Hi Guys,
Wondering how to make my Avid hydraulics more responsive?
Rode a mates bike with XTR's and they are far snappier while mine feel soft (like the lever moves a lot further before the brakes lock) in particular the front- not necessarily spongy, just no where near as grabby/ responsive.
Thought I'd remedy with new pads and a bleed but they still feel soft- I thought the bleed might fill the lines and therefore increase the pressure/ response. No significant difference...
Any tips (please don't just say "Shimano is better")
Only read first few posts and the last few. Short attention span but thought I'd lay a thought anyway.
Shimano brakes typically have a harder bite point that Avids because they have a cam driven lever, giving them a lower hydraulic ratio at the point of engagement, and closing the pad gap quicker.
That 'snappy' feel does NOT translate to more power, even if it feels so (why do you think Jared Graves runs the XTR Race (non-cam driven) levers to his Saint calipers?).
The new Guide brakes (Pharmaboy isn't far off, they must be selling well, CRC have upped their price by $30-$40 in the last month, RSCs still competitively priced against XTR - their competition) have a cam driving link on a 4 piston caliper, giving them a higher hydraulic ratio and quick, 'snappy' engagement.
The softness of your brake feel may be due to shitty/cheap hoses (not normally a problem unless you're using Elixers 1/3s or if you have organic pads they are more compressible than metallic pads.
Avids do not require more skill to bleed than Shimano, that is just plain wrong.
They use a vacuum bleed system, so ironically its actually easier to get all air out of the system than an equivalent gravity bleed on a Shimano system.
Anyone who says otherwise is lazy and doesn't want to spend 5 mins watching a youtube video.
Putting a bleed cup on a Shimano brake and burping out air bubbles is NOT a bleed.