Packed with features!These build onThe Juicy brake line and add newTechnology. A sleek, newly re-designed caliper, plus carbon fiber lever blades, help keepThe weight down. Tool-free pad contact point and lever reach adjustments More powerfulThan Juicy, but with better modulation "Top-loading" design makes brake pad changes a snap Refined G3 series rotor (fits standard 6-boltType hubs) Carbon fiber lever Published weight 375 grams (160mm rotor) Front will include appropriate adaptersTo fit both
The Avid Elixir brakes replace the Avid Juicy Ultimates and become the top of the line, multipurpose brake set for Avid/SRAM. Braking power with the new Avid Elixir’s are claimed to be somewhere in-between the Juicy and Code lineups. With new technologies like Taperbore, tool free adjustment, new G3 rotor and banjo fittings, the Elixir brake lineup brings something completely new to the table for Avid. Continue reading →
Strengths: Loads of features such as Carbon Fiber Levers (some models), Pad Contact Adjustment, Tool-free Reach Adjustment, and top-loading pads. Performance is better when used with the newer HS1 Avid Rotors. These are some of the best looking brakes.
Weaknesses: Bleed port is on the contact adjustment knob and not on the lever body itself. These brakes are already discontinued because of this.
Bottom Line:
Upgraded to these from my Hayes Stroker Trail brakes, and I was a little let down. Don't get me wrong, power and modulation are better, but these left me wishing for more. If you are looking at these, get the Elixir 9 instead....Elixir 7 if you don't need Pad Contact Adjustment.
Strengths: Anodized color, good out-of-box feel, um........
Weaknesses: Value, power, modulation, feel, noise. Just a terrible brake overall
Bottom Line:
Got these wretched brakes on a 2010 giant reign, and they were definitely the weakest part of the bike. As my first set of hydraulic brakes, these really didn't fulfill the expectation that I had, and their power isn't that much of an improvement over my avid mechanicals. Braking power deteriorated pretty rapidly, and now i can hardly 1-finger the brakes-more like a 3-finger grasp for life. The modulation is awful, and the tool free adjustment is both difficult and unsucessful. Repetitive attempts to stop rear wheel drag and both front and rear wheel noise have also been fruitless. New bags and repeated bleedings do not help. These are a horrible horrible brake and I will never buy Avid again, and neither should you if you read this post. Sure some people have had luck, but I'm guessing they reviewed the product about 2 months in and not 2 years after like I am. Get some Formulas.
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Submitted by
bmxking45
a All Mountain Rider
from Providence, RI
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2012
Strengths: Solid performer with no maintenance thus far. Lightweight brakes. Strong levers that have taken some hits without breaking nor sacrificing any of their performance.
Weaknesses: Adjustability isn't what I would call ideal but because they work so good that there really isn't too much of a need for it. I do wish the lever had a little less play and they have developed a bit of a "click" but nothing worth complaining about. The lever feel isn't quite as good as other brakes however they are also a lot more expensive.
Bottom Line:
I have had no problems with these brakes what-so-ever. They are solid performers that are the best performing brakes I have had any experience with. There are better brakes out there but you have to pay to play. The CR's are a great brake with super high performance that can handle the burly downhill stuff without any complaints. I have not had any of the turkey gobble that others have mentioned. The brakes have now been on my bike for about 18 months and a 1000miles and I have not had to change out the pads yet.
Strengths: These brakes stop me and I am 6'3" 280lbs. I have cooked some fluid over the years but they always keep me out of trouble.
Weaknesses: They squeak if you need something that is quite 100% of the time then go some where else.
Bottom Line:
Love the brakes they are the only thing I didn't replace when I rebuild my bike this winter. No reason to they work great. Just put on Swiss Stop Pads they are the way to go.
Bike Setup: Salsa, Dos Niner, X9 Carbon 10 speed system. Fox RL fork with custom built wheels. 185mm in the back and 203mm on the front.
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Submitted by
sloppyart
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2012
Strengths: Really nice feel to them. I like my brakes to be catchy. No mush for me.
