How far back are you supposed to be able to pull the brake lever on an f4i? I can ALMOST pull the level all the way back to the handle. not quite, but almost. I just bought this bike a month ago, so i'm not sure if I just need to bleed out the brake lines or invest in some steel or kevlar brake lines.

 

What color is your brake fluid? Like pure canadian maple syrup? If so, you need to change it. If not, then you may have air in your lines; hence the squishiness
...and I'm assuming you know the lever is adjustable.

 

If you can pull the lever all the way back with no pressure then something is wrong.

F4i brake lever pressure is not very high but the brakes work fine, you just get more lever travel. Only way to solve that problem is a new brake set up.

 

i can pull mine back all the way but thereis more and more pressure when i do.. do you have pressure or is it just dead?

 

With my adjustable lever, if I put it as far away as I can, I can get it within a centimeter of the bar. Stock-wise, you should be able to get it fairly close to the grip if you REALLY squeeze it.

If you haven't done so in a while, or if you just got the bike yourself, it wouldn't hurt to replace the fluid and bleed the lines so you know for sure.

And stainless steel brake lines are never a bad idea (although I can still get the lever close on mine).

 

Defintely start with a brake bleed. The fluid ought to be replaced regularly anyway, because it picks up moisture and goes off spec. It's easy to do.

I did the stainless line conversion (Galfer) but didn't notice much change until I switched to the EBC pads. Big difference. We're not talking about a lot of money to do this...under $150, I guess.

I'd be wary of a lever that soft. Eighty percent of braking is in your right hand.

--Paul