Tried bleeding SRAM brakes with a turkey baster instead of a kit

Had to bleed my mountain bike brakes at 9pm and all I had was a turkey baster and some DOT fluid from the garage. Actually worked fine for getting the old fluid out but I ended up with bubbles I couldn't get rid of and had to redo it the next day with the proper syringe. Anyone else MacGyver bike repairs and totally botch it?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_ward10d ago

Did you try back bleeding with the turkey baster? That's the trick people miss - you gotta push fluid up from the caliper, not just suck it out from the lever. I did the same thing with a syringe from an old ink cartridge once and ended up with brake fluid all over my kitchen counter.

reese_nelson9d ago

Ha! @viola_ward sounds like you lived my exact nightmare. Good tip though.

terryk109d ago

Yeah @reese_nelson that sounds about right. Kitchen counter brake fluid baths are basically a rite of passage at this point.