Hello to STW,
My name is Ghostrider and I have avid juicy 7 brakes.
They were so stoppy and shinny when they were new but now they are sticky and dull, actually one piston on each caliper is totally jammed.
More than one bike shop man has advised "alternative manufacturers" due to maintenance woes of Avid brakes.
Having tried to extract pistons myself, and failing, i am now getting to the big decision - replace, but the thing that bugs me is that the J7 levers are fine, the hoses are fine, i have an Avid bleed kit and two sets of almost new avid pads, so i have a few niggling questions that need answered,
- Can i use Avid J7 levers with Shimano (or anybody elses) calipers ?
- Why not ? is it a hydraulic mechanics pressure / volume / thing ?
- Can i use Avid J7 levers with newer Avid brake calipers, this probably doesn't matter as i don't think you can purchase avid calipers on their own.
To retain the J7's and resolve this through the the bike shop man would cost approx £100 maybe more, new brakes Front and Rear from Chain Reaction Cycles would cost just a bit more.
Bottom line is this, ignoring the initial cost of the brakes and the possible bike shop fix costs, i'm into these puppies for about £60 so do i keep the Avids or bite the bullet and buy something more trail / muck / home fix friendly.
I think i know the answer, just don't want to accept it.
My advice, if you have avid brakes look after them from the start....
