Baby oil for hydros
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if you ride a lot in the sun, something with a SPF, Avobenzone & Octinoxate. Keep the parts looking new!
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I just paid 20 for a basic bleed kit with a bottle of Shimano fluid that still has enough to do a couple more brakes. Haven't looked up the cost of just the fluid but I don't anticipate it being so much I'd need to compromise on the fluid to save a couple bucks when I went my brakes to work heading down the mountain. Only paid 20 for the 16oz bottle of campy fluid and after 4 bleeds still have enough left to last the next decade, seems cheap compared to the 8.00 replacement cables that v-brakes require.
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The true cost is how many babies it takes
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Darth beat you to the joke, funny though

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I am good with my Shimano or Finish Line mineral oil. I don't need to test other oils or void any warranties or play with my braking. I am all for being thrifty but being cheap to show off is just stupid. Get the right product and if it costs maybe a little extra it costs maybe a little extra. People are always trying to get away with using the wrong thing to save a few cents here and there and while yes it may add up it really doesn't compared to other things we spend money on.
Seth has a great Youtoob channel to fill with content so stuff like that makes sense for him. It garners views which makes him money but is it a great a idea for others to emulate, no.
Certainly don't use Magura Royal Blood in other systems as that stuff is actually not that great aside from the color and the name. It has a lower boiling point so doesn't work as well in the intended purpose at least on other brakes. No real need to mix and match use what the manufacturer recommends and don't void your warranty.
Seth has a great Youtoob channel to fill with content so stuff like that makes sense for him. It garners views which makes him money but is it a great a idea for others to emulate, no.
Certainly don't use Magura Royal Blood in other systems as that stuff is actually not that great aside from the color and the name. It has a lower boiling point so doesn't work as well in the intended purpose at least on other brakes. No real need to mix and match use what the manufacturer recommends and don't void your warranty.
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Sometimes it is convenience that drives the experiment.
Find yourself on a Sunday late afternoon riding the bicycle, then the brakes spring a leak. Quick google search for the right product shows unavailable only to be had come monday or online order few days of shipping. Then the power of google searching reveals that baby oil might work. Hey whudya know, 24hr drug store is right there... Fast forward, "Dear Bikeforumers... look what I found!...."
Find yourself on a Sunday late afternoon riding the bicycle, then the brakes spring a leak. Quick google search for the right product shows unavailable only to be had come monday or online order few days of shipping. Then the power of google searching reveals that baby oil might work. Hey whudya know, 24hr drug store is right there... Fast forward, "Dear Bikeforumers... look what I found!...."
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Shimano Mineral Oil is $30 for a liter. I bleed my brakes a couple times a year, and after 8 years I am not even a third of the way through the bottle.
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I have a 17 year old. We managed to get through half a liter in a couple of years. I have no idea how. Big baby.
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While cheaper, I would suggest in the long run baby oil might not be compatible with the seals and hoses of your brake system.
Consumer tip-----------------------Walgreen baby oil cheap, really slick, doesnt taste bad, and doesnt smoke when it get hot.
Consumer tip-----------------------Walgreen baby oil cheap, really slick, doesnt taste bad, and doesnt smoke when it get hot.

Last edited by rydabent; 02-19-21 at 10:38 AM.
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Baby oil for hydraulics? Has it come to that? The whales and seals are now so endangered/protected that we are rendering babies? Human babies? I hope there is certification for humane and sustainable harvest, or capture, or whatever you would call the procurement process.
Oh. Uh,...Wait....
Oh. Uh,...Wait....