How do I bleed my brakes?

It is possible to bleed the brakes using the traditional 2 person technique (1 pushing the pedal and 1 controlling the flow through the nipple) however a pressure bleeding system (such as a Gunsons Eezi-bleed) makes it a relatively easy 1 person job. The basic procedure with an Eezi-bleed is as follows:-

• Fill Eezi-bleed bottle.
• Connect Eezi-bleed cap to resevoir
• Connect air pressure feed to tyre (checking for leaks).
• With a clear hose attached and feeding into a jar, undo bleed nipple using a ring spanner. Continue until fluid is bleeding clear and without bubbles. Nip up the bleed nipple.
• Repeat for all corners, possibly going round the set a couple of times. The usual procedure is to start with the longest brakelines, i.e. nearside-rear, offside-rear, nearside-front, offside-front.
• Keep checking the Eezibleed resevoir. If you need to top it up DONT FORGET TO TAKE OFF THE AIR SUPPLY before removing the top!
• When done disconnect air supply and remove Eezibleed.
• Use a torque wrench to tighten the bleed nipples (if you have a torque to set them to and a wrench available). You can do this by hand, but it is tempting to overtighten them.
• Give the nipples a spray with brake cleaner to clear them and the calipers of excess fluid.
• Try the brake pedal.
• Check the calipers/nipples for any signs of leakage.
• Top up resevoir and replace cap.

The biggest problem bleeding a dry system (e.g. following following a brake hose or caliper change) is removing air from the front calipers. The layout of the front caliper is such that there is a void in one half of the caliper thats is difficult to bleed with the caliper in the fitted position. Arguably the best way to remove air in this pocket is to remove the caliper from the upright and bleed the caliper whilst rotating it in a steady 360deg arc, repeating the process until no further air bubbles come out and the pedal becomes firm.