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Avid disc brakes- good or c@#$% ?


KABOUS

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I've heard that applying a drop of the appropriate brake fluid to edge of the pistons does help the brakes release a bit better. Please note this is something I've heard and never tried. Also it is vital to use the correct fluid otherwise the seals may be damaged. 

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Anyone know of a website where it'll show me how to adjust my pads on my Juicy 3's? I installed them myself but the pads have gripped the rotors and won't let go.

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I've got Juicy Carbons, never had an issue.

 

Anyone want to buy them ? Seriously, want to buy some bling Hopes !

 

 

The Thug2009-09-23 01:55:58

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I got my bleed kit from Brent and they work a treat on my Formula ORO's and a steal for R50. I had issues with the pistons sticking too but blasted them with a teflon based lube and they seem to be working fine (not 100% sure that the teflon won't damage the O-ring, but time will tell).

 

 

 

Check out http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-bleeding-avid-and-other-disc-brakes-21800 for some good instructions on how to bleed radial master cylinder brakes, such as Avid, Formula and Hayes.

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Avid as good as Shimano ?

 

I had Juicy 3.5's they were OK, but not great, constant issues with rubbing, I also have seen many owners go through the "calibration" steps often, losen the caliper bolts, clamp the brake and tighten, then do it again, and again and then finally settle on a bit of rub.

 

My Shimano XT's however are brilliant, the calibration ritual is a distant memory. I can remove my wheels, put them back on and maybe once in a blue moon I may need to calibrate. With the Avid's it would always be a lengthy process re-calibrating if a wheel was removed.

 

From my experience, I will not go back to Avid's.

 

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Found this on the web. Is this how you adjust the calipers?

 

If they are rubbing, they might be slightly misadjusted, or there is a slight warp in the rotor. Since they are double-piston caliper brakes, both brake pads move in at the same time.

Here is how to adjust them:

Loosen the caliper fixing bolts just a tad so the caliper can wiggle side to side. While loose, squeeze the brake on the rotor in a few different spots in the wheel rotation - this should center the caliper over the rotor.

Next, sqeeze the brake lever fairly tight, and do up the fixing bolts a little at a time, switching between the two, until they are tight.

Last, as the other guy said, you can adjust the reach of the lever with a 2mm alan key. This can make the lever farther away from the bar, so you can pull it a little tighter before hitting your fingers.

Also, if the levers feel mushy, or still don't give you enough finger clearance while strongly braking, you might try getting them rebled.
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Anyone know of a website where it'll show me how to adjust my pads on my Juicy 3's? I installed them myself but the pads have gripped the rotors and won't let go.

 

I had same problem. I wonder if the pads touch the rotor if you should not just ride the bike anyway. Will that not slough away the part of the pad that is skidding ?

 I also have a set of XT breaks on my RM 9 andClap !
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I've got Avid Elixer Rs. They're great. Really good modulation, stopping power and no probs with alignment.

 

Which ones did your wife have?  The cheaper or more expensive better quality variants?

 

You can't compare Juicy 3's with Shimano XT's. They're in two completely different price & quality brackets......  (A friend of mine had the shimano deore disc brakes - they were horrible... you get what you pay for)
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In general Avids are better brakes than Shimano. Nothing wrong with Shimano, but Avid has better feel and modulation and less heat build up. But you'll only notice the difference when the riding the same bike back-to-back with different brakes. Most people won't notice the dif or ride hard enough to push the brakes beyond their performance cap.

 

09 Avids are even better than before which should give us hope for 2010.

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Had Juicy 7s since 2005 with one rebuild after more than 2 years. Just got a set of Elixer R from CRC because that was only slightly more expensive than getting mine back to 100% condition(new pads, full rebuild, new lever kits and new rotors)

 

Juicy's gave no real hassles, except for the well-known vibration issues that many of these brakes suffered from after launch. My brother had the same problem with one of his Juicy 7 brakes and so does a friend currently running Juicy 5s. It was/is REALLY annoying.

 

Elixers are really impressive, allthough it's hard to compare to my old Juicy's since they were/are shot. Got them lying in a box somewhere.

 

As long as the Elixers stay smooth and don't start vibrating, and give the same reliability as I got from the Juicys, I'll be happy and recommend them.

 

 

 

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