Really? I have just ordered a Fatty from on one and now I find loads about the elixir 1 brakes it comes with being pap.

Surly if they are bled well and set up properly they must be at least ok?

I had some Elixir 3’s a few years back that (whilst not a patch on the slx brakes I have now) were ok.

Please can someone give me some real world reassurance that I won’t have to put my hand in my pocket right away for some new brakes!

I’ve got them, not been a problem, bleeding them is ok, just take your time. Pads are available, nice and cheap complete set for £45. They were a massive step up from the cable operated ones that came with the bike.

If they are anything like my Elixir 5s then yes, they will be pap. Worst disk brakes I have ever had.

I have always tried to stick up for Avid brakes, but think I am just about ready to give up.
My Elixir R SLs on my FSR have been fine this years 24/12 – so 2.5 yrs without bother. Then pit the wheels back in the bike and they won’t go. The pads have closed right up and even with the pad spacers can’t be pried far enough apart. Have to remove fluid from the calipers and they need a bleed.

And the Elixir 3s on my Inbred must only be a year old but are already playing up. They were fine last week, but went to put bike in the car last night and the front brake is binding. Manage to get it freed up but still not great. Then this evening the brake is binding like mad. Should have just got slx; I only got the Elixir because I wanted to keep the pads the same between bikes to keep things simple.

Got a brand new bike they were brilliant , 500miles without Any issue , 6 weeks later I get a replacement bike due to a warranty issue on frame , new bike brakes are Garbage need constant fettling and you can’t be sure if they will stop you with the rear brake lever going rock solid and not applying any brake effort to disc after long fast downhill stuff. ! , I would say it’s just your luck if you get a good set or not , if they work there good , if not save up for something better

The word ‘avid’ at the start is a dead giveaway.

Never had any issues with avids, there is a lot of hatred for them which I just don’t understand. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

Argh!
Thinking now I will persist for a while ( just got the epic bleed kit in anticipation of needing it) but keep my eyes open for replacement.

Elixir 1s came on my Fatty, which I got in late December. They worked well, excellent modulation and nice and quiet. They felt almost as good as my Magura Martas.

After about two months, the levers pulled to the bars, so they went to the LBS for a bleed. LBS likes Avid, and owner is very meticulous, so I’m confident that he did a very good bleed.

Another few months, and the levers pull to the bars again. So I bought a bleed kit (the Avid Pro one) and did a bleed myself, as well as shortened the hoses and changed pads. I doubt that I did as good of a job as the LBS, though. So no surprise when one of them needed another bleed a couple of months later.

When they are working well, I really like them. So not a disaster for me, but mine have needed quite a bit of attention in the form of regular bleeds. I haven’t bled my Magura Martas in at least 2 years, for comparison.

IMO, Avid probably needs a little bigger fluid reservoir at the master cylinder to allow the system to deal with air a little better. So, we’ll see what the future holds…

I have them on my single speed. Don’t find them too bad braking wise until I’ve been on my full suss with its shimano brakes for a while. Then they just feel a bit mleh, and underpowered despite being on the same size rotors.

Based on my experiences with Juicys I fully intend to get rid of them when they need bleeding, it’s such a ball ache compared to other brands.

Out of all the avid brakes i have had over the years the most reliable have been surprisingly the Elixir 1’s. Had them over a year only needed 1 bleed. Other avids needed a bleed every couple of months.

They’re OK.

Better than Juicy 3s, not as good as Shimano Deore.

Pik n Mix – Member

Never had any issues with avids, there is a lot of hatred for them which I just don’t understand. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.
You haven’t read the posts above and below yours for the reasons why then? Or all the other threads where Avids are slated and reasons given?

They seem to be pot luck whether you get a good set or not.

They seem to be pot luck whether you get a good set or not.

This. If you get a good set they’ll be great, if you don’t they might just randomly stop working somewhere between two corners.

You haven’t read the posts above and below yours

Not reading above is just laziness, but below is impossible without time travelling, more thought before posting perhaps on your part as well.

