[Tonye]

I recently got back into biking after about 4 years away from it. I Picked up a 2013 Specialized Status 1, and I absolutely love it. The only problem are the Brakes. I have had the bike since June and had the shop bleed them once and the back brake already needs to be bled again. The lever is going all the way to the bar and it will pump up and start working after a few pumps. Other than this the brakes seem to work fine, but it seems wrong for me to have to bleed them once a month. Is there anything that can be done about this? Are all Avid brakes like this? If so what brakes would be good to upgrade to? I've heard the Zees are really nice and the Saints as well. I can't really spend any more than $300 on a new brake set at this point so something in that range would be nice. I would rather just make these Elixers work though. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Jm_]

My codes were like that, couldn't fix it. I also have some elixir 1s. They aren't that bad, but they aren't great. You aren't hanging your bike upside down by chance? The best way to fix it is to smash them with a hammer.

 

[Tonye]

I don't hang my bike upside down, but I have had it upside down before and it makes it way worse.I thought about smashing them but I couldn't find a big enough hammer.

 

[kail]

I've got almost the EXACT same problem (except I bought a '12 Specialized SX Trail w/ Elixer 7s). I agree with JM -- the only way to fix them is with a hammer. A big one, preferably. My rear brake is fine but the front needs to be bled every 5 rides. That is unacceptable in my book (there's definitely something wrong with the brake, and it started 2 months into owning the bike). On top of that, even when they were brand new they had only about 1/2 the power of Shimano Zees. If you're like me, you'll sell them cheap, bite the bullet, and buy some Shimanos...

 

[Tomasz]

Crappy SRAM OEM brakes constitute God's displeasure with the human race made manifest.

 

[Nick]

Tonye-
I use XT brakes on my DH bike (replaced 810 Saints) and couldn't be happier.
You can buy a set with 8" rotors for less than your budget.

 

[Tonye]

Ya my last downhill bike (which was a 2001 Norco shore that I had until 2004) had an XT front brake and a Grimeca rear which was basically the same thing. They worked awesome and I only ever had to bleed them once and even when I did they weren't even close to as bad as this Elixer is after less than a month of riding. I did just notice that there is some fluid in the lever around where the lever blade mounts to the perch. So I guess it's time for some new brakes. I would like 4 piston brakes and the Zees seem to be the best for the price. One of the worst things I found about the Elixer was the bleeding process. My old XT's were so easy to bleed. All you needed was some fluid. Just put fluid in the reservoir and pump the lever till there's no more air in the lines. Seems pretty straight forward. Why should I need all these fancy syringes and a whole kit just to do a bleed that isn't even as good. What is the bleeding process like with the new Shimano brakes? Hopefully it's a little simpler than these stupid Avid brakes.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

 

[thad]

New shimanos are as easy to bleed as your old shimanos. I agree, avid's bleed system is retarded. A lot of avid brakes are really finicky.

I have new XT's. I considered SLX and Zee, and think those are good brakes, too. I went with XT for blend of cost, weight, strength.
http://www.jensonusa.com/Disc-Brakes/Shimano-SLX-M675-Disc-Brake
http://www.jensonusa.com/Disc-Brakes/Shimano-XT-M785B-Hydraulic-Disc-Brake
http://www.jensonusa.com/Disc-Brakes/Shimano-M640-Zee-Disc-Brake

 

[StabprimoMonkee]

Ya my last downhill bike (which was a 2001 Norco shore that I had until 2004) had an XT front brake and a Grimeca rear which was basically the same thing. They worked awesome and I only ever had to bleed them once and even when I did they weren't even close to as bad as this Elixer is after less than a month of riding. I did just notice that there is some fluid in the lever around where the lever blade mounts to the perch. So I guess it's time for some new brakes. I would like 4 piston brakes and the Zees seem to be the best for the price. One of the worst things I found about the Elixer was the bleeding process. My old XT's were so easy to bleed. All you needed was some fluid. Just put fluid in the reservoir and pump the lever till there's no more air in the lines. Seems pretty straight forward. Why should I need all these fancy syringes and a whole kit just to do a bleed that isn't even as good. What is the bleeding process like with the new Shimano brakes? Hopefully it's a little simpler than these stupid Avid brakes.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Grimeca was nothing like XT.

It was more like XT made by Avid. I would rate them about same in the terms of reliability.

I would wager a six pack that both Grimeca and Sram brake designers will end in the ninth circle of hell.

 

[HardtailHack]

Hit the bike shop up and see if you can get warranty and then sell, also the shop you got your bike from may have some OEM Magura brakes cheap as a few people swap em out from their Speci as soon as they get them.

I went from Hope to Magura MT6 and really like them, they will fade if you drag the brakes with the light weight rotor. SLX brakes have the worst lever feel of any brake on the market, in my opinion anyways.

 

[Lelandjt]

I talked to a Sram guy over the weekend who said that air getting into Elixers was caused by production variations and problems with parts from suppliers. They've worked hard to find better suppliers and improve QC so that new Elixers should be okay.

 

[Sugar_brad]

Most low end Avid and Shimano brakes need to be bled out of the box.Your lbs should have bled the brakes before they sold it to you.

 

[Tonye]

They were fine when I got them. After a month they needed bleeding so they bled them for free. After another month they need to be bled again. I don't think it's the shops fault.

 

[StabprimoMonkee]

I talked to a Sram guy over the weekend who said that air getting into Elixers was caused by production variations and problems with parts from suppliers. They've worked hard to find better suppliers and improve QC so that new Elixers should be okay.

I am not a Sram guy and I could tell you that years ago when first Elixirs and Juicys came out.

I call bull**** on their efforts. Year after year __same__old__****__.

 

[Nick]

for anyone shopping for XTs this is a good price and free shipping too-

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=42286

 

[Tonye]

Yea it's a shame that this kind of thing can happen. A company makes a crap product for years and people keep buying it because they keep getting told that the new ones are better when they're really not. Makes me not want to buy another Avid product ever again.

Also CRC has the XTs for the best price I have seen. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/shimano-xt-m785-disc-brake/rp-prod67208 . I think I would spend the extra $30 and get the Zees from Jenson though. So I guess I have made up my mind. Shimano it is. Thanks everyone!

 

[Lelandjt]

For what it's worth I'd never use anything besides Formula or Shimano. I like Sram as a company and hope they get the brakes more consistent but I've bled way too many of them and I'm not a fan of their lever feel even when working perfectly. Something about the lever's shape and pivot placement. Shimano and Formula levers feel perfect.