Anyone know anything about disc brakes?

I find forcing it with a syringe from the caliper to be easiest. Just make sure you tap the hose every so often to ensure that any small bubbles are out too. Or get a large syringe, fill it up and do a full flush by pushing all the old fluid out.

Fill from the brake caliper.

http://www.cyclist.co.uk/tutorials/786/how-to-bleed-shimano-hydraulic-road-disc-brakes

But you'll need the shimano bleed funnel

Yes, seen that one. But the Shimano manual - DM-BR0008-00-ENG.pdf - says you use a syringe from the bottom, as does this video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5Bnddm72E

I've done something wrong anyway, as I tried the method you linked to and fuck all happened and the fluid up top just stayed there.

I've always (twice) used the syringe. But with that little funnel on top with some fluid in. Bought an eBay bleed kit and it's worked a treat thus far.

Right, due to a schoolboy error I've managed to get air into my front hydraulic brake .

Just to clarify, how did the brake feel when you modulated it?

There's no pressure in the lever at all. As I said, schoolboy error, was trying to free up a sticky piston.

That's what i mean by fill from the caliper, inject the fluid into the caliper and let it bleed out into the funnel. Has one piston seized?

Had you opened up the bleed port on the caliper far enough, when you squeezed the syringe did fluid level in the funnel rise up?

One piston was sticky, but hadn't seized.

I had a quick attempt last night and couldn't get new fluid into the system at all. If I depress the syringe there was a build up of pressure that would get so high the syringe and tube couldn't cope. If I put fluid in the bleed pot at the caliper and tried to pull fluid down the system nothing happened.

Will have to get someone who knows what they are doing to look at it I think!

Have you pulled out the little stick from the bleed funnel?

Is there a blockage in the bleed funnel?

Have you opened the port on the correct lever for that calliper? If you're following an American video this is a surprisingly easy mistake to make.

Yes. No.

I have my moments of mechanical ineptitude but rarely do I muddle left and right. :-)

It sounds like the bleed port on the caliper is not opened enough to allow the oil through. Or there is a blockage, was the bleed nipple clean - has dirt been pushed in? Shimano hoses are very narrow.

I'm thinking it's blocked. May try again over the Christmas period.

If you open the bleed port on the caliper but leave the leaver ports closed, and then squeeze the lever does fluid piss out from the bleed nipple?

If so I doesn't seem to be blocked.

Good luck, try not to get drunk over xmas and then feel like having another go at it. I have made quite a few overly confident drunken mistakes!

Right awesome forum folk.
I'm going to go with the Hope RS4 front and rear on my Bowman Footscray.
It's 142 x 12 bolt through on the rear and 100 x 15 bolt through on the front. Will be using 6800 with cable pull discs.
A couple of quick questions if I may:
1) Assume centre lock discs are OK with this frame?
2) End caps with the RS4's. Do they come with a variety of end caps etc for bolt through?
3) If I order through the following link, will I need anything else? http://www.ubyk.co.uk/hope-tech-rs4-centre-lock-disc-hub-set/65040

Cheers

1) Frames dont know the difference between discs, as long as youre not using 180s or smth too big
2) It'll only come with the end caps you order I imagine, but spares are available if you ever need them
3) You'll need discs and whatnot, but thats all you need hub wise.

Definitely recommend going compressionless from the off. What brakes are you thinking?

Rep. Cheers, good to know.
I was going to use either BR-R317, BR-R517 or BR-CX77 for the callipers. Not sure on the actual discs. Can you recommend something?

Id avoid shimano disc calipers tbh. Never seen great reviews. scoble vouches for bb7s and 95% of people do well with spyres. I've got cable spyres and theyre great but never used any other cable discs. If you have lots to spend then maybe try some of those halfway hydraulic calipers.

For rotors you should only use Shimano. Those fancy ice tec ones if you can afford it/will ever do a mountain descent, for commuting these will be fine:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/shimano-xt-saint-rt81-ice-tech-cl-disc-rotor/rp-prod67209

Nice one, those ice tech cl rotors look great. Are you able to link me to the particular spyre callipers I might need?

These, and Hargroves were the cheapest when I bought some last summer;

http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/trp-spyre-mech-disc-brake.html

Nice one thanks Andy, you're both fucking magic!

Helped my mate build his planet x rtd80 with sram rival hydro brakes. The bleed method is a lot neater than Shimano's but we got a bit of rub with the front brake that we can't seem to get rid of. Dunno if that's normal?

Is the disc true?

Yeah it's a steady light rub all the way around. Wheel still spins freely. Have re-centred caliper with the brake on. Test ride with him tomorrow, see how we get on.