I received my Ultimate CF SL7 105 12s mechanical a few days ago and I noticed that when fully applying the brakes, the levers get quite close to the drops. Is this how it should be or the system needs to be bled?
by pedrorncity
I received my Ultimate CF SL7 105 12s mechanical a few days ago and I noticed that when fully applying the brakes, the levers get quite close to the drops. Is this how it should be or the system needs to be bled?
by pedrorncity
4 Comments
Difficult to judge because we do not see the starting point, and also depends on how much force you are applying for getting to that point. The levers should have a screw for “reach adjustment” that adjusts how far from the bar the lever is, when released.
I say if you are squeezing hard to get to that position, you’re fine.
Easier to try this out practically ie if you’re going down a moderately steep hill (whatever you feel comfortable with obv) can you get the braking force you need out of that amount of travel? It can be difficult to judge if you’re just squeezing the lever at home but if it does the job for you on a descent then you’re fine
If you can, I would try to take it to a canyon approved shop and see if they can bleed it. It should be covered by Canyon since it’s a new bike.
That’s not an alarming amount of travel but it’s close enough to touching bar tape that I would start thinking about bleeding soon, and on a new bike that means they probably didn’t bleed it very well at the factory
i was also playing with my free stroke yesterday. there is a screw where you can tighten/loosen to adjust the travel, search for your specific model (do not overtighten as the screw will strip). third party sites like this does a better job at explaining than the shimano’s instructions (harder to find): [https://bettershifting.com/installation-guide/change-your-di2-lever-free-stroke-and-reach/](https://bettershifting.com/installation-guide/change-your-di2-lever-free-stroke-and-reach/) note that this isn’t your model.
another trick i saw in a youtube video is to squeeze the lever a few times without the wheel installed, this will push the pistons together further. if you overdo it you just have to push the pistons back again with something like a tyre lever.
if all else fails you should do a brake fluid service.
and to answer your post title’s question – it depends on personal preference, i like mine like that with a fair bit of free stroke, and at that position shown in the pic that’d be a fairly strong squeeze on the lever.