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Sram brakes Vs. Avid Brakes...?

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Sram brakes Vs. Avid Brakes...?

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flag Ziggypop14
Posted: May 30, 2015 at 10:04 Quote
I personally haven't had the best experience with avids (elixir R & elixir CR) and im sure im not the only one. Just wondering if since sram makes avids, would sram brakes be just as bad? or would it be a different story with a pair of sram guide rs'?
flag JUKILOP02
Posted: May 30, 2015 at 14:30 Quote
Hello. Avids aren't that bad in my experience, but Sram Guide are the best brakes I've ever tried. They are stiff and have more power than you'll ever need.
flag foobajoob
Posted: May 30, 2015 at 17:58 Quote
I've heard good things about the guides. Much better than any of the avid brakes. I actually considered doing a set for my single speed, but decided to go mechanical to keep maintenance simple.
flag brianl
Posted: May 30, 2015 at 18:58 Quote
I just bought a new bike that came with Guide RS brakes - like them so far, similar power to XTs with a bit more progressive modulation (not as on/off). No idea about reliability yet...
flag JUKILOP02
Posted: Jun 1, 2015 at 9:32 Quote
foobajoob wrote:
I've heard good things about the guides. Much better than any of the avid brakes. I actually considered doing a set for my single speed, but decided to go mechanical to keep maintenance simple.
How come does going mechanical keep maintenance simple? I find that they need a lot more adjusting to work well. In the long haul, hydraulic is less work-intensive.
flag foobajoob
Posted: Jun 1, 2015 at 10:24 Quote
JUKILOP02 wrote:
foobajoob wrote:
I've heard good things about the guides. Much better than any of the avid brakes. I actually considered doing a set for my single speed, but decided to go mechanical to keep maintenance simple.
How come does going mechanical keep maintenance simple? I find that they need a lot more adjusting to work well. In the long haul, hydraulic is less work-intensive.

There may be more adjustments, but I find it simpler than dealing with brake fluid and bleeding a hydraulic system. And I still like having that manual adjustment for centering the pads around the rotor better than the self-adjusting that hydraulic brakes do, even though I love the hopes I've got on my all mountain bike.
flag JUKILOP02
Posted: Jun 1, 2015 at 16:10 Quote
Sounds fair. It is easier to replace and adjust cables than bleeding on most hydros. Except Shimano, those are easy. Hayes can take hours...
flag TheRaven
Posted: Jun 2, 2015 at 7:17 Quote
The thing about Avid brakes is less about the brakes themselves, and more the competition. You'll hear people speak of Avid brakes like they steal your soul and kill your family. In reality, they really aren't THAT bad. The problem is that Shimano's brakes are basically perfect, and no more expensive. So the dilemma then is - what's the point in even trying a brake with the reputation of Avid when Shimano has the kind of reputation it has?

Now the newer SRAM brakes are just fine. But again, Shimano's offerings are time tested and only get better with each iteration. So I still have difficulty recommending Guide brakes especially seeing as they are generally MORE expensive than equivalent Shimanos. But, if you want to have an all-SRAM bike or have come across an unbelievable deal on Guide brakes, then yes, by all means, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

As for mechanical vs. hydraulic - it's really tough to mount an effective argument one way or another. You can get Deore hydros as cheap as BB7's, so price is a non-factor. It's a matter of physics that good mechanicals (like BB7's) have just as much power as equivalent hydros, so that's a non-factor. Hydros are SLIGHTLY lighter than mechanicals, but the difference is almost negligible, so that's probably a non-factor. Yes you have to adjust the pads every 2-3 rides on mechanicals, but seriously, it's quicker and easier than checking the air in your tires, which you should be doing EVERY ride...and bleeding hydros is alot more involved and does take some skill/experience to do right, even though it shouldn't be necessary nearly as often as pad adjustment on mechanicals. The only real factors, from my extensive experience, are modulation - mechanicals are linear while hydros are exponential, so the feel is very different (this is the factor that leads alot of people to think that hydros are more powerful than mechanicals), and you have alot more high-end options in hydraulic brakes than you do in mechanicals. So if you want brakes that are way more powerful than you'll ever need (like Saint, for instance), then hydro is your only choice.
flag J-McBride
Posted: Jun 2, 2015 at 12:26 Quote
I'm curious to know what do people think of the build quality?
Had a look at some guides on a spec enduro in LBS and they felt to plasticy and cheap compared to shimano and hope.
flag ddfc
Posted: Jun 2, 2015 at 13:30 Quote
J-McBride wrote:
I'm curious to know what do people think of the build quality?
Had a look at some guides on a spec enduro in LBS and they felt to plasticy and cheap compared to shimano and hope.

Been running Guide R brakes on my Trance since I got it, only got good things to say about them, the modulation is superb and I actually prefer them to the SLXs that were on my old bike.
flag brianl
Posted: Jun 2, 2015 at 17:41 Quote
ddfc wrote:
J-McBride wrote:
I'm curious to know what do people think of the build quality?
Had a look at some guides on a spec enduro in LBS and they felt to plasticy and cheap compared to shimano and hope.

Been running Guide R brakes on my Trance since I got it, only got good things to say about them, the modulation is superb and I actually prefer them to the SLXs that were on my old bike.
Yeah, they maybe don't look as "industrial" as XTs, but I'm fine with them. I never liked the cheesy XT chrome covers anyway...
flag Flynn-Lives
Posted: Aug 31, 2016 at 15:55 Quote
I came across this video. Hope it helps. Cheers! http://tipsperformance.com/how-to-replace-bike-break-pads/
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