Brake Fluid Change -- Really every 6k miles?!?

[davidh]

Is it me or is specifying a brake fluid change every 10,000 KM (6k miles) seem excessive? Brake fluid is hydroscopic and will absorb moisture over time which is why a recommendation of every 2-3 years seems appropriate. I passed 6k miles in July 2013 and am now nearing the 12k mark. Do I really need to have them replace it after only 6 months?!?

Anything else on the list that should be time/mileage based? I know belt/rollers are on the list; I'll be sure to get them back as I'm curious how they've fared.

The "replacing chainset" item looks suspicious; I'm guessing that's the final drive chain and it's looks pretty beefy and probably isn't terribly stressed, especially being bathed in oil.

 

[davidh]

Well, here's a quick update. I contacted my dealer regarding another maintenance question and asked about the fluid replacement. He said brake fluid needed replacing every two years -- period. Definitely something to be wary of when taking the bike in at the service intervals.

 

[SteveADV]

David, thanks for the info. That is another great reason why we have this forum.

 

[exavid]

Bike brakes are bike brakes. It's time that does most of the dirty work. Air gets into the system, rubber parts wear and get into the fluid and the fluid is extremely hydroscopic which draws moisture into it usually by sucking it in behind the master cylinder piston. Add to that the systems are very small it doesn't take too long to become water contaminated and that leads to corrosion and pitting in the calipers and master cylinders. Cars have much larger systems with much larger volumes of fluid so they can tolerate more contamination than bike systems. If you live in the desert and don't ride in wet, humid conditions your brake system can go a long time. If you live in a high humidity area in a shore side city with more soot and dirt in the air then you need to change fluid more often. I have always changed the fluid in my bikes about every other year and never had a problem. The color of the fluid in the master window will clue you if you're not changing often enough.