Now that installation is complete and the first of many rides are done…it is time for an update on the Avid Elixir CR hydraulic disc brakes. I installed the 185mm rotors for the Avid Elixir CR’s on my Ventana El Terremoto 6.0. The Terremoto is a 6″ travel bike with the Rock Shox Lyrik Coil U-Turn and Cane Creek Double Barrel installed. This bike sees everything from shuttle runs to cross country epics, so it will be the perfect test mule.

Installation of the Avid Elixir CR Brakes

Installation of the new Avid Elixir CR brakes was a breeze. To my surprise, I did not have to cut the lines, so opening the Avid Bleed Kit at this point was unnecessary. Post mount disc brakes, like the Avid Elixir CR, are incredibly easy to install and adjust.

3 Easy Step To Disc Brake Adjustment

1. Spin the wheel.
2. Apply and hold the brake.
3. Tighten the bolts.

After that…you are off and running. For the installation of the Avid Elixir CR levers and my SRAM X.0 trigger shifters, I turned to the SRAM Matchmakers that SRAM sent in the kit. The SRAM trigger shifters have two mounting holes for inboard and outboard placement. I installed the Matchmaker mounting system to the inner most mounting hole to get the X.0 triggers as far towards the inside of the bars as possible. I like to have my shifting just out of reach so they do not contact my thumb during regular riding.

As you can see by the picture in the gallery below, the Matchmakers with the Avid Elixir CR lever and SRAM X.0 shifter makes for a very clean and painless install. Avid’s two bolt mounting solution for the Avid Elixir CR (like they use on all of their brake levers) makes for easy adjustment and take off without having to mess with the grips. Just about every manufacturer has made a move to this solution as of 2009.

During installation of the Avid Elixir CR brakes, you can also easily adjust the red banjo fitting on the brake caliper to line up the brake line with the frame. This is a great feature that I have not touched yet.

Adjusting the Avid Elixir CR Brakes

After the brakes were installed and the calipers were adjusted, I turned my focused to the levers for the first ever tool-free reach and pad contact adjustments. Reach adjustment on the Avid Elixir CR levers is controlled by the black knob located nearest to the lever body. With a simple twist, you can adjust your lever reach in and out without affecting the overall braking feel. The knob is somewhat difficult to turn by hand, but it is much easier than having to get out the Allen wrench every time. I also used this adjustment on the trail to fit my needs. This is a huge selling point of the Avid Elixir brakes.

After I got the reach where I wanted it…I needed to adjust how the brakes engaged the rotors via the pad adjustment (red barrel).  Twisting the red barrel adjuster adjusts the pad contact in and out giving the brakes more and less “on and off” feel. When adjusting this setting on the Avid Elixir CR brakes, make sure that you hold the brake line as it wants to twist with the adjuster. Once you get the lever feel how you want it…you are set.

First Ride on the Avid Elixir CR Brakes

For the first ride, we headed out to a local trail that had recently been reworked for some 20+ mile cross country action. I spent some time at home breaking in the pads and rotors (slow, downhill, constant stops over and over again without lockup) before we left so by the time we got to the trail…the brakes were ready. As you can see from my Avid Juicy 5 brake review, there were several things that I was going to watch out for that normally plague Avid hydraulic brakes.

1. Noise – Specifically the turkey gobble.
2. On/Off Feeling – Little modulation between full on and full off.
3. Power

Since the Avid Elixir CR brakes are marketed as an upgrade to the Avid Juicy brakes, I expected these to perform. So far…I am pleasantly surprised. The first ride went flawlessly and here are my notes.

• The new G3 rotors are quiet…even when wet.
• The Avid Elixir CR brakes have much more power with 185mm rotors than the Juicy’s at the same rotor size.
• Modulation is greatly improved on the Avid Elixir CR vs. the Avid Juicy line.
• Overall lever feel is also much better.
• Trail side adjustment is tool free and easy on the Avid Elixir CR.

Not everything is positive though…

• The pad contact adjustment on the Avid Elixir CR can rotate on its own if you do not hold the brake line while turning the adjuster (twisting up effect).
• The Avid Matchmakers still put the SRAM X.0 trigger shifter pod too close to my hands. My thumb was rubbing up against the large paddle shifter while riding.

So as you can see…it is “so far, so good” with the Avid Elixir CR brakes. More riding and time is going to be the true test against noise and durability. Stay tuned for more ride reports as this testing progresses.

Where Can I Buy the Avid Elixir CR Brakes?

