I have a 10-year old bike, fitted with hydraulic disk brakes. The bike has been actively used for around 4 years only though.
Recently, my brake levers started to have more and more "play" before the bike actually starts braking. A kind of a "dead zone" where nothing happens, just like if there was not enough oil.
I went to the store to fix it, twice, but it keeps coming back. They say something may be stuck ("bourrage" in french, as ugly as it sounds). They told me they bled the brakes, but at this point I'm not sure anymore.
So now I'd like to fix this myself, once and for all.
The brakes are the only thing I've been afraid to fiddle with, so far, so that's why I'm coming here for advices.
Is there any "fixing your hydraulic disk brakes 101" or equivalent? A guide I could follow to check things in order. Shall I check brake pads first, then oil, then... A flowchart would be lovely!
tl;dr: What to check first to fix hydraulic disk brakes?
I went to the store to fix it, twice, but it keeps coming back.
Can you clarify that statement? Who fixed it? What did they do? Why does it come back?