Interbike 2008 - Avid Elixir CR Brakes

Oct 9, 2008
by Tyler Maine  
2009 marks a new series of brakes for Avid with the Elixir models. The Elixir line up uses TaperBore technology to harness and control the brake's power. User friendly adjustments are also a hot topic with these brakes.

Check out the video and pics inside:
Greg Herbold walks us through the new Avid Elixir brakes and TaperBore Technology:

By moving the lever pivot, Avid has produced less initial power and more deep stroke modulation. This allows the rider to better handle and control the increase in overall power. TaperBore technology eliminates the need for an independent reservoir, leading to a new sleek and lighter integrated brake lever.

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photo

The all new Avid Elixir CR brake has put its mark on user friendly parts like no other item I have used or saw this year. The ease of use for pad contact and lever reach make setting up these brakes a breeze.

photo
photo

Elixir has awesome stopping power because of its new, super-stiff, two-piece caliper with larger pistons. The larger pistons produce overall power that sits halfway between Juicy and Code. Plus the newest member of the Avid family provides increased heat resistance by incorporating grooved pistons and DOT 5.1 brake fluid.

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photo

The Elixir R is the other member of the family and has all the same features as the CR except pad contact adjustment.

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All new 203mm G3 rotor


Other Avid Elixir resources to check out:
Check out Luc's preview of the Elixir CR here.
Check out Miles' review of the Elixir R here.

Please visit Avid on the web to learn more about their whole line up of cable and hydraulic brakes.

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Reviews Interbike


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113 Comments
  • 31 5
 those look sick! i was always a hayes fan, but i guess its time for change
  • 39 14
 yes it is a time for change.
  • 94 17
 This is change you can believe in. Juicies aren't change, that's just more of the same. If purchased, I promise to lower initial power, and provide power boosts to the middle stroke. Independent reservoirs are an artifact of the past eight years of failed modulation and poor lever feel. With my new taper bore technology, I resolve to rid our bikes of all vestiges of the previous regime of independent reservoirs. I'm Avid Elixir, and I approve this message.
  • 15 2
 didn't think i'd get negative props for that, was just agreeing with him cause i have hayes nines and was thinking about getting the elixir r's
  • 9 9
 i'm gonna keep my good old juicy five 2008's.
i think the elixir is just another juicy with a different design, and, of course, another price Wink
  • 5 2
 There's actually a lot more power, I'm not even kidding. It's like Strokers Vs Hayes 9 almost...
  • 4 3
 i diddnt even read this atricle But beacuse its Avid i know they will be immence im running jucy 3s on a dh bike, ive never run anything better haha
  • 7 6
 I can stop my wheels just fine with the juicy 5s, why do we need more power?? do some hand exercises if you cant pull the lever ; )
  • 8 5
 If everyone thought like you, we'd all still be on road bikes, or hell, why not just walk? It gets you around just fine. Do some leg exercises if you can't walk fast enough. Rolleyes
  • 2 0
 agreed with Aqueousbeef dude person...... i like the brakes and it has a cool name Smile
  • 1 3
 ya but the guy talking was kinda gay but still the brake is sick love the "on-the-fly" pad contact adjustment
  • 1 2
 Old idea, cost down & repackaged as new,
check Hayes, downloads, HFX Mag, MC build……
What’s new, o-ring as primary seal…...that’s not modulation m8, it’s oil passing your seal :p
  • 2 3
 To be honest, I ride one and they are the most incredible break of all time. The power it can produce is greater than a juicy and it most efficient. GET ONE
  • 0 1
 Aren't you sponsored? Razz
  • 2 0
 i had hayes 9 they were the bollox ( to me ) ,
brought new bike, came with juicy 3's,
absolutely fine ATM,
but when i need a changed i think these may be the way forward,
they look the tits aswell ( . y . ) (y)
  • 0 1
 i got my elixir cr like 2 weeks ago, and the only thing thats bad about it is when u twist teh pad contact, the hole brake line twists. but that doesnt even matter becuase it feels great. for those who think its anothr juicy, YOUR WRONGBlank Stare i owned a juicy 7, and rode lots of juicy 5 and 3 and i can tell u the elixir owns it. and i also owned a code. and the elixir is perfect. great amount of power, but still has great modulation. for sure the best brake ive ridden. plus the red adjust, and the lil red part on teh caliper are so sick, matches my bike nicely:P
  • 4 0
 Very nice. Just another marketing gag trying to convince you that your old brakes are bad. It's the industry trying to keep you guys off the trails by spending all your money on componets. Great modulation and what not.
My 3 year old Jucys are still working. I've got faster in the last three years, and I bet it was not the brakes that made me faster.
Sometimes It seems that people concentrate too much on material and less and less on riding. I know guys riding crap bikes faster than 98% of the guys out there with 2K+ bikes (Maybe because they don't brake that often Smile ). The net is flooded with component reviews.

