caring for my HS-33's

[HipHopapotomus]

so my new (to me) bike has hydraulic brakes front and rear. while i'm ecstatic about my new stopping power, i want to make sure i know how to take care of them. what are some general rules for maintaining my brakes to ensure their daily stopping power as well as checking for life-span and potential repair/failure? i downloaded the 08 instruction manual from magura's website, which is helpful, but experience is often the best advice.

[hopsalot]

Keep the pads hitting the rim at a right angle, don't wind the TPA knob down more than a few turns, get steel crossovers, don't overtighten the bolts.

[HipHopapotomus]

what's the advantage of steel crossovers? and which bolts should i not overtighten? the ones attaching the brakes to the frame?

[FDS2223]

so my new (to me) bike has hydraulic brakes front and rear. while i'm ecstatic about my new stopping power

Your Welcome

i want to make sure i know how to take care of them. what are some general rules for maintaining my brakes to ensure their daily stopping power as well as checking for life-span and potential repair/failure? i downloaded the 08 instruction manual from magura's website, which is helpful, but experience is often the best advice.

Main thing is to keep the brakes, pads and rims clean by wiping off any dirt or grease that accumulates. Also tighten the bolts every now and then because they will come loose unless you put some locktight in there.

what's the advantage of steel crossovers? and which bolts should i not overtighten? the ones attaching the brakes to the frame?

The advantage of steel crossovers is more for the rear because your foot can sometimes hit them and eventually break the line. If you have a booster on it though that should protect them. Don't over tighten any of the bolts, ESPECIALLY the ones going into the frame because I'm assuming yours is made of aluminum and it strips easy. Eventually you will get the feel of how tight they need to be.

[Elan]

bleed with water

[denib]

^^^What he said!

[johnglazer]

bleed with WD-40
:h5:

[mexophilia@mac.com]

For starters, I would recommend you to follow the manual, which is to bleed it with mineral oil. I think this would make your HS33 last longer.

Try to put some drops of silicon or any lubricant to the allen screws to repell off moisture to prevent rust (even if you have stainless or titanium bolts).

Brush off dirt on the screws every ride. I use tar, and every so often I brush off the powderized tar that sticks on the brakes and screws.

And yes a booster would help to prevent you from pulling out the hose.


:D

[aki]

Nothing special really. HS33 is pretty much maintenance free, the only time you have to adjust them is when the pads start to wear down you want to adjust the position of the slave cylinders rather than using the TPA as you'll start to lose some braking power. Just keep the cylinder area clean if you ride a lot and bleed if need be.

Never had a problem with the plastic crossover, I always zip tie them to the frame so it doesn't snag on things.

[tra la log]

mine are starting to lose some power :( i stopped doing pedalups cause my wheel has slipped too many times

[Elan]

WATERs

[perkins]

I put my whole brake in the kitchen sink, fill it full of water, and bleed everything under water. No air can get in the line, so it feels solid... and water feels way better than the Magura oil.

[hopsalot]

Flushing that water out with oil twice a year helps to keep the seals from leaking.

[Elan]

water is hte only way. i had a pair bled with water for over 8 months, never had a problem.