AVID ELIXIR CR DISC BRAKE

AVID ELIXIR R DISC BRAKE ’10

AVID ELIXIR CR MAG DISC BRAKE ’10

AVID ELIXIR CR DISC BRAKE

I came home the other day to multiple brown boxes from the guys over at SRAM. Care package #1 included the new Avid Elixir CR disc brakes with the Matchmaker mounting system. The Elixir from Avid is a brand new line of brakes for 2009. The power output is claimed to be between the Juicy and Code lines. Marketed as a compliment and upgrade to the Juicy’s, this new set of brakes has a lot of features that separate them from the pack. Avid claims that this is their best all around brake that can be used for everything from xc racing to downhill. To get a real feel for how these brakes perform in multiple conditions, SRAM sent me a set of 160mm and 185mm rotors for comparisons.

Avid Elixir CR Disc Brake Stats

• In-Line/Tool Free Pad Contact Adjustment
• New TaperBore Technology and New Pivot Location – Allows for an integrated reservoir for sleek look and lower weight.
• New Two Piece Caliper w/Larger Pistons = More Breaking Power
• Height Adjustable Banjo Fitting Attached To Caliper
• Tool Free Reach Adjustment Built Into Lever Design
• Top Loading Brake Pads

The CR’s that I received in yesterday came spec’ed with the Carbon lever for a little extra bling.

Avid Elixir CR Weights

• Front Brake – 290g w/bracket and pad spacer – 240g w/o bracket and uncut line
• Rear Brake – 330g w/bracket and pad spacer – 260g w/o bracket and uncut line
• 160mm G3 Rotor – 100g
• 185mm G3 Rotor – 140g

What Is TaperBore Technology from Avid Brakes?

Virtually every hydraulic disc brake currently on the market uses a similar internal layout: the lever blade is attached to a master cylinder piston that pushes fluid through a straight-walled bore, out along the hydraulic line, then into the caliper body. However, ‘timing ports’ that connect the piston chamber to the reservoir mean that hydraulic pressure doesn’t build (meaning the caliper pistons don’t move) until the master cylinder piston cup seal moves past those timing ports and seals the chamber.

Up until that point, the master cylinder piston basically just pushes fluid through the timing ports into the reservoir. This is also the basis for Avid’s pad contact adjustment system: by moving the location of the piston relative to the timing ports, you can get more or less lever movement before the timing ports are sealed off (the adjustment does nothing to the location of the pistons and pads in the caliper body).

TaperBore, on the other hand, is a completely different setup. The fluid reservoir and piston chamber essentially share one big cylindrical space and the piston is free floating through the first part of its stroke; the piston seal doesn’t actually contact anything initially which is why the Elixir lever initially feels so light and snappy.

As the piston continues to advance though, the seal enters a tapered section of the internal bore where the diameter necks down. At this point, the piston chamber seals up and pushes fluid through the line. In effect, the taper itself is analogous to the timing ports used on other systems. In the case of Elixir CR, the pad contact adjustment is accomplished by moving the taper location closer to or further away from the piston. Again, this doesn’t affect the position of the pads or pistons within the caliper body.

TaperBore definitely has some packaging advantages relative to timing ports in that there it’s easier to integrate the reservoir, and likely some manufacturing ones as well since most of the milling work can be done on one axis. For users though, the gains come in long-term durability: the bottom edge of those timing ports is relatively sharp and they will eventually wear grooves in the master cylinder piston cup seal as it repeatedly goes past. TaperBore’s master cylinder uses a more durable o-ring and the taper itself is far gentler over time so there shouldn’t be as much wear.

Reviewing the Avid Elixir CR Disc Brakes

These brakes are going to hit several different bikes to get a full review. To start…they are going to replace the Hope Moto’s on the Ventana El Terremoto. We will see how the 185′s do in some extended downhill situations.

Avid also supplied a set of their Matchmaker shifter/brake lever mounting system as you can see below. It makes the overall install much cleaner.

Two of my biggest complaints out of the Juicy line in the past were the “on/off” feeling and excessive noise. With these new Elixir’s, Avid/SRAM claims to have taken care of both issues. If that is true…these should be an excellent set of brakes.

Again…I have attached the promotional pdf from SRAM so you can see the entire spec list.

Avid Elixir CR PDF

Stay tuned…later today…I will reveal the rest of the shipment from SRAM….

Where Can I Get Avid Elixir R or CR’s?

Check out JensonUSA.com for some great prices…

AVID ELIXIR CR DISC BRAKE

AVID ELIXIR R DISC BRAKE ’10

AVID ELIXIR CR MAG DISC BRAKE ’10

AVID ELIXIR CR DISC BRAKE