Hydraulic bleed with no bleed block, worked then failed on a Saturday ride

I tried bleeding my 2019 Shimano brakes without the proper bleed block, just used a spacer I cut from an old credit card. The lever felt perfect in the stand, but after 10 miles on the hills near Boulder it went spongy and I had to ride the brakes home. Was that just a fluke, or has anyone else gotten away with a DIY block that held up?

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1 Comment

taraanderson16d ago

Last summer I bled my old XT brakes with a folded-up beer can shim and they held for like six months, but I also torqued the caliper bolts to 15 ft-lbs with a wrench I found in a ditch. Maybe your credit card was too thick or you didnt let the system settle after pumping the lever. Could also be your pads were glazed, that'll fake a good bleed every time.