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I have some shimano disc brakes on my mtb. I have noticed every now and then the front brake lever goes soft. so much so I can't even fit one finger behind the brake lever. However pump it then I can just about fit two? It seems to keep happening as well.

What could be wrong

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    "[E]very now and then" is somewhat vague. Would you be so kind to describe under what conditions and how often this occurs. More important information that is missing: What do you do to fix it, does it go away by itself? You describe the soft state, what are your expectations for the brake's proper, non-soft, state? – gschenk Apr 29 '18 at 9:40
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    When was the last time you bled your brakes? When they get air in the lines or the fluid gets dirty they become less effective. – Jonathon Apr 29 '18 at 9:50
  • Umm I never taken it to the bike shop to be bleed. I don't have the kit/balls to do it. It's around 3 years old about 100miles( at most) on it I would say. Not fit enough to pile on the miles lol. typically one round of any trail and am done. loool – Ageis Apr 29 '18 at 9:55
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    Air is in the system. I suggest you pay to get the hydraulics bled, or buy the kit and learn to do it yourself. In the long run, doing it yourself will be good experience. Be sure to buy the correct fluid too. – Criggie♦ Apr 29 '18 at 9:59
  • anyone in the manchester area willing to show a newbie how to do it? – Ageis Apr 29 '18 at 11:03
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As mentioned in comments you should get the brakes bled.

Doing it yourself is not hard, and there are many videos on YouTube showing how to do it. Park Tool has some very good how-to videos and articles. Here is the page for brake service.

Just make sure sure you get the correct kit and fluid for your specific brakes.

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