Avid Elixir 5 Disc Brake

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I've had a pair of these stoppers for three years, since they came stock on my Glory, and despite what many people would expect, I have had zero issues. The front caliper got really stuck once when I had the wheel off so the bike would fit in the back of my cramped and rack-less vehicle. That's not an exclusive flaw with Elixir 5's or Avid brakes.

In three years, you want to know how many times I had to do any maintenance on these slowie-downies? Twice.That's right. One uneventful alignment exercise and one bleed. Just one. After three years of abrupt application and irresponsibly timed chunder-braking, my particular pair of Elixirs have defied the words of nearly all other users. I have to be fair though; they're not perfect. And of all components fixed to a mountain bike, the brakes should be the closest to perfect.

I am arguing that at this price point, they're fine. Great, even. However it would be smart of you to consider spending more to get more. It's probably one of the best decisions you could make for your bike, but please, everyone, don't be so afraid of these things. They're not all bad.

If at this point you're still considering these brakes then you'll want to know how they feel. Good.

The lever feel of the Elixir 5's is interesting. There's not much modulation, but it's really not hard to get over this. In fact, I feel like the lever feel here could be designed for one of multiple "braking styles." If you believe in that. I'll explain further.

With the lever travel on these brakes it is easy to drag out your stopping force. When the brakes are initially applied the levers reach a point of resistance that establishes a sort of holding point. This applies adequate stopping power, but it is light enough that confidence in the rough is maintained. You'll slow down slowly at this medium pressure. The rest of the braking available doesn't move the levers that much. Imagine that at this point the brake levers are just unmoving sticks with pressure sensors on them. And finally, when your index fingers clamp down, you can feel the lever travel again (albeit with a more "spongey" feel) and it's up to you whether or not the rear wheel locks.While not initially intuitive, braking with the 5's will come naturally after a couple laps.In short, the strange modulation creates no real limitation. I personally love the feel of these brakes.