troubles with my XX brakes
- Thread starter mtb-nate
- Start date
Gnarly one
Likes Bikes
My XX brakes have needed repeated bleeding too.
They work well though...
They work well though...
Had Juicy three's, brilliant. Juicy 5's, also great. Juicy ultimates= nice feel, but after not being used for a few weeks will need a bleed. Takes 20 minutes.
Not so bad. I use dot 4, car brake fluid instead of the harder to get dot5. Ultimately I prefer the feel of these brakes over Shimano's.
Now have some Elixir Mags, which are the best of all.
Had some Magura Louise's, which were probably better again but were 200 or 300 grams heavier and not as sexy. Stupid really to get rid of them when I am 10 kg's overweight.
Not so bad. I use dot 4, car brake fluid instead of the harder to get dot5. Ultimately I prefer the feel of these brakes over Shimano's.
Now have some Elixir Mags, which are the best of all.
Had some Magura Louise's, which were probably better again but were 200 or 300 grams heavier and not as sexy. Stupid really to get rid of them when I am 10 kg's overweight.
rone
Eats Squid
So if you don't use your bike for a couple of weeks you need to re-bleed your brakes and you're happy with them? Hmmm.
i used standard avid bleed kit with the fluid that came in it i think its 5.1
I've tried a number of different pads changed rotors to the g3 rotors
i think the easy option is getting a set of the new xt or xtr trails
i have black and green hope m4's on my dirt jumper =) i really bought them to use on my dh bike but sold the dh bike before fitting the brakes, they are very industrial looking and they have plenty of adjustment
but they are a bit overkill for the xc bike
jathanas
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just did. I'm done with Avid brakes!
bunchie34
Likes Dirt
Interesting how much Avid hate there is here. Bit like Tripadvisor where only people who've had a crappy experience post reviews.....
I've always ridden Avid brakes, and they've never let me down. As with anything, regular, proper cleaning and maintenance is the key. Shimano work extremely well, yes, but they make you very lazy in the maintenance department as they tend to work, work, work then FAIL miserable when you need them. Also, Shimano products, without expection, look shit.
In my experience, your mileage may vary, objects in the rear view mirror are stupider than you appear etc.....
Formula are very good, yes. But Hope brakes are in my experience the absolute top of the tree for power, feel and reliability. But by christ you pay for it.
Currently running Avid XO, and flawlessly, thanks.
I've always ridden Avid brakes, and they've never let me down. As with anything, regular, proper cleaning and maintenance is the key. Shimano work extremely well, yes, but they make you very lazy in the maintenance department as they tend to work, work, work then FAIL miserable when you need them. Also, Shimano products, without expection, look shit.
In my experience, your mileage may vary, objects in the rear view mirror are stupider than you appear etc.....
Formula are very good, yes. But Hope brakes are in my experience the absolute top of the tree for power, feel and reliability. But by christ you pay for it.
Currently running Avid XO, and flawlessly, thanks.
Give me a Brake oops Break.
Have a set of five year old XT's - faultless. Have 2010 XTR work well, Have Magura Marta SL -work well, very difficult to bleed (make that impossible) hard to get pads at LBS or any where!
Have just bought new XT - as good as everyone says.
Have had Avid Juicy Carbons and Ultimates and Juicy 3's. (Still have a carbon and juicy 3) Avids work ok however squeeking, more maintenance and more frequent bleeding put me off - the brakes work well when not having pad drag. Don't own Elixr or XX because of the overall Avid experience. They are probably good brakes BUT Shimano have suited me better, and ya can buy Shimano pads nearly every where - probably even at the local Fish N Chip shop.
Have a set of five year old XT's - faultless. Have 2010 XTR work well, Have Magura Marta SL -work well, very difficult to bleed (make that impossible) hard to get pads at LBS or any where!
Have just bought new XT - as good as everyone says.
