# down hill



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

planning my first trip to a down hill park aug 26 to 31 at Snowshoe WV.


----------



## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

How are the emergency medical services and trauma centers around there?


----------



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

Snowshoe Mountain is a world class ski resort and top 5 mountain bike destination with 58 emergency rooms in or nearby. But I am going to do my best to avoid them.


----------



## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Keep the rubber side down armii


----------



## Narrowback (Mar 26, 2017)

Point and shoot. If it gets really scary, close your eyes and grip the bars really tight. That always works for me.


----------



## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

More front brake.


----------



## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Go your own speed, avoid big drops and jumps. Enjoy flow sections. We are all just one crash away from having to live a compromised lifestyle. Avoid that crash. A few seconds of adrenaline isn't worth it.


----------



## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

armii said:


> planning my first trip to a down hill park aug 26 to 31 at Snowshoe WV.


You're gonna love it! And once you get a feel for how the bike handles in the air (and 
lands), the fun really begins.

Snowshoe looks interesting. Down hill/flow/air time is addicting. I usually have to travel to get in down hill time... Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, California, NW Arkansas. Recently rode a park in Michigan. May need to add WV to the list. And now that we have a _real_ down hill park in Texas, with lift access no less, I'll be seeing down hill stuff more often.


----------



## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Finch Platte said:


> More front brake.


I would agree with this.


----------



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

I upgraded both brakes, from 160mm rear and 180mm front to 180mm rear and 200mm front. And upgraded pads to sintered. They are noisy, but they are not suppose to fade. Did a trip up to Mulberry Gap last month and they worked great.


----------



## Skooks (Dec 24, 2008)

I run 200mm front /180mm rear rotors on all of my mountain bikes. Plenty of stopping power for any trails I want to ride at Whistler or on the North Shore. Running Shimano XT's and ZEEs


----------



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

I have Sram Guide R on the front and Guide RS on the rear. At first they seemed a little a little more progressive than the Shimano's I was used to, but fine. But as they aged they seemed too soft. Tried new pads and fresh fluid but they still seemed a bit soft. Then last month (before going to Mulberry Gap) I decided to try my own bleed method, at the end after finishing their procedure, I put the syringe back on the bottom opened the system and preloaded a bit of pressure then closed it back up. They have been sweet and tight ever since.


----------



## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

armii said:


> I have Sram Guide R on the front and Guide RS on the rear. At first they seemed a little a little more progressive than the Shimano's I was used to, but fine. But as they aged they seemed too soft. Tried new pads and fresh fluid but they still seemed a bit soft. Then last month (before going to Mulberry Gap) I decided to try my own bleed method, at the end after finishing their procedure, I put the syringe back on the bottom opened the system and preloaded a bit of pressure then closed it back up. They have been sweet and tight ever since.


I also have found the same. I first thought it was a bleed block that was too wide for my slightly worn brakes as i couldnt get it to adjust the lever position to where i wanted when fully assembled.

So i pressurized at bottom like you did. Note that this results in fluid expansion out the top if you remove the bleed screw. .??? But fluid is incompressible so either a spring is forcing out the fluid or its an air pocket.

I hen went from 3300 to 9000 altitude at crestted butte and my front brake wouldnt fully release anymore. So i rode it out then later let a tiny bit of fluid bleed out from bottom port to release pressure and we are working again.

So im thinking some trapped air that we are compressing artificially during the bleed.

Thoughts anyone?


----------



## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Bleeding according the usual procedure (bleed block, etc.) takes all the air out of the system (including the reservoir) and leaves the correct amount of fluid in the reservoir bladder to allow for fluid expansion and pad wear. Air in the reservoir isn't an issue unless it migrates elsewhere in the system. Air anywhere other than in the reservoir will cause the lever to be soft. If air in the bladder expands, the bladder will take it up. If there's a heck of a lot of air in the reservoir, it might exceed the capacity of the bladder to take up the expansion and it can start to pressurize the system.


----------



## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

Fuse6F said:


> I also have found the same. I first thought it was a bleed block that was too wide for my slightly worn brakes as i couldnt get it to adjust the lever position to where i wanted when fully assembled.
> 
> So i pressurized at bottom like you did. Note that this results in fluid expansion out the top if you remove the bleed screw. .??? But fluid is incompressible so either a spring is forcing out the fluid or its an air pocket.
> 
> ...


I am very close to positive there was no air in my rear the last time I did the bleed by Sram procedures, as I took the brakes off the bike and hung them so the hose was in a straight line with the caliper lower than the lever. It still pushed out fluid at the end. I'm pretty sure it is a design flaw. As long as I can add a little pressure and they work well I will keep them, if they start having issues again, I will switch to Shimano or Magura.


----------



## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

armii said:


> I am very close to positive there was no air in my rear the last time I did the bleed by Sram procedures, as I took the brakes off the bike and hung them so the hose was in a straight line with the caliper lower than the lever. It still pushed out fluid at the end. I'm pretty sure it is a design flaw. As long as I can add a little pressure and they work well I will keep them, if they start having issues again, I will switch to Shimano or Magura.


I also tried to keep it air free by opening the lower bleed port with the bike tilted back on handlebars against my tailgate. No air could enter. Kept a rag on it to catch excess and the front has been good since (month plus).

Made me wonder about a possible design issue also.

In summary. Good strong brakes with nice modulation is the way to go everywhere.


----------



## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

Lone Rager said:


> Bleeding according the usual procedure (bleed block, etc.) takes all the air out of the system (including the reservoir) and leaves the correct amount of fluid in the reservoir bladder to allow for fluid expansion and pad wear. Air in the reservoir isn't an issue unless it migrates elsewhere in the system. Air anywhere other than in the reservoir will cause the lever to be soft. If air in the bladder expands, the bladder will take it up. If there's a heck of a lot of air in the reservoir, it might exceed the capacity of the bladder to take up the expansion and it can start to pressurize the system.


For me i think its critical you have the right size bleed block. I was getting a good bleed but after mounting a almost new set of sintered pads couldnt get the adjuster to move lever where i like it. So i pressurized the system a bit and forced the bleed block out after. Its strange that that was fine at 3300 ft but not at 9000 ft. So i have to assume air somewhere.


----------

