Are Avid XX brakes really that bad ?

BuickGN · May 16, 2015

These have always been my thoughts. Why would you pay considerably more for Guides when you can get cheaper Shimanos that have more power, less noise and and tons more reliability. I love the look of the Guides and the lever feel. Power is ok. But what do they give you over the equivalent Shimanos to justify the extra cost. And when you compare them to something that also has 4 pistons and costs almost the same like the Zees, it's no comparison especially in performance and thermal dissipation.

I think Guides are nice most of the time but I think the price needs to come down to match their performance/reliability.

machine4321 · May 17, 2015

So I swapped over to my jagwire pads from my elixr 3 and Not a peep out of the brakes. Ran some fast down hills wbile pre riding a race and was perfectly happy with how they felt.

I am going to deglaze the avids and rebed them in and see if that helps. Although I will add that I pissed around as one piston wasnt willing to act like the other.

Jayem · May 17, 2015

If I had avid brakes on my last group ride I may not have been able to brake so fast and cause the guy behind me to run into me and endo because he couldn't stop fast enough (uphill rider).

machine4321 · May 17, 2015

I have no issues with their power, although my xt were very powerfull.

RajunCajun44 · Jun 25, 2015

UPDATE ! -- going strong

So its been about 6 months since I have had these brakes... and I have used them enough to have to do my first brake pad change...

I have to say they have been great ! In fact after I replaced the original pads -- no more turkey gobble and the new pads have made the stopping power even better...

not sure why the stock pads weren't as good as my replacements... I replaced the pads with Avid's

bottom line is they are awesome brakes...

asookazian · Jun 25, 2015

So I had the front and back brake pads replaced with Avids at the LBS in SoCal recently and the back brake is making a sound. They said they were going to resurface the back rotor as well but not sure if they bled the brakes and they didn't discuss this with me (please note I'm an amateur and didn't know about bleeding brakes until I just read this thread).

So will these Avid pads be safe at least at 3000 ft elevation going down? I have a 2013 Diamondback OD HT Comp. And if I ride 40 miles a week, how long will they last?

RajunCajun44 · Jul 3, 2015

asookazian said:
So I had the front and back brake pads replaced with Avids at the LBS in SoCal recently and the back brake is making a sound. They said they were going to resurface the back rotor as well but not sure if they bled the brakes and they didn't discuss this with me (please note I'm an amateur and didn't know about bleeding brakes until I just read this thread).

So will these Avid pads be safe at least at 3000 ft elevation going down? I have a 2013 Diamondback OD HT Comp. And if I ride 40 miles a week, how long will they last?

-- bleeding the brakes should not affect brake noise. Bleeding is necessary when the brakes are soft and not engaging the caliper. If you are having you brakes worked on anyway I suppose it doesn't hurt to get them bled also. Freshly bled brakes with new pads feel awesome !
-- The pads will be safe.
-- The stock XX pads I had lasted only 800 miles. This is unusually fast to wear out pads. I am hoping the new pads I bought will last much longer.

jayd · Aug 5, 2015

I'm currently running 3 Avid's, a set of X0, CR and R. They're all over 5 years old and still running strong with very minor issues.

I'm also running a set of XT's, Formula The One and Magura Marta's. I've had some issues with all brands/models of brakes but setup properly they all perform well.

jcerioni · Sep 17, 2015

I have had both Shimano XL , Devore and Avid Elixer 7 and Elixer 9 trail. Shimano work well and need no attention. The Avid brakes do seem to take a little more attention, but well worth the effort. I like the feel and modulation of the Avids and the stopping power of the dual piston on the trail brakes is amazing! - much more stopping power than the single piston Shimanos I have owned. Once the bleeding is done right - no problems. They do make noise and shudder after extended use. I hust take a piece of emory paper and roughen up the rotor a bit and I am good for another 10 or 12 rides. So if you want to ride and forget, get the shimanos. If you want a better performance brake and like to tinker with your bike, get the AVIDS!!

morepower · Sep 17, 2015

Just note on EPDM. It is used in almost all vehicle caliper and master cylinder brake seals. It absorbs a little of the DOT fluid and softens a little.Brembo will replace car and bike brake seals but will make you wait until those seals have soaked a few days. The bladder is a different thing and butyl rubber is flexible and good for that, just no good for actual piston seals as it is too grippy.

Been running Avid brakes a while with no issue apart from rotor noise. As I was the UK importer for a motorcycle brake manufacturer for about 8 years I had a good idea why so swapped the rotors for two piece ones and problem solved. Running SRAM Guides now and they are the best brakes I have ever used on my mountain bike. Done about 30 miles this week on them with a ride today that had about 2500 to 3000 feet of technical descents. No noise no fade and awesome for the whole ride. Horrible loose, greasy slate strewn drops and pine needles hiding some nasty slick rocks. Total control over it all. I have no problem using Avid or SRAM brakes as long as I have my Shimano Icetech rotors.

Are Avid XX brakes really that bad ?

BuickGN

machine4321

Jayem

machine4321

RajunCajun44

asookazian

RajunCajun44

jayd

jcerioni

morepower

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