You all hate me now, do you? I hate mondays Smile
  • 0 0
 I completey agree m8 it shud be about ridin not buying new components. I have 06 m4s tht still work brilliantly.ok they mite nt be as gd lookin as the newer models but still.
  • 0 1
 ya but the guys riding the crap bikes fly off the trail into trees Razz
  • 0 1
 yeh bt were nt all as luky as u n can afford a nice bike haha
  • 1 0
 anyone know if the elixr lever set up could be used with a code caliper? much like the code/ultimate set ups that many people are running. just wondering because im sure there would be alot more modulation and on the fly adjustments
  • 2 0
 I love those brakes! just got some for my Turner a few weeks ago. super adjustable and a really nice feel right out of the box. and no, they dont cost $800. i got mine on sale for $130 a peice.

highly recomend them.
  • 0 0
 i demoed a new rocky mountain yesterday with these brakes on them and i enjoyed them a lot. Great power, good modulation and pretty good weight. I would recommend them. However, I then rode a bike with Juicy 7's and the difference was very minimal. So, I am not sure.
  • 0 0
 is anybody not stoked on these things? i have them on my session and to be honest at first i thought they were pretty cool but after ridin em a bit, im trying to figure out what i should buy next! so, that being said. anyone wanna buy like 2 month old elixirs??
  • 0 0
 first of all, I am a die hard hayyes rider.
second of all, the only avids I have ever had NO complaints about are the codes.


from what I've see of the so far, these brakes are top of the line.

I mean, it doesn't get a lot better than this, right?
  • 0 0
 elixir are realy good although all avid is!
i have juicy's on one bike and are immence and also elixir's on the other! both are great and i wouldnt change from avid but the elixir's are the most sweet brakes i've ever had.
Smile
  • 3 2
 Let me tell yah, these puppies rock. I have the CR's and R's already and they have the best feel of any other brakes I have owned.
  • 1 0
 They look really sick but i heard in a magizen in spain that they are coming out with better ones. So they may be a wasit of money.
  • 1 0
 Im hearing a lot of "do everything" in the bike bizz these days.
"Remember its your do everything bike/ brake/ whatever". Anyone else noticing this?? The brake looks awesome!
  • 2 0
 i called qbp today and there 124 per brake. who ever thinks hayes are good needs to learn how to ride a bike
  • 0 0
 no man thanks... i got the avid code on my ride and they´re the best brakes i ever had... some people say that the best are code calipers with juicy 7 levers... what ya thing?
  • 0 1
 Elixir CR Review

