Avid Elixir 9 Disc Brake

(discontinued)

I have really mixed feelings about these brakes.

On the one hand, the feel at the lever is awesome. The pull is buttery smooth and the pad contact and lever reach adjustments let you easily dial in your ideal setup. These brakes also hold up very well to sustained steep descents. I have discolored the rotors on a couple of occasions and felt very little fade in the process. The power is there with these stoppers but youdefinitely have to pull on the levers to feel it. Certainly not an on/off brake like the new Shimano offerings.

On the other hand, I have never owned a set of brakes that make as much noise as these do. Even after a deep clean with sand paper and brake cleaner, the brakes are howling again after a few rides. I have adjusted and readjusted the caliper alignment and couldn't get these stoppers to quiet down. I have heard that switching to an organic pad can help in this department so I will try a different pad compound next to see if I can finally silence these squeakers! Seriously, it's that distracting.

Summary- Powerful brake with excellent lever feel and adjustability and very little fade but noisy as sh!t!