave this thread hear in case

[Andymann]

ish.  Are my brakes really 10 years old! LOL maybe I do need new ones.

 

Thanks.  I was actually going to look for a way to strip them if I couldn't get them sorted - but only after I had installed new ones.  Crazy that you cannot get rebuild kits

[Meezo]

54 minutes ago, Andymann said:

ish.  Are my brakes really 10 years old! LOL maybe I do need new ones.

 

Thanks.  I was actually going to look for a way to strip them if I couldn't get them sorted - but only after I had installed new ones.  Crazy that you cannot get rebuild kits

check with @RobertWhitehead or if you willing to wait there is some parts available on ali express and ebay

[RobertWhitehead]

I do have rebuild kits yes, they're quite nifty and I've added a QR code to the packaging to show you how you can DIY

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Andymann said:

ish.  Are my brakes really 10 years old! LOL maybe I do need new ones.

....

 

Time for a new bike 😉

[Dexter-morgan]

2 hours ago, RobertWhitehead said:

I do have rebuild kits yes, they're quite nifty and I've added a QR code to the packaging to show you how you can DIY

Nice to know.

[droo]

A few things about Shimano brakes.

The reason they tell you to bleed top down is because mineral oil floats on water, so any water in the system will be in the caliper and needs to be released from the bottom. The factory service manuals actually tell you to drain all the oil from the brake before refilling from the caliper end for the newer models where you bleed from the bottom up, but that's a great way to introduce stubborn bubbles since there's no way to vacuum a Shimano lever like there is with almost all others.

The thing about a gravity bleed is that it's really simple... until it isn't. If you get a stubborn bubble in there it can be a proper pig to get out since you can't vacuum at the lever. The method that @ChrisF saw is about the most reliable but can burn through a lot of oil.

Last thing, which applies to any brakes, is that inconsistent and mushy lever feel are most often caused by the calipers. If the pistons aren't returning properly and evenly the brake will feel rubbish. ON SRAM brakes, replacing caliper pistons is life changing. On Shimano brakes you have to replace the whole caliper since ''spare parts'' is a swear word to them, and on those older x85 series the levers may be on their way out as well so you're likely to end up replacing the whole thing anyway, just in stages.

Not sure if any of this will solve your problem, but hopefully there's a bike nerd reading this that finds it entertaining.

[MORNE]

since the topic is about cheap brakes i’d like to share some recent experience.

So my local were kind enough to organise me a demo bike while I await my one way flight overseas. Its mid level so has deore groupset, MT501 4-pot brakes and performance level fox suspension. Nothing fancy…borderline NOT peasant level.

Having ridden top end everything for most of the last few years on my own bikes…i’ll say that i was pleasantly…no, shocked at how good this bike is on trail. Yes im missing the finer damper settings, i kniw what i want by now and i cant get it from something with just open, mid, closed on it. But i put it in semi closed and just gooied…and the thing took it in its stride. 

now for the brakes. Im tall, ride XXL bikes, so sh!t brakes are i instantly noticeable. These 4-pot MT501’s are amazingly good brakes and im sure they cost relatively nothing. I know you can buy deore m6100 4-pots locally for under R3k a set if you know where to look. Amazing bang for buck…and i havent ridden shimano brakes for 2y now. I just instantly felt at home and they offer i credible power and just enough modulation. 
 

The whole experience had me thinking how we always want the best - because reasons. I’ll maintain that proper suspension will still make the biggest difference on any bike, the difference is that big if properly set up. 

But man, you don't NEED dominions, transmission or carbon. I’m willing to guarantee that nothing from anyone else offered in the price range of MT501 or 6100 even comes close to the same level of performance on offer. You certainly dont even need XT. The value proposition of SLX makes everything else look silly. You must just be willing to ket your own hangups go.

TLDR:

id buy MT501 4pots before temu trickstuffs

Edited September 10, 2025 by MORNE