Bike: Jamis Dragon 29er

Note to Avid: There is no such thing as one-finger-braking if the lever bottoms out on my knuckles prior to wheel lock-up. I've dialed the handle all the way out, and all the way out on this brake lever is not very far. On my Juicy-3 the lever went waaay out there which was good because I have long fingers and that made braking a simple (and lightning fast) matter of curling just those first joints. Now what? Now I have the ultimate brake but can't lock up without moving my middle knuckle out of the way (onto the brake lever) and my whole hand to the outer section of the bar. Obviously this all refers to my right-hand/back-wheel. Anyway, all you (Avid) need to do to solve this is allow the reach adjust on the lever to send the lever out quite a bit further than it currently can go out. Other than that these brakes are a wet dream. Everything good said about them is true. I have no idea why no one else is talking about the reach issue though; maybe my brake lever is defective? I doubt it. I repeat, there is no such thing as one-finger-braking if the lever bottoms out on my knuckles prior to wheel lock-up.
  • 1 0
 I fixed it. Materials: longer bolts (bike shop had them), and get a cheap aluminum bar for $10(bike shop had it), a hacksaw($5 hardware store, better blade (Lenox) $2). Cut into the cheap bar a 7mm section, then cut that section longitudinally, to make two half-moon shaped pieces. If you just want a little extra space use one of them, more, use two. I'd almost want three, but I'd need to go back and get longer bolts again, or maybe I'm too lazy to go into the hacksaw again. Anyways, you might have guessed by now but you take your new pieces and back the forwards part of the elixer bracket (the one connected to the actual cylinder and handle) away from the handlebar proper with these spacer pieces. Since the pieces are cut from standard mountain handlebar, the Elixir bracket fits perfectly, and since the interior radial space of the spacer piece is too small (because of the non-zero thickness of the bar) to flush with the bar, it creates that extra space. Works perfectly, like I said I used two of them. Wish I'd thought of it sooner, and hopefully SRAM will address the issue for future versions of this otherwise exemplary piece of mechanical artistry.
  • 1 0
 correction: 17mm not 7 mm. 1.7 cm section off the end of the alum flat-bar. etc
  • 4 1
 I already ordered a pair! Those are awesome!
  • 3 2
 I've had mine on my bike for about 3 weeks now, they really are amazing brakes. Everyone do yourself a favor and BUY THESE BRAKES! they are sick and you will love them.
  • 2 2
 maybe i just will then
  • 0 0
 I love my new Elixer CR had it for 3 weeks and havn't really got a chance to bed it in due to wheel problems but the modulation and power I have already is pretty good, can't wait to bed it inBig Grin
  • 0 1
 I have had these for about 6 weeks and they are awesome, great feel, great modulation and great power. Certainly better than my Hopes, never tried Hayes (other than demo - too on/ off for my liking). The levers feel great, one finger all the time. Who cares what they look like, they work, they are light and they are easy to maintain/ bleed/ change pads.

alwaystrying349: The best price for Elixir CRs in Canada is too order them from Universalcycles.com and just pay the tax. Still cheaper than Canadian retail and the best bit is they will actually arrive within 3 days rather than wait weeks for your local shop to get them from the Canadian (we sent that last week) distributor.
  • 0 1
 I rode a bike with these today; the stopping power and modulation and all that was good, but dear god, they were the loudest and most annoying brakes I have ever ridden! They squealed and screamed and chattered on every descent, and I was only riding XC with them. On a real downhill-bike-style downhill, I would have gone insane from the noise.
  • 0 0
 so wich is the one, ELIXIR CR or CODE...? im weight 65k (143 pound)and i don't know what to buy if the elixir or code i'm full DH, i also care of the wieght that is a point for elixir.

