Submitted by
nsconts
a Weekend Warrior
from Lawrenceville, GA
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2011
Strengths: great stopping ability, tight feel
Bottom Line:
These brakes are awesome. The Air 9 I bought had the Elixir 5's on it and they didn't come close to the Juicy Carbon feel and stopping power. I switched the Juicy Carbon's from Scalpel and the difference is remarkable. I'll be keeping these brakes for a while!
Strengths: Very easy to dial in. Pad contact makes it much more easier than Juicy series.
Bleeding is so easy and fast with the avid bleeding kit.
Weaknesses: Not powerful enough for a heavy rider.
Bottom Line:
Have been using them for 5 years. They always perform well. No need to bleed them often and when you do it s a very easy job with the kit. 160 rotors are fine if you re light weight. But ideally I d say go for larger rotor sizes.
Submitted by
tcasari
a Cross Country Rider
from Arvada, CO
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2009
Strengths: They do their intended job well and look swell doin' it
Weaknesses: None for me
Bottom Line:
They do what I bought them for. They stop well with minimal noise, which varies with moisture (mostly quiet). Great modulation with one finger ease. I ride agressive XC and weight about 150 lb. All the stopping power I need. Light enough. Look good. A great value these days with the intro of the Elixir line. This is just my experience. To each their own! :)
Submitted by
CDA MTBer
a Weekend Warrior
from CDA, ID USA
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2009
Strengths: quality product, adjustability, good modulation, good durability, easy to adjust and maintain.
Weaknesses: Price if you pay MSRP
Bottom Line:
These brakes stop well and handle everything I can put them through from fast fire roads to steep technical trails with speeds reaching 40+mph. I have never experienced brake fad or overheating problems which I believe are largely related to riders dragging thier brakes from the top of the hill to the bottom. Yes I would recommend these brakes.
Bike Setup: I bought these as a set of 160mm front and rear for a Stumpjumper Pro FSR
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
mkldesigns
a Cross Country Rider
from Sacto Ca
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2009
Strengths: I wouldn't know, They were junk right out of the box & I haven't been able to ride them yet.
Weaknesses: It's an Avid
Bottom Line:
I bought these as an upgrade to the Juicy 5's that came on the bike. The 5's howled non stop until I switched the pads to the organics. (why do they even make the metallic pads!!!)
Right out of the box the front lever was junk. It wouldn't return to the released position after the lever was squeezed.
Now I remember why I got out of mountain biking three years ago. The stuff is under-built & overpriced!!!
Submitted by
fast_ticket
a Cross Country Rider
from Monterey, Ca
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2009
Strengths: All the power I need, great modulation in the corners
Weaknesses: Tempermental and tedious set up, Tri-align is a myth
Bottom Line:
Once these brakes are dialed in they're great, getting there takes patience. Contrary to other reviews Avid Customer service (Nate) hooked me up! I'm running '07's w/ a 185 front (with no problems) and 160 rear (brake wurbled like a turkey in heat) After getting nowhere with Cambria or local LBS I went to Avid who sent me their newest rotor and brake pads, free. The new rotor did help the noise but then I noticed pulsing. Turned out the pads were riding 3mm down the rotor arms. I replaced the adaptor using a 160 front and it positioned the pads perfectly. Now I only have the sweet sound of speed scrub. Unless you are a great wrench set up is best left to the pros. Oh, the pad adjustment dials are next to useless.
Submitted by
UpSideDownBiker
a Cross Country Rider
from Holmen, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2008
Strengths: Light weight
Weaknesses: Lack power, squeal, come out of adjustment.
Bottom Line:
I hate to say this but these brakes kind of suck. I've seen other reviews for them and was excited to see them come on my 29'er. But after a few rides I had problems. Brought them in and had new lines put in and new oil but a very good mechanic. Same issues. The power is non-existent, they squeal, the lever slowly dives over time. Not during the ride but almost as if the pads are wearing down. So, yes I put pads on and no luck, bled them again, blah, blah, blah. I ended up taking them off and putting on my Juicy 7's. All the problems went away. Still not as powerful as my new XT's but at least I stop now. I hope the new brakes Avid has out work much better because I would have rather had a set of BB7's on the bike because they work.
Submitted by
JackHammer
a Downhiller
from Brighton, East Sussex, UK
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2008
Strengths: Super powerful, excellent modulation, sexy loooks, the carbon lever feels really good against your fingers. Light weight
Weaknesses: None yet, but i'm scared of breaking the lever, but i'm yet to fall of hard enough to jab it into the ground. Maybe the squealing when wet.
