Juicy Re-route

If you're cheap, you can reuse the barbs and compression sleeve (I did once while I was waiting for parts). But I REALLY don't recommend it. Also, when you tighten down the compression nut, you have to be very careful. The metal is rather brittle and cracks when torqued down too hard.

You may also have to rebleed if you reroute the line.

Cool, thanks. I'll be cheap and give it a try.

Be very careful not to loose any fluid, otherwise you will need to rebleed. Give short quick half strokes at the lever and tap the line after reconnecting, this helps any air bubbles escape into the resivoir. So as long as you don't turn the bike upside down, it'll be alright.

Being cheap may result in a leak. IMO, it's worth it to spend the 5 bucks and do it right the first time.

It's not that I was being cheap, I just didn't want to wait to order parts.

XSL_WiLL said:

Also, when you tighten down the compression nut, you have to be very careful. The metal is rather brittle and cracks when torqued down too hard.

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This was good advice. However, I gave it a little twist and it cracked in 3 places.

Yeah, I cracked one of the fittings too. You have to be very very careful. Go slowly, you can feel when it's about to go, so just back off a hair.

Post up pictures when you're done.

XSL_WiLL said:

Yeah, I cracked one of the fittings too. You have to be very very careful. Go slowly, you can feel when it's about to go, so just back off a hair.

Click to expand...

Are you saying that Avid's torque recommendation for the compression fitting is too high (47 in-lb for alloy, 70 in-lb for steel)? When I tighten stuff, I can't feel anything (until it's too late), so I have to use a torque wrench. Sometimes the recommended values seem too high though, so I do a little less...

Yeah, DO NOT over tighten the compression nut. I made that mistake.

I think the last time I tighten it I turned until the compression nut bottomed out. I'm too cheap to spring for a torque wrench.

It was fine until I decided to shorten the hose the other day. I loosen the hose nut but could not pull the hose out because the compression nut had deformed to a degree where it filled the cavity of the sleeve of the lever. I yanked and yanked then the hose finally popped off---without the compression nut!!!

The barb and the compression nut were both stuck in the lever! Imagine my horror. I thought the lever was toast. Luckily, a friend who's more mechanically inclined than me inserted a course thread dry wall screw into the barb and was able to slowly extract the barb and compression nut out of the lever. Imagine my sigh of relief!!

The compression nut is the hose nut. You're thinking about the sleeve. The whole point of the sleeve is to deform and form a tight seal with the lever. It's supposed to be quite tight when you remove it, you have to work it out gently and patiently.

You're right! When I said "compression nut" I am actually talking about the threadless compression sleeve that slides over the barb at the end of the hose.

I tried wiggling and pulling the hose gently at first to no avail. So I yanked harder and harder until the hose finally popped off from the barb. Any trick on getting the hose off easier?

Hmmm... I've never had that issue. It usually comes out after wiggling it a few times. I guess you could try some Liquid Wrench next time? You'd probably have to rebleed the hose and lever, but it's easy and pretty fast.