Hi there!
I’m looking to change the piece beneath the stem spacers as the paint job on it has cracked on my 2021 TREK Émonda.
My question is: Since I need to disconnect the brake hoses from the levers to change this part, will I also have to do a brake bleed?
by ComprehensiveFee2169
7 Comments
Yes
On my bike, when you remove the stem, the spacers are able to come apart in the center so you don’t need to. Can’t see if yours would be the same.
If you are careful, you might get away without bleeding or with just a simple lever bleed
Do you need to disconnect the brake lever ?
Take the caliper off and see if you have enough room to remove the steerer and not cut anything
Unfortunately, yes, you do. You have to unwrap the bars and disconnect the brake lines. The spacers do split. That’s just so you can put more in or take some out without doing this whole process
And the textbook requirement is to replace the olive and barb fittings on the hydraulic lines as they are single-use only. Although, people do reuse them
If you do cut your lines and replace the olive/barbs, you might as well replace your headset bearings if they’re at all work, because the hydro lines are routed through the bearings
An experienced mechanic once told me that you don’t necessarily need to bleed the brake every time you disconnect the levers as long as you are very careful not to knock the brake lines or anything while they are disconnected. I personally haven’t tried it though.
However it’s not the end of the world to bleed brakes either, and I think it’s something worth learning if you want to work on your own bike. You’ll need a bleed kit which might cost like $20-$30 and a bike stand.
Either
A. Get some touch-up paint and forget about it, or
B. Don’t get some touch-up paint and forget about it.
It’s not worth going to all that trouble over. If you’re really feeling persnickety you could start by peeling those stickers off the stem. They would bother me far more than a small chip in the paint.