Bottom Line:
These brakes are brilliant improvement on the already brilliant juicy 7. The carbon lever blade has no friction against your fingers during the lever pull, although i'd never noticed it until i ran a juicy 7 with alu balde and a juicy carbon on the same bike. Makes me wanna upgrade to the new elixirs cos they are supposedly better! If you can afford them, get em!
Similar Products Used: avid juicy sevens, hayes hfx 9s
Bike Setup: DH FR moorewood shova lt.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
chris_nor_cal
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, Ca
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2008
Strengths: Looks, Weight, Simplicity of Setup, Adjustability
Weaknesses: They SOUND and FEEL terrible.
Bottom Line:
I really wanted to like these brakes, the performance is just not there. They howl and shudder and it just ruins the ride. The calipers are centered. all bolts torqued to spec. Tried 2 sets of rotors, two sets of pads, tried sanding pads. These brakes sound like absolute garbage and shudder the whole bike. I'm selling them on ebay and i will never buy another set of avid brakes, they suck. I'll be getting Formula K24s
Submitted by
BE Krustie
a Downhiller
from Prince George
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2008
Strengths: Great breaking power and control, strong, look awesome in the right set up.
Weaknesses: Takes a while to get them bled properly and they squeal some times but all discs do.
Bottom Line:
bottom line is for the price that i paid for them they are ridiculous brakes. They give you all the moderation that you need with fast smooth stops and quick speed re-adjustments at just a tap. They do take a little tinkering to set up though so plan out about and hour to set them up but as far as they go they're a great break to use under high brake turns and steep slopes.
Bike Setup: Gary Fisher Fat Possum X0, Race Face fsa splined crank, sram x.7 derailleur's front and back, supra bh 32 front and back, avid juicy carbon front brake 160mm rotor, shimano deore xt composite v-brakes on the rear (don't ask lol), maxxis dh f minion 3c 2.5 on the front and a maxxis high roller 3c in the back
I have front 203mm rear 185mm and find these breaks work really well.
The callipers need proper alignment (easily done) not as the instructions state "loosen the calliper alignment bolts, squeeze the lever and tighten". I tried that and the front kept rubbing! Loosen the bolts spin the wheel and adjust as necessary, tightening a little at a time, being careful not to "torque" the calliper out of position.
Once set up correctly there is masses of power and bite and no real noise to speak of.
Submitted by
Shannon Wilson
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland OR, USA
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2008
Strengths: Excellent lever ergonomics, loads of power and modulation, super easy to bleed.
Weaknesses: Lever reach requires tool. They work crappy if the pad contact srew is adjusted in too far (no warning in instructions).
Bottom Line:
DO NOT SCREW PAD CONTACT IN TOO FAR! I've had good luck with these other than when bringing the pad contact screw in to close. Much quieter with organic pads, but need frequent replacement in winter. Still a great brake after a hard year of abuse. Take away one star because new designs are step up. If your looking for a good brake for low price, not the newest technology, you will be happy.
Strengths: Carbon look, Stops when u want it to, light not to hard to setup.
Weaknesses: The lever's screw which holds the pivot togetheris not as tough as expected.
Bottom Line:
These brakes are good, but can be better. It stops when you want it to but the lever's pivot is an issue. For the amount you pay for it should be flawless. However these brakes do stop when you want it to stop.
Submitted by
Zane Dordai
a Cross Country Rider
from Maplewood, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2007
Strengths: Super powerful, awesome modulation, super smooth lever throw, light, looks sweet.
Weaknesses: hmmm, a good question! None so far, although its difficult to get them to not rub (they don't rub significantly at all, barely noticable.)
Bottom Line:
I bought my bike stock with rim brakes because I thought i wouldn't need the extra stopping power. After jeers from everyone i decided to get discs, and man am I happy with these. All the upsides i could've imagined on discs came with these brakes. I did a very wet, rainy muddy (and TONS of leaves) sort of ride today to break them in, and i was amazed by their power. I could lock up the wheels easy with one finger. The carbon lever feels awesome in my hands, and the stroke is super smooth. I bled them and installed them myself, and I couldn't be happier. These were worth every enny in my opinion, but dropping $500 for a set of disc brakes (although that isnt what I paid, i bought these wholesale from the shop I work at) might be abit too steep. For people looking for an awesome high line brake, your search stops here.
Some people said they were having a "spongy" feeling with the brakes. That is because they were not bled properly, and the best thing to do is look up avid brake bleed on youtube and SRAM's official video comes up. If you don't trust your LBS (and i can't see why you wouldn't) the instructions are very clear and super easy.
They also squealed a bit, but what brakes aren't noisy when its wet? Awesome, awesome brakes.
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