At present, the most widely used brake of mountain bike is hydraulic brake. It is favored by many mountain bike lovers because of its fast braking response and soft braking feel. Although there are many manufacturers of hydraulic brakes on the market, the performance of hydraulic brakes has its own characteristics, and the varieties are more diverse. However, if you distinguish only from the types of brake oil, the brakes can be divided into two categories at present. One is mineral oil, such as Shimano, Magura and TEKTRO, while the other is dot oil represented by avid and Hayes.
Both oils have their own characteristics. Mineral oil has the characteristics of stable oil properties, but braking for a long time will cause heat recession and affect the feel of braking. Dot oil is resistant to high temperature and is not prone to heat decay, but the oil quality is unstable and will absorb water, which will affect the brake feel.
Slow brake rebound, small brake clearance and soft brake feel are common manifestations of poor hydraulic brake feel, so the safest and effective way is to replace the brake oil. It is usually recommended that riders change the oil for maintenance once a year or so to ensure the feel of the brake. It should be reminded that when replacing dot brake oil, many riders do not pay attention to the oil label and prefer mixed use. Although there will be no major problems, dot is a synthetic oil with different formulations and different performance, which is easy to cause waste.