Oh yes folks, it’s that time of year again! The sun is out, the trails are dry, and the bike parks are opening up for a busy riding season ahead. With plenty of races and events on the calendar over the next few months, we’ve been giving the Flow Fleet a much-needed spring clean after a long, wet and muddy winter. Thankfully Maxima has come to the rescue to help us get everything in tip-top condition, and the first point of order is some fresh brake fluid to sharpen up our disc brakes.
Maxima Mineral Brake Oil
- Price: $18.95 AUD (118ml) – $39.95 AUD (473ml)
A relatively new product from Maxima is its Mineral Brake Oil. Developed in collaboration with SRAM to suit its DB8 disc brake (though also compatible with Shimano and Magura brakes), this US-made formula is said to provide your brakes with a consistent lever feel while being low maintenance since mineral oil doesn’t absorb moisture. It features a distinctive green colour, so there’s less chance of getting it mixed up with other oils and lubricants in your workshop.
A glug of this stuff in a Shimano funnel tool, a few squeezes of the lever blade to relieve some pesky bubbles, and our SLX brakes are feeling sharp and ready to hit the trails – BOOM!
Maxima DOT 5.1 Disc Brake Fluid
- Price: $14.95 AUD (120ml) – $19.95 AUD (500ml)
To suit the SRAM Level and Code brakes on some of our other test bikes, we’ve got a big bottle of Maxima DOT 5.1 Brake Fluid. While we’ll be using it for mountain bike disc brakes, you can use this stuff with any hydraulic clutch or brake system that specifies DOT 5.1 fluid.
Compared to mineral oil, DOT 5.1 has a higher boiling point (269°C vs 215°C), so it’s generally better able to resist fade in really challenging conditions. Maxima claims its ‘anti-vapor lock formulation’ is less susceptible to water contamination and oxidisation. In theory this means it’ll maintain its performance for longer, though SRAM still recommends bleeding your disc brakes at least once a year.
We’ve recently been using the Neutron Components Emergency Bleed Kit, which makes it easy to perform a quick lever bleed on SRAM brakes without need to pull out the full syringe kit. We’ll still do a proper bleed every 12 months, but for a quick pre-ride sharpen up, this combo is a winner.