Have had Avid Juicy Carbons and Ultimates and Juicy 3's. (Still have a carbon and juicy 3) Avids work ok however squeeking, more maintenance and more frequent bleeding put me off - the brakes work well when not having pad drag. Don't own Elixr or XX because of the overall Avid experience. They are probably good brakes BUT Shimano have suited me better, and ya can buy Shimano pads nearly every where - probably even at the local Fish N Chip shop.
akashra
Eats Squid
Sadly despite being optimistic, I'm starting to see the same kind of things on my Elixir brakes reported here, an inconsistent feel. The bike itself wouldn't have done more than about 1,000kms, yet in particular the right lever now seems to vary between rides and have a lot less power 
They're still a lot better than my Avid Shortys though, which I simply can't use in the drops - too much reach for my fingers, and then when I can reach them, they have to pull all the way to the bars to have any power. So yeah, it could be worse.
They're still a lot better than my Avid Shortys though, which I simply can't use in the drops - too much reach for my fingers, and then when I can reach them, they have to pull all the way to the bars to have any power. So yeah, it could be worse.
rone
Eats Squid
Strange then that there is very little in the way of Shimano hate then?
I'm still running a set of XT calipers I bought new in 2003 and they still perform flawlessly. Still to fail. I look after everything well - as you stated "regular, proper cleaning and maintenance" and yet still had countless problems with Avids. If the worst thing you can criticize Shimano for is aesthetics then I don't think you'll win this argument. I'm sure there are some functioning Avids out there that have slipped through but the majority are temperamental dross[/QUOTE]
akashra
Eats Squid
Shimanos aren't perfect - I've had both a pair of M970 and M770 calipers which have had the same sticking problem. The problem that occurs is that when they get mud in the calipers, or the pads wear uneven, it can be just enough to cause the pistons to push out at an angle. When this happens they both get stuck, and it warps the inside of the caliper, causing it to happen more frequently and, eventually, all the time.
The result was a very cramped up hand at the Albury 6 hour this year trying to cope with a sticking piston for the entire race.
The result was a very cramped up hand at the Albury 6 hour this year trying to cope with a sticking piston for the entire race.
jathanas
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Many people (including myself) are stating their experience with what is a troublesome product. Does chiming in with "they work fine for me" cancel or falsify the negative experiences?
I've run the XX World Cup on 3 bikes, so N=3. 2 out of 3 have developed sticky pistons, 2 out of 3 are way too noisy, and 2 out of 3 have required bleeding on a monthly basis. Avid should sort that shit our before they release it to the public.
I'm happy for people that have had a good run with them, but personally I'd never put Avids on a bike again.
I've owned Shimano & Hope, neither were perfect, but both were infinitely more reliable than the Avids.
FWIW: The current XTR looks nice enough for my tastes and I've never heard of a Shimano brake having a catastrophic failure.
I've run the XX World Cup on 3 bikes, so N=3. 2 out of 3 have developed sticky pistons, 2 out of 3 are way too noisy, and 2 out of 3 have required bleeding on a monthly basis. Avid should sort that shit our before they release it to the public.
I'm happy for people that have had a good run with them, but personally I'd never put Avids on a bike again.
I've owned Shimano & Hope, neither were perfect, but both were infinitely more reliable than the Avids.
FWIW: The current XTR looks nice enough for my tastes and I've never heard of a Shimano brake having a catastrophic failure.
bunchie34
Likes Dirt
[/QUOTE]
Oh I wasn't trying to win an argument. I was pointing out that Shimano stuff looks shit. Which, since I don't hear you disagreeing with me, appears to bear true.
What I am arguing, however, is that I have had no issues with Avid brakes when they've been looked after as they are supposed to be, that is to say the manufacturers maintenance schedule is maintained.
jathanas
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I maintain my bikes very well, both on my own as well as scheduled shop maintenance, and have had nothing but issues with the XX WC brakes. You really are standing tall in the face of adversity on this one bud...
rone
Eats Squid
Yeah...quite. So in conclusion, aside from the disintegrating seals, air leaks, turkey gobble and flaking paint they look better than Shimano. Well I'm sold...