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I got the BR-M445L + BL-M505L a month ago. I am new to hydraulic disc brakes, so I can't tell if there is any problem with air in the system or other problems. Asked a mechanic and he said the brake is fine, though.

I am unsure how to describe the problem. The lever feels awkward. The pivot point of the lever is too far forward (compared to Avid Elixir and other levers with the oil cylinder along the hose direction). I feel as if the lever is just too far from my fingers to comfortably squeeze. And I can't reduce the reach from the adjustment screw, because it then hits against my glove.

The problem is bad enough when using 2 fingers, but is terrible when using only one finger - the lever hits my middle finder and the travel is insufficient to actuate the brake.

Is there something fundamentally wrong with this lever design, at least for some cyclists. Or some trick that is a must-do (I installed the already bled system myself)?

My brake:

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"Normal" brakes:

enter image description here

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If you want to use these brakes 1 fingered, I would recommend moving them to the inside of your shifters to remove the overlap with your middle finger.

I have all my brakes set up like this and it works great.

Inboarded brake lever

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  • This was the first thing I tried. Unfortunately my acera front shifter is quite bulky on the inside so the brake can't stick up to it.
    – Vorac
    Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 8:33
  • Oh, that's a shame. Have you tried leaving the brakes outboard and moving the brake and shifter inwards together? There might be a sweet sop where the brakes are far enough away but the shifters close enough.
    – alex
    Commented Jan 28, 2014 at 10:38
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    Both the answer and this commend are great advice to anyone (thus accepting). The real problem was that some oil had leaked through the sealings. I am new to hydraulic brakes and didn't know.
    – Vorac
    Commented Feb 3, 2014 at 10:22

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