Weaknesses: None other than they cost money.
Bottom Line:
I don't know if I got lucky, or if Avid's quality control is a little lacking, but the brakes I just installed were about as easy as it gets to install. No issues with noise. They stop the bike great. Really nice feel to them. I like them about equal to my XT's on my Giant Trance X1.
Seems some people have issues with noise. I had no problem at all with that. No rubbing. No squeak. No issues requiring me to bleed the brakes. Only issue at all is I ride a small frame so the hose length is WAY to long. I'll have to get them chopped once I finalize the build and setup on my bike.
Set up was a breeze. I would suspect that at least some of the bad reviews on this site are due to people not setting up their brakes correctly.
I'm not sure if my method is the best way (feel free to correct anything that might kill someone), but I:
(1) Remove brakes from package.
(2) Install rotor on hub.
(3) Attach lever to handle bar fully (where I like them).
(4) LIGHTLY attach caliper to it's mount on the fork or frame.
(5) Pump brake lever a few times until it firms up.
(6) Pull brake lever all the way in (hard).
(7) Finish tightening down the caliper.
(8) Make sure the wheel spins freely.
(9) Go outside. Make sure the brakes work.
(10) Ride fast and then stop quickly. Do this 10-20 times.
(11) Go for a real ride.
Weaknesses: Very little modulations. Only two choices, no brakes of fully lock wheel, nothing in between! Bleed sucks, you have to buy a whole bleed kit for $50+, the parts wear our really quickly and Avid does not supply you all the O-rings in the rebuild kit for $25! These brakes are money sucking pits.
Bottom Line:
Don't waste your money on Avid or SRAM brakes, nothing but a nightmare.
Submitted by
394SMS
a Cross Country Rider
from Miami Florida
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2011
Strengths: After 9 months they finally work. Turkey wobble is now acceptable. Even though its still Oct.
Weaknesses: Read the reviews, they say it all. I read every review on google and did the bleeds x 3 all the scram videos cures and they now work. They howled, dragged, the adj doesn't do a dam thing. I suffered for six months and finally got them to work, no drag at all and back to loving to riding. When I used to go for a ride the rotors were so hot I couldn't touch them. Now all is well.
Bottom Line:
Unless you are a super mechanic, and have great technical skills, a problem solver, and lots of patience these brakes will drive you F ing crazy. Buy an anchor and throw it out to stop,as it will give you less problems than these Avid CRs will.
Similar Products Used: First set of hyd brakes, prefer mech type.
Bike Setup: Motobecane Ti 26er Phantom Pro
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Submitted by
Gunnar-man
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, AB, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2011
Strengths: Great modulation, love the carbon lever
Weaknesses: Required a bleed out of the box, howled alot on long, steep downhills, not as easy to bleed as the juicys, the G3 rotors seemed more flimsy than the Avid rotors
Bottom Line:
These started out as great brakes but after about 6mths of use they started to become a little mushy. They also would howl like a banshee on long steep downhills, which I had never experienced before on my previous brakes.
I don't think the pad adj worked, as i didn't notice any difference in the feel, stopping or contact when I did adjust them.
They did have great modulation and stopping power, though. And since I was able to get the complete system for $200, that made it a little easier to accept some of the short comings.
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, CT
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2011
Strengths: Can't find any strengths . Worst set of brakes after my Juicy 5's that came with another bike.
Weaknesses: Noise, gobble , squeal, spongy levers. Just can't make these work well.
Bottom Line:
Have the avid bleed kit, know how to use it. Still, I reviewed all the videos on bleeding avid brakes anyway because I could NOT eliminate the spongy lever feel and I can't get a firm lever. Impossible. Also they were terribly noisy brand new. Replaced rotors with aligators. Still had noise, replaced pads with organics. Reduced the noise. Replaced the rotrs aagain with Shimano XT rotors, that heldped a LOT!! Still, I can't live witht the crappy lever feel so I'm getting the 2012 Shimano XT disc brake sets.
Similar Products Used: Shimano XT 4 pot disc brakes (over 7 years old and still perfect) on my retired XC bike.