IF you get a set of avids that work they’re fine. The problem is finding that set, as for finding two sets so you have working front and rear brakes!!!!

I do wonder if the aftermarket price is so high to cover warranty returns?

benji – Member

You haven’t read the posts above and below yours

Not reading above is just laziness, but below is impossible without time travelling, more thought before posting perhaps on your part as well.
Given Im replying to a post where other posts have been made after the pick n mix’s post, he would therefore see other replies made after his, assuming he comes back to read any replies.

Although your selective quoting missed out

Or all the other threads where Avids are slated and reasons given?

gives further context to my post.

Do go on with your nit picking if you must, it doesn’t change the fact the Avids are inconsistent in their longevity / performance.

Had 1s , 5s,7s all , back to bars, back to bars, bleed, bleed week after week…..absolute sh…….te…..IMHO…….sent snotty email to Giant/Avid etc and they sent me new set of Avid 9s and paid my LBS to fit. OK so far but nowhere near my XT s on the Trance

You haven’t read the posts above and below yours for the reasons why then? Or all the other threads where Avids are slated and reasons given?
They seem to be pot luck whether you get a good set or not.

Guess I’ve been uber lucky then, on my 4th set of avids and not once had a problem that wasn’t my own fault.
You often see posts in brake threads with a simple line of avids are shite buy shimano with no justification, it was this hatred I was referring to rather than specific posts above mine.

I’ll back the pot luck theme. I’ve had several sets of Avid brakes. Juicy 3s were excellent for 3 years through all weathers, Juicy 5s I had were horrible, Elixir1 (I think) were brilliant for about 2 weeks, then slowly died.

I found that once they ‘went off’ nothing would get them back to feeling like they did. Tried new pads/rotors/calliper rebuilds/bleeds etc. They would work again, but never quite as well as they should.

That said I’ve had problems with some Shimano and Hayes brakes too, so I’m not totally anti-Avid.

I agree the with above sentiment, saying something is rubbish without qualification is pointless.
Unless its a CB product.

I have Avids on all my 3 bikes,always found them okay 🙂

I think the main problem is the rubbish bleeding process..
The fact the kit costs 1/3 of the brake set if you have elixir 1’s doesn’t make them cost effective.

I have been running mine for a year and a half, and other getting past the most aggravating bleed process they work fine and are nice and powerful used year round.

The bleed process though.. many a time i have bled as per the instructions and then you find the lever could feel better but works..
So you bleed it again and the lever then feels worse.
Then you do it again and the hose on one of the syringes fails and your back to square one..
Which could be a good reason why there is air in there because its all or nothing with the bleed process.

What has redeemed them from the bin due to the rubbish bleeding process. Was only using one syringe and a rag at the lever end, and pushed the fluid out that way retaining the same bleed procedure.

And just remembering, when i got mine new the hose was to short so bought a new hose, and was surprised with the contaminants which came out of the fluid for new brakes.. That’s not going to help longevity.

I thought my Elixir 7 were good until I used Shimano SLX

The faffy bleed process always feels like a work around for a basic poor design that traps air.

As said before – if they are working, then a perfectly nice brake. It is the purely random nature of when they suddenly ingest some air / pistons jam up etc that makes them hateful.

The lower spec ones might actually be better, as I personally think the bite point adjuster barrel is one of the points where fluid can leak / air get in.

We ran some with just a few minor hassles / re-bleeds for 18 months. But then it got to the point where it was 50:50 if a pad change would also require a re-bleed. Replacing pads on holiday or at a 24 hour race is not the time you need to be bleeding brakes (especially with a bleed that needs 2 syringes, hose clamps, elastic bands, torx bits, tiny screws and o-rings to loose in the grass etc).

I think Avid basically learnt that the bombproof reliability of BB7s didn’t earn them much money (I have a few sets, including some 10 years old and still working fine). So they decided to make something a little less reliable….. 🙂

Thanks for the replies folks.

With the offer of a cheap set of Formula rx brakes from a mate I think I will prejudge these brakes and swap them out before they have a chance to be crap.