Srry for my english.
  • 0 0
 is the angle of brake hose adjustable on the caliper of the elixir r, on the cr i can clearly see that it is, but on the elixir r i don't know.
  • 0 0
 Anyone got an answer to what lachy-mtb asked? Could you put an elixr lever setup/mastercylinder on a code caliper? If so that would be a monster of a brake!
  • 0 0
 thats because theyre making lighter stronger bikes with better pedaling, so you can ride dh and xc. like my bullit is my dh bike and its my xc bike and it does well at both
  • 0 0
 Esperemos que no se claven los pistones como en otros modelos de la marca y el muelle de retorno de la maneta no pierda fuerza
  • 3 1
 these are prob the greatest avid brake ever! i love mine
  • 0 0
 man those look so good!! man all this new stuff next there going to come up with a brake the brake for you it will just know when you have to stop or slow down a bit...
  • 0 0
 Well, it's hard to chose between the Strokers and the Avid Elixirs!! After seeing this... it's almost a given which one I will choose.
  • 2 0
 just dont get the stroker rides lol they suck cock
  • 1 0
 I have these brakes now. They are real quiet and very powerful. They also provide lots of control!
  • 0 0
 never tryied avids. but get hope m4 AMAZIN!!!!! stop u in no time easy 2 maintain brill
  • 0 0
 Those are sweet looking levers, word on the street says they are really nice, and have great modulation.
  • 0 0
 i have these on my dh bike... amazing brake i would recomend these for the toughest dh rider and a light freerider.
  • 1 0
 Ah, the brake that sucked so bad they had to abandon the name Avid!
  • 2 2
 avids have a strange feeling, i'd prefer a set of stroker aces
  • 0 0
 the new rotor designs are way nicer
  • 0 0
 i wonder how these compete with Hayes Strokers...
  • 0 0
 not even close
  • 0 0
 so which do u think is better?
  • 0 0
 the elixer cr
  • 0 0
 please does anyone know the pricve for avid elixers in canada??!
  • 0 0
 nice brakes does any one no the costs
  • 1 0
 about 260 each i think
  • 0 0
 thanks amrskipro! I will check it out!!!
  • 0 0
 i have the elixir r for my dobe very nice and powerful brake
  • 0 0
 Got my elixir r's for 125 a pop. Best brakes by far...
  • 0 0
 I tested these on two demos. Great modulation, but they're loud.
  • 0 0
 Greg Herbold were exellent! never heard such a great review!
  • 1 0
 im buying elixir
  • 0 0
 i need to get me some of these for my bike!
  • 0 0
 all you guys got ripped of cause a got my cr's for 140 a wheel
  • 0 0
 got my new yeti 303r dh with them works great love the power =)
  • 1 0
 Turns out they're crap.
  • 1 2
 anyone know how much they cost?
  • 4 7
 They are a bit cheaper than the Code if I remember.
  • 3 3
 $202 at PricePoint.com
JensonUSA.com also sells it.


get Codes, way better.
  • 3 0
 I agree, although I haven't tested (but I have felt) the elexir, I love my Codes. But then again, if you're a weight weenie and also not putting the brakes on a downhill bike, go for the elixirs.
  • 2 0
 would be nice to get Elixir CR levers on Code 4 pistons calipers!!!
  • 1 1
 ya that would be pretty sick
  • 2 5
 retail im pretty shure around 280 per wheel for the CR shown above and about 170-180 for the R's I have a pair of the CR's coming in tommorow hopefully.
  • 2 3
 ????????? i just bought some for 174 each. 203 and a 185.
  • 0 0
 very nice brakes
  • 1 1
 nice
  • 0 0
 sick!!!
  • 1 1
 Saint ftw.
  • 0 0
 love these brakes! =]
  • 0 0
 Dank!!
  • 0 1
 hayyes strokers are my fav, btw (:
  • 0 1
 they have just copied formula the ones
  • 2 4
 these brakes must be good if ridden by Sam Hill
  • 3 2
 dont just love something because a world "No.1" rides them that dusnt make them amazing, hes sponcered by sram the could have MADE him ride them, thats why hes so fast maby there shit and dont work?! who knows.#

but they are good brakes
  • 2 2
 your last statment makes my point
  • 1 3
 nopeee mavsters right just cuz pros ride it dont mean shit
  • 1 0
 and i dont just love them because Sam Hill uses them there great brakes

"but they are good brakes" is what i was trying to say
  • 0 3
 me too
  • 3 0
 anybody noticed the pimped XO he was wearing as a necklace??
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