Bike Setup: 2011 Stumpjumper elite FSR
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Submitted by
qbngringo
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, FL
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2011
Strengths: Light weight, good looks, strong
Weaknesses: Rubbed the rotor unless perfectly aligned, even then it rubbed the rotor some. It squeeled all the time and howled when wet. I would never buy these again.
Bottom Line:
These brakes were strong and light. I wanted to love them and gave them lots of time to be figured out. They were bleed several times and had the pads replaced but no matter what they just would keep being annoying. Adding just a little drag to my ride and lots of noise. They were replaced with Shimano XT brakes which are heavier but have better pad clearance.
Similar Products Used: Shimano XT, Juicy 3, Juicy 5, BB5
Bike Setup: Rip 9, full XT drivetrain, Haven Wheels
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Submitted by
Odiggy
a Weekend Warrior
from Mount Holly, Nj
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2011
Strengths: Great looking, excellent modulation, excellent braking power, reach adjustment
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I wanted to add my 2 cents about these brakes. Admittedly, I've only had them for a month now, but adding my recent adjustment story may help others they encounter the disc rubbing.
I was riding the trail and while coming down a hill with a sharp right, I missed the turn and rode off into the brush. Anyway, nothing broke or bent, but I found when got back on the trail the front brake begin rubbing inside the caliper. I was able to finish the ride. The next day I inspected the brake rub & discovered the caliper itself apparently lost its alignment during the crash. So I loosened the 2 hex bolts, straightened the cup washers, and retightened the caliper while spinning the wheel. There is a very small tolerance between rubbing and no rubbing inside the caliper. Keeping the cupwashers as straight as possible while slowly tightening both hex bolts equally and holding caliper away from the rim, I was able to again align the rotor inside the caliper and eliminate the rub. I then re-bedded the pads to the rotor and now everything once again works as it did right out of the box! FYI, the hex bolts and cup washers were still all tight before I re-aligned the entire caliper!
This may not be the fix-all solution for everyone, I'm going to always inspect this alignment evertime before I ride and definitely before I'd begin any internal pad, or more involved adjustments.
Lesson: The concave shape of the cup washers must allow for the caliper to slip over time or in my case, during hard braking. That is what must be what happened to me.
Anyway, my 2 cents! Hope it helps!
So far these are the best brakes I ever ridden upon. I'll update my post if this changes....
Submitted by
Wheelspeed
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2011
Strengths: Looks
Weaknesses: Cannot replace seals for contact pad adjustment.
Frequent disc rub.
Contact pad adjustment does not adjust enough to get rid of brake rub.
Avid does not help purchasers of online products.
Bottom Line:
These brakes required me to readjust the caliper every time I had to remove a wheel. Sometimes I had to adjust the caliper even if I didn't remove the wheel. I didn't find the Contact Pad adjustment useful in resolving this.
The Contact Pad Adjustment barrel uses seals that are irreplacable. If the seals fail, you have to deal with Avid on a replacement lever body. Avid feels that you should purchase parts from bike shops. If they don't like where you purchased their product, they won't help you.
I can replace the lever body for $75.00, which I would do if it weren't for the constant brake rub and my assumption that the Contact Pad adjustment seals will fail again one day, requiring another lever body replacement, etc. etc.
I only had about 180 miles on the brakes and they aren't even scratched. The failure is not caused by a crash or poor care. Low value rating is for constant rotor drag and failure in low mileage.
Low overall rating reflects my displeasure to Avid for designing such an important item that can't be repaired with a seal kit. (Even a bike shop cannot make the repair.)
Submitted by
stumblemumble
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Rosa, CA
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2011
Strengths: Ease of bleeding
They work
The reach adjustment is great
Weaknesses: DOT brake fluid is less easy to work with than mineral oil.
Never use the pad adjust, would only be useful if the pads are rubbing.
Bottom Line:
Many have had squealing issues, none here except when the pads are new and need to be bed. I wonder how many of the squeal complaints are just improperly bed brakes.
