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Code v. Code 5 v. Gustav M?

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
Got paid more last week then I expected.
Left me with enough burning in my pocket to consider some new stoppers for this season.

Right now I have a set of Gustav's. Great stoppers when they work, but they were hit and miss last year due to a bad set up from Magura. I think I've got them pretty well dialed now, but I am sick of dealing with the prices of things like caliper mounts and bleed kits.

For a bigger guy (225) who rides a V10 without much concern to riding smooth, but more like a bulldozer, which of the Avid Code line makes more sense? Code 5, or straight up Code?

Or should I "Suck it up Sally" and ride the Maguras until they implode.
 

Mr Big

Monkey
Jan 23, 2004
193
0
The Betty Ford Clinic
the code 5's are heavy (447g) and the code's are even heavier (449g), try the juicy sevens at (395g) and they come in 185 and 203mm and they work just as well. i am also a big rider at 215 with a 43 pound beast under me.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
There is little if any performance difference between the Codes and the Code 5s. You lose the lever contact point adjustment, but it isn't missed.
Your weights are a bit off MrBig. Bti lists the Code 5 at 560g and the Code 545g. This seems logical as the calipers aren't the same. They look identical but the Code is made from Mag.
Basically it's a wash. You can save a lot of money with the 5s.
I ran the Juicy 7s for 2 seasons and was happy with them. I switched to the Code 5s because the had better power and less fading. At your weight, I think they would be the better choice.
 

JeffD

Monkey
Mar 23, 2002
990
0
Macon, GA
Codes have the same caliper as the C5s but totally different lever - the C5 has the same lever as a J5, the regular Code has the burlier lever assembly w/bearings. Whether that's worth your $ or not is your biz, but I think it's important to realize the C5s aren't just the Codes w/out the pad adjustment knob.

That said, I'm about to switch from J7s to Codes in the next week or two and will try and remember to post a comparison.
 

woof

Monkey
May 17, 2005
426
0
Who knows the real weight. Avid has the code5 at 447g, and the code at 449g, both with a 160mm rotor.

I think I'm going with the code5 just because of price. Things are tight lately. Now with these new super stoppers, are 8" rotors still the norm? Or can I drop down to 7"?
 

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
dh bike and have had no problems. Infact I have not bled them in 15 months. I reccommend them and cannot see areason to change.
Got to agree here, the Gustav's on my dh bike are simply the "best" brakes I have ever touched. I've got buddies that ride the Codes and they are great, but if you've already got Gustav's you'd simply be making a lateral move in my opinion.......not an upgrade per say. If you didn't already have brakes, then yes, the Codes would be a great option.

The only problem I ever had with my Gustav's were due to my own stupid mistake in leaving the rear line at stock length. It snagged something in a crash and pulled the line from the banjo fitting at the caliper. I replaced it with a Goodridge line and Goodridge pads front & rear and have been super happy with them since. Once I got the bleed technique down, which admittedly took me a few times, they've been nothing but extremely solid and powerful brakes.

I can see where one would be concerned about parts availability, but this is dh racing and I personally think everyone should have spares and small parts for everything on their bike to begin with. I have my Magura bleed kit, a line kit, pads, small parts, etc. in my toolbox at every race and almost every shuttle session on the dh bike.
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
i was stoked on my magura louise frs until the reliability disappeared. i had them bled them a few times, it was weird, the seals and everything were fine, but i never knew when the pads were going to contact the rotor. some rides it would be fine, then on others i would get the lever within a millimeter of the bar before the brakes engaged. it was way to scary for me to deal with, i just went to juicy 7s and i don't think i'll be going back to magura anytime soon.
 

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
i was stoked on my magura louise frs until the reliability disappeared. i had them bled them a few times, it was weird, the seals and everything were fine, but i never knew when the pads were going to contact the rotor. some rides it would be fine, then on others i would get the lever within a millimeter of the bar before the brakes engaged. it was way to scary for me to deal with, i just went to juicy 7s and i don't think i'll be going back to magura anytime soon.
As dumb as this probably sounds, I'm willing to bet that you still had air in the line or in the caliper body somewhere. I had this exact same issue with my rear brake when I had to put on the new line. Initially I was sure that I had pushed enough magura blood through the line, but I always had the inconsistency and would get a lever-to-bar scare just about every other run. It wasn't until I started tapping on the line/caliper with the plastic handle end of a small screwdriver just to jiggle any last bit of air loose and pushed a ton of magura blood through the entire system that it became 100% consistent and strong. That was last winter and I haven't touched them since.

Edit: For what it's worth, I also found I had better results bleeding them if I took them off the bike instead of trying to bleed them while mounted on the bike. I clamped the lever in a soft jaw bench vise and ran the line to the floor......then pushed the fluid up while tapping on the caliper and throughout the line during the process. Not the easiest brakes to bleed, but not that bad either.
 

ZHendo

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,661
147
PNW
i never really got creative with the bleeds, i just followed directions. oh well, i'm stoked on my juicys so i can't complain about how things turned out.
 

demo 9

Turbo Monkey
Jan 31, 2007
5,910
46
north jersey
codes are the sh!t. get them but beware. there is a "horrible" squeal(i personally like it)that some poeple cant stand. i like it-lets people know ur coming.

THEY ARE POWERFUL
 

Monkeybidnezz

Turbo Monkey
Dec 16, 2003
1,212
0
Pac NW
As others have mentioned, I don't know if it will be an upgrade in terms of overall performance but I love my Codes. You will lose some weight, adaptors will be hella cheap compared to the Gustavs and pads will also be pretty reasonable in comparison. Tough choice, but I think you can't go wrong either way as long as your current set up stays dialed.
 

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
i never really got creative with the bleeds, i just followed directions. oh well, i'm stoked on my juicys so i can't complain about how things turned out.
Oh, I never had a complaint with my juicy carbons when I had them, they were great. I had them on a trailbike and on my singlespeed, never felt like they were lacking.

I was really starting to second guess my Gustav's until I started to get creative in bleeding methods and attempts. There used to be a Magura cult webpage up that I got some of the more unique bleed techniques that I tried, but I can't seem to find it anymore.
 

cmoney

Monkey
Jan 20, 2008
154
0
Check out ebay there are Code 5's on there for $130 a wheel and Code's for $200 a wheel.