I love my BB7s - dislike the Avid hydro versions though ( working on them and seeing mates have issues esp changing pads ! )- I would say shimano all the way for hydro....
tried hope / formula too - all ok but nothing comes close to shimano
paul
Bike Forum
AVID DISC Brakes.. Are they any good?
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Posted 5 months ago #
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I've used many different brakes, avid and formula being my faves avid r are about the best for the money generally but if you can get xx for £99 per end then go for it , ive never used xx but they will surely be lighter with the same amount of power as the r's.
Elixir can be awkward to bleed but when working correctly I don't think anything matches them at similiar price point for power.
It's rare people talk about the lower end formulas i.e k18's on here but they are very powerfull and feel great.
As for hope as much as I love them as a brand I just cannot get on with their brakes ( ducks head ) I personally find them underpowered, the adjustability is great though and they are second to none for customer service.
If you are happy getting your head around the avid bleed process I'd go for the xx or the r
Just my ten cents for what it's worth.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I have BB7s on both mountain bikes. I love cable-actuated brakes. Simple to fit. Never pump up. No bleeding. No pad rubbing or dragging. Lots of adjustment for if your mounts aren't aligned correctly. Brilliant, and that's despite having non-disc-brake specific levers. Got Shitmano hydraulics on my commuter. Horrible rattly draggy things yuk.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I've had two sets from new, one bought from Evans at full whack (Elixer 5's) and another set that came on my new 5. The set from Evans were horrendous, I used them with 203mm rotars and they were full of air from the start and never worked properly, even when I took them back to eVans. Second set on the Orange is just the same and thats routed internally....magic.
Buy a set of R1's and be amazed - they really are worth the money
Posted 5 months ago # -
Oh, and +1 for the cheaper formulas, I've got a set of K18's that have never needed touching - absolutely spot on for the money
I've also got a set of MT8's sat in a box looking all badass - just need to fit them to a bike now!
Posted 5 months ago # -
the only thing I would watch out for is the cost of pads for the XXs. You (according to SRAM) can't use sintered or semi-sintered, and the organic pads don't last long in the wet. other than that, a great brake if bled properly
Posted 5 months ago # -
I have Elixer 5s, i would buy them again no problem, they have been faultless. Two years down the line and I haven’t needed to bleed them yet. The standard rotors are also good.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I've got Elixir R's and have found them to be great but have had bleed issues recently after attempting to shorten the hoses. As it turns out I need to order threaded hose barbs to shorten them as the current ones don’t appear to be removable but that’s a separate issue. I’ve been using a borrowed non-Avid bleed kit and following this guide and video on how to bleed them but I really struggled to do it properly due to air and fluid leaking at the syringe tube fittings. I think I’ve got the front brake bled properly and will be having another go with the back brake tonight, I’ve warned the missus in advance about the cursing!
To get to the point my question is does anyone have experience of both the cheap copy bleed kits and the proper Avid bleed kits and is it worth spending the extra on the proper one? As I need to buy barbs anyway it would effectively only cost an extra £10 to get the proper kit.
Also anyone got any tips for bleeding that isn’t covered in the guide I linked? I’m fairly competent at spannering and have rebuilt a few motorbikes but they have different brake systems.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I don't understand the problems people are having with bleeding. You fit the 2 syringes and pump the fluid up and down until all of the air has come out. I don't think it could be any more simple. My M975s are a pain to bleed compared to Juicys and Elixirs.
Posted 5 months ago # -
I've used the proper bleed kit, followed the instructions carefully and never had any problems.
Posted 5 months ago # -
What will the weight difference be between a 160mm rotor and a 203mm rotor, as on one only have the 203s left, also as it is a rear one, does this mean that the size does not matter, will it definitely fit my trek ex 9.
Cheers
Posted 5 months ago # -
AFAIC most problems with Avids are user-inflicted... Though, they have all sorts of weird bugbears- hard to bleed well, horrible pad fitting on some, and the daft tri-align whose entire purpose is to add another dimension in which you can set the brakes up wrong.
