Review of Avid Elixir 3 Rear Disc Brake with Right Lever

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List Price: $120.00
Sale Price: $105.58
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These brakes came standard on my new bike. Their major flaw is that they lack pad clearance adjustment. This translates to impossible to correct squealing, rubbing, and tick-tick-tick noises to ruin your ride. No amount of alignment, adjustment, bleeding, or fluid add/removal is going to completely correct this problem. These brakes just don't cut it. Honestly, I have had better results from V-Brakes. If you must have hydro's step up to a model that has pad clearance adjust or you will regret it I promise. I am switching to BB7 mechanical disc brakes which can be more effectively tuned and don't require freaking syringes to maintain.

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These also came standard on my bike and I have had endless binding issues in the back caliper. I have adjusted the mounting, the caliper bled, etc.... but to no long term benefit. I am certain it is the materials used in the piston seals which are inherently faulty.

First the concept of hydraulic brakes on bicycles is questionable. As a motorbike mechanic, given the relative mass of a motorcycle compared with the rider, it makes sense to have hydraulic disc brakes for weight savings and the amount of braking forces which are frequently necessary to come to a stop from, let say, 100kph with a average mass of 350kg. However, with a bicycle, it is MUCH less noticeable. In actuality, there is more of a tendency for the brakes to work too well and your wheel then skids or worse, you fly over your handlebars. Even in bicycle competition, one wants to minimize braking to take advantage of momentum. Whereas, in motorcycling, the engine will often be the first method of braking.

Second, let's assume that hydraulic disc braking is needed. I have read several posts where the solution to the binding issues are to bleed often and to lubricate the caliper piston seals with silicone often. Imagine if a motorcycle or even your typical automobile owner had to do this every time they went for a long ride or once a week. Most would turn to a more reliable vehicle. So other than being a bicycle enthusiast, I do not know why the bicycle industry and all its customers have not made a claim against Avid for their caliper as faulty and a serial defect? Intermittent binding of calipers are unsafe. This tends to heat up the hydraulic system which only causes the fluid behind the caliper to boil, degrade, and expand adding more braking forces on the piston. It is a cascading effect. If this happened in the motorcycle or auto industry, these would have been recalled the first year they were used. However, bicycle manufacturers continue to experiment on their customers without any liability or safety regulation.

I recommend mechanical disc brakes as a compromise until this braking technology matures to become maintenance free.

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I rated these 4 stars and that's because the oem pads squealed on the front wheel of my bike. The rears were silent since I purchased the bike in Jan 2013. Ironically, I kept the front pads and transitioned them to the rear when the original rears wore out, and they did NOT squeal.When I got the bike I knew to bed these brakes in per the OEM specifications, and so I did. I have bled one due to a re-routing of a break cable and they have worked well, although the one that was bled has become a bit spongy recently. Nothing serious, but I like my brakes to feel crisp and close without too much lever drift or throw. Guess I'll have to bleed them again soon.

I ride aggressive AM trail and these brakes have not disappointed. Stopping power is good but I did change the front pads to another brand and they went silent. Would I buy Avid brakes aftermarket? You bet.

Honest reviews on Avid Elixir 3 Rear Disc Brake with Right Lever

I put these on my hybrid bike for commuting. Some would say you don't need discs for the road. Some would say that mechanical discs are fine for the road. However I commute through the steep hills and traffic of Seattle and I want brakes that work. Rim brakes suck and after my experience with mechanical disc brakes I'd say they suck too. Once these are adjusted they are good. I had to realign my mechanical every few weeks. Then after they failed the first time i decided to go Hydraulic.

There are better brakes for mountain biking but if you want overkill for the road these will work great.

I did blow through the back pad quicker than the front but that might just be my crazy overuse of the back brake.