The dealer cannot properly bleed my brakes

[siclmn]

The first time I laid my Stromer down on the ground a few months ago the brakes went away. You could press both levers till they hit the bars and no brakes. The shop had it for a few days because they were having trouble bleeding the brakes. I knew that they didn't know how to do it and I was their test rabbit. Today I transported the bike in my Honda Element and had it strapped to the wall so it wouldn't fall but I went around a corner and it tilted about 40 degrees which is only half way down. When I took the bike out to ride it one of the brakes is gone again. The shop wants me to leave it again but I don't trust them any more. What to do? How could it be so hard to bleed brakes? I love riding this bike but it is so fiddly. You can't just go into any bike shop and get it worked on. I feel like when I owned an Alfa Romeo back in the 70's. You are stuck with the dealer.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

The first time I laid my Stromer down on the ground a few months ago the brakes went away. You could press both levers till they hit the bars and no brakes. The shop had it for a few days because they were having trouble bleeding the brakes. I knew that they didn't know how to do it and I was their test rabbit. Today I transported the bike in my Honda Element and had it strapped to the wall so it wouldn't fall but I went around a corner and it tilted about 40 degrees which is only half way down. When I took the bike out to ride it one of the brakes is gone again. The shop wants me to leave it again but I don't trust them any more. What to do? How could it be so hard to bleed brakes? I love riding this bike but it is so fiddly. You can't just go into any bike shop and get it worked on. I feel like when I owned an Alfa Romeo back in the 70's. You are stuck with the dealer.

They would need a bleedkit from Magura. It's fairly simple but if any good bike shop can work on this.
Any competent bike shop that sells Trek, Specialized might be able to help you.

 

[devhead]

I concur with JayVee impress about the brakes. I've transported my bike numerous times laying it flat in the back of my Rav4 (I'm now getting my 4th OMNI) and have flipped it over to change tires/tubes. Never had a problem with the brakes after doing so. Manufacturing defect ?

 

[britannic]

I concur with @JayVee and @devhead, I frequently trigger traffic lights by laying my Stromer over to activate the sensor circuits in the road, never had an issue with my brakes.

 

[siclmn]

I just order the brake bleed kit from Magura. After watching many youtube video's of how to do it I have concluded it's not brain surgery. Like so many things in life I will fix it myself. When I lay the bike down it is just releasing air bubbles that they didn't bleed out. It is just an incompetant mechanic that they tout as their Stromer expert. What I don't get is that they sell a lot of mountain bikes there and someone should have helped him on the disk brake bleed.
The only unknown is how my bike got air bubbles in it in the first place.

 

[Ann M.]

@siclmn, if the brakes failed prior to your trip to the bikeshop then it is the result of a manufacturing issue, not the shop. Those brakes should not have needed anything done to them prior to sale. Bleeding brakes is not rocket science but not all videos tell you everything about how to get all of the bubbles out of the replacement fluid before you start the bleeding process. That seems to be where some newer techs might miss the mark.

 

[siclmn]

I found this information in an on line manual, it is how you can introduce air into your brakes.

The brake lever must not be applied if the S-pedelec is on its side or upside down. Otherwise air bubbles can enter the hydraulic system which could cause the brakes to fail. After transport- ing the bicycle, check if the pressure point of the brakes seems softer than it was before. Slowly ap- ply the brakes several times. This allows the brak- ing system to discharge any bubbles.
If the pressure point remains soft, please refrain from riding. The Stromer dealer must bleed the brake.

What kind of a cockamany system is this?
Does this mean that this can happen on all of the new road and mountain bikes with hydraulic disk brakes?
Or is it only on a Stromer?
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[britannic]

The Magura brakes are used on other bikes, so it wouldn't be Stromer specific.

 

[britannic]

Reading up on similar issues affecting other bike brands with Magura hydraulic brakes, the consensus seems to be that this issue is more common if the brakes weren't bled the way Magura recommends. Even if the lines were purged of air, but the small reservoir in the brake lever has some left in it, then air will get into the brake lines, when the reservoir is lower than the lines and calipers.

 

[siclmn]

So I got the brake bleed kit and bled just the rear brake. There were a ton of air bubbles that came out I did the push pull 8 times and I made it better but still not good enough. I could almost touch the bar with the lever so there is still air in the line. I followed the instructions to the letter but still no cigar. I just took it to the shop where they told me it would be 20 days till they could look at it at it. This is the worst retail experience of my life. The shop sucks but they are very nice about it so I just left it there.