How to shorten Shimano hydraulic disc brake hoses

Start by mounting your bike in a bike stand. Make sure to clamp around the seatpost rather than the frame itself. When you are happy with the working height of the bike, it is time to remove both wheels and put them to one side.

Peel back the brake hoods from the base of the bar and you should see where the brake hose screws into the lever. To gain full access to the hose, you are going to need to unwrap some of the bar tape until the brake hose is exposed. Then trim any tape that is holding the hose to the bars so that it is free.

Now that the hoses are free, it is time to disconnect them from the lever. To do this you need to unscrew the flare nut that goes into the lever. Once this is fully unscrewed you should be able to gently separate the hose from the lever. Be careful so you don't get any hydraulic fluid on your brake calliper or pads.

With the hose disconnected, work out just how much of it needs to be trimmed. To do this, arrange the hose so it's got the amount of cable you want, and note the point that it meets the point it mounts to the lever.

Make sure that the new length doesn't obstruct steering at all, and make sure it'll be correct once the bars are rewrapped. You don't want any kinks or points that it'll stretch.

Once you've found the right length, either mark it, or keep a finger on the point that you want to cut the hose.

Having determined how much you need to lose, it is time to cut it. To do this you need a specific hydraulic hose cutting tool. You need to make sure that you do not crush or damage the inner section of the hose as this can result in poor fluid flow and can affect braking performance.

Before you insert the barb into the end of the hose, you first need to double-check that the flare nut that screws into the lever is still on the hose. It is possible for this to come off once the hose has been cut. Once this has been checked, you are ready to insert the barb into the end of the hose.

To do this you will need a barb insertion tool that clamps onto the hose and presses the barb in. It is key to make sure that the barb is fully inserted so that it sits flush with the end of the hose. Once this is on, slide the compression fitting (or 'olive') over the top so that it sits on the outer surface of the hose.

Now that everything is in order, it is time to refit the hose to the lever body by tightening the flare nut. Shimano specifies a toque limit of between 5-6Nm which we advise you follow to ensure the hose will not leak, work loose or be damaged.

Now that the hose is connected you can feed it back the way it was originally sitting on the bars. Some bars have a small groove for the hose to sit in whereas for others it typically sits on the front bottom section of the bar.

When you are happy with the position of the hose, it is time to use some insulation tape to hold it in place.

With the hoses set in place, you can rewrap the bar tape along the bar. You should be able to follow where it was previously as there is likely to be some marking on the tape itself. If you find yourself struggling to get it looking as good as it did, we have plenty of videos on how to wrap bar tape that can help you.

We have a whole how-to on how to bleed Shimano hydraulic disc brakes that will take you through each step of the process.

With the brakes successfully bled, it is time to replace the wheels and test out the operation of the brakes and to make sure the hoses are the correct length with no issues moving the bars across their range of motion.