None of that makes them bad, but I can't really see why anyone would ever buy them considering the strength of the competition. Especially with Formula and Shimano priced as they are now- you can spend more per end on Avid than it costs for a whole set of either of those, and get worse results.
Posted 5 months ago # -
NO
Posted 5 months ago # -
good tip on the xx pads two, i wasnt aware of that, nealy on the kits ive used that are non avid some are better than others but i they have all let a bit of air in and i think thats the biggest problem with bleeding them tbh. on the basis that you need the barbs id buy the kit, crc had a kit without 5.1 fluid, i think it worked about about 24 quid with the uk ten code.
Posted 5 months ago # -
paulo6624 » nealy on the kits ive used that are non avid some are better than others but i they have all let a bit of air in and i think thats the biggest problem with bleeding them tbh. on the basis that you need the barbs id buy the kit, crc had a kit without 5.1 fluid, i think it worked about about 24 quid with the uk ten code.
I've bled the back brake tonight with no problems at all with the same non-avid kit so I must have been doing something wrong with the front one yesterday. End result is both levers are now firm so I'm happy with that. I might still get the proper Avid kit when I get round to shortening the lines. There's no denying it's a fiddly process but I can see the sense in it to get as much air out as possible but perhaps a different master cylinder and calliper design would make a normal bleed possible.
Posted 5 months ago # -
Formula use a pretty similiar bleed process to Avid, but for whatever reason it's much easier to get a good bleed. Or at least it is, now that I stopped assuming i know best and actually follow the instructions
Posted 5 months ago # -
The piss poor effort I made of bleeding the brakes before I read the instructions properly and watch the video was laughable. Following the instruction does seem to have worked but I'll keep my powder dry on the celebrations until it's been a few weeks and any air in the system finds its way into the lines. I must admit bleeding my old motorbike brakes used to be a pain but nowhere near as messy and hard work as the Avid's.
Posted 5 months ago # -
If you want to have a go with Avid brakes for not much money I have a front 203mm and a rear 185mm Elixir 5 brake for sale, £20 posted. They will need bleeding but at that price they're great value.
Posted 5 months ago # -
YGM
Posted 5 months ago # -
Just to be clear it's £20 per brake, not £20 for the pair.
Edd
Posted 5 months ago # -
OK & done
Posted 5 months ago # -
We've 2 sets of Juicy 3s at home, on both the stepkids' bikes. Because they've never been touched aside from pad changes they're absolutely fine.
Ham fisted maintenence will make brakes feel rubbish, it took me some practice before I learned to bleed my brakes properly but my Hopes feel absolutely fine. I've a set of Hayes Strokers on my xc bike, which are very powerful but they seem to share the same bleeding setup as Avid, so when they're due they'll be off to the LBS.
Posted 5 months ago # -
Sold to epicyclo. Thanks epicyclo!
Posted 5 months ago # -
Had juicy 3's which I find are plenty good enough for light xc. Also run Elixir R's which are powerful enough for me esp with organic pads it seems.
No issues, although after 3 years one of the elixIr's seemed to need more regular bleeding although i'm going to bite the bullet and start doing it myself. Hopefully its one of those jobs after a bit of practice you wonder what all the fuss was about.
Posted 5 months ago # -
No. They aren't. HTH.
Posted 5 months ago # -
damn,
i should check my own thread more reguarly, good have got some cheap brakes... :/Posted 5 months ago # -
this site up and down a lot eh? anyway
open any issue of Dirt magazine from the last year.. notice how all the bikes have Elixirs on them.
I suppose this is because they are 1) good and 2) cheap to OEMs.
unfortunately not such a good deal retail. i still buy them though, because of 1)now glad i didn't buy the XXs thanks for the info (not taking sintered pads? useless in the UK!).
are Elixirs perfect? no. not enough pad clearance. even the tiniest imperfection on rotor = annoying noises. going through mud also a problem 'cos of this. and at least pre 2012, tend to not work after the bike is upside down, but a few pumps usually sorts them out.
sorry if i raised a dead thread.
Posted 4 months ago # -
Ask Realman. I think he used to have a pair of avid disk brakes.
Posted 4 months ago #
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