Your bike’s standard black, flexible, and ugly hose is prone to swelling, especially as the material ages. Try this and see what we mean: wrap your hand around the existing hose, press hard on the brake lever, and you will feel the thread in the glove swell. The protruding lines are the failure of MoT. The tightly wound braided steel coating on the replacement wire can prevent bulging.

What are you dealing with

The black hose does not actually carry the brake fluid that makes the piston work. It is just a thick protective coating on the inner tube of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Let's talk after a few pints!

If... don't think about it

...You hate manual labor, or have some spare money to pay others to do this work. It might be dirty and troublesome the first time.

New brake fluid that meets the correct specifications. Dot4 is the norm. The instructions on the lid of the reservoir will confirm this. A combination wrench (ideally 8-17 mm) for disassembling the bracket and hose banjo bolts, a transparent hose with a diameter of 5 mm in one meter, a hose from an auto parts store, a discarded syringe, and a large amount of clean Absorbent cloth. And the new brake line kit, ideally equipped with corrosion-resistant stainless steel fittings and a transparent plastic protective coating covering the braided wire.

In the worst case, you will strip off the threads in the caliper and master cylinder at the old/new brake line connection. If the new line is not properly vented, you will have no brake pressure. Either way, you will be in trouble financially and physically. Brake fluid is also very corrosive. Be careful when handling: rinse off all spills.

What skills do I need?

If you know the difference between a combination wrench and a 1/2 inch drive ratchet, you will succeed.

1. Loosen or remove all fasteners that secure the hose mounting bracket. Any clips and bolts should be kept in a safe place for reuse, in case there are no replacement parts for the new brake line kit. Move the lever to the left or right to keep the master cylinder in a horizontal position-you may need to loosen the clamp and realign it.

2. Wrap the main tank with cloth to protect the surrounding paint and plastic. Carefully remove the cover and lift it together with the rubber diaphragm. Wipe the two parts with a cloth or kitchen paper to absorb any liquid and moisture that forms. Use a syringe to remove all liquid from the master cylinder.

3. Place the 8 mm ring part of the combination wrench on a caliper vent (always at the top of the caliper). Now push the transparent hose onto the nipple, making sure that the other end of the tube is inside the container to catch the liquid. Use old bolts or nuts to add weight to the pipe to prevent it from popping out and spilling liquid everywhere.

4. Tighten the brake lever and keep it still. Now loosen the vent nozzle a quarter turn. This allows brake fluid to escape from the system so it does not drip too much when removing the hose. Close the vent nozzle and repeat the previous operation until no more liquid is squeezed out. Do the same with the other caliper (on the dual disc setup).

5. If you have not removed any mounting bolts/brackets, please remove them now. Loosen and remove the 12 mm banjo bolt from a caliper. Put the end of the hose and bolt into the bag to catch the fluid, and then glue the bag to the hose. Don't worry about losing washers or banjo bolts; you don't need them. Repeat this operation for the opposite caliper.

6. Now remove the bolts from the hose connected to the master cylinder. Make sure there is a cloth that can catch any dripping water. Wrap the loose end of the hose with a cloth, then pull the entire hose assembly out of the bicycle and put it in a plastic bag. This and any waste brake fluid needs to be disposed of at the council tip.

7. Wipe off excess liquid on the calipers and the threads of the master cylinder. Take the new wires and check that they are of the correct length by placing them where they should run. If they are direct substitutes, you can overwrite the original lines. Check that the end fittings have the same bend angle. Start with the fitted line and work from top to bottom.

8. Install new sealing washers (copper pressure washers) (two for each banjo bolt) on both sides of the hose banjo. On double-length bolts (two hoses), three washers are required. Loosely tighten the bolts and align the lines to check for kinks. If possible, tighten it completely with a torque wrench. The torque data should be provided by the brake line manufacturer.

9. Fill the master cylinder reservoir with new fluid, and start bleeding the brake line-the same method as removing excess fluid from the original brake line. Pull the lever in and hold it, loosen the air nozzle, close the bleed nozzle, release the lever and repeat, until there are no more bubbles in the transparent tube.

10. To clear the air in the pipe, try "returning the air": tap the brake pipe upward from the lowest point with a wrench. The trapped air will rise, and by gently pulling the lever, the bubbles will escape. Strong bleeding means that the fluid jumps out of the reservoir (above). Using tape overnight has a similar effect.

11. Reinstall the main cylinder head, seals and any clips/brackets, and check again that the steering lock is not damaged. Also pull the front wheels off the floor so that the forks are fully extended and the lines will not be stretched. Also check the compressed fork. Look for any signs of leakage-sometimes additional adjustments to the connection are required.

12. Wash the whole bicycle with warm soapy water (for safety, please degreas first), because even the brake fluid stains on your fingers may be harmful. Now rinse the bike with fresh water. Reinstall the vent nozzle and let the bike ride slowly-your brakes will feel much better. In most cases, the lever stroke will be greatly reduced.

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