SHIMANO SM BH90 Olive Connecting Insert Review

This little setup worked very well. I don't have all the fancy installation tools, but I was able to figure everything out with needle nose pliers. After a few months it is still working with no leaks. I definitely plan on buying more of these in the future if the need arises.

I had to cut the cables on my 2012 XT brakes and didn't have an olive. They worked like a charm and I didn't even have to bleed the brakes. Before cutting the cables, make sure your arms are parallel to the ground and do not shake the cables too much to prevent liquid from leaking.

I bought a Shimano SM-BH90 olive and linkage insert because I was upgrading to Shimano XT disc brakes and after the initial installation found that the brake line must be shortened. Therefore, the old olive and insert had to be discarded as they cannot be reused. This change worked well.

New brakes are included from Shimano. So if you shorten the lines for new brakes, you don't need them. But if you decide to shorten the lines again (too long or simply by swapping out for a new bike) you're going to need it. When you cut the lines, do it at the end of the arm where it will be used. Yes, it's true that you can cut the lines and don't need to bleed the lines as long as you follow the procedure and don't touch the lever, tilt the bike, or fiddle with the calipers. Search and you…