Avid - Hydraulic Disc Brakes, Mechanical, Levers, Rim Brakes

Avid Technologies
Avid Technologies

Avid Technology 101

When we set out to design the best disc brakes in the world, we knew that simple stopping power wasn't going to be enough. The best brake would also have to work in perfect harmony with your hand, give you perfectly precise control and be easier to install than a virus on your PC. Mission accomplished. Here are some highlights:


Pad Contact-Point Adjustment

Most Avid brakes have a brilliant feature that sets them apart from all other brakes. You can adjust the point in the lever's throw where the pads contact the rotor. Thus the name. It does two simple but important things:

  1. Enables you to perfectly match your hands' comfort with the brake's power.
  2. It allows you to balance both levers so the pads engage the rotors in the same spot. No more uneven brake levers.

Pad Contact-Point Adjustment is not a reach adjuster (although Juicy levers have that, too). It's a subtle, but oh-so-important performance enhancement that helps you dial in the perfect ride.

Power Reserve Geometry

Your fingers pull in a straight line, but brake levers move in an arc. Bottom line: Your fingers typically want to slip off the ends of the levers as you pull. We designed all of our brakes with the industry's lowest X Factor (that's the distance from the center of the handlebar to the center of the lever's pivot). That reduces the lever's inward travel, creating an arc that's closer to your fingers' natural motion and more power is delivered to the brake lever. And, the cool part is, every Avid lever has it.

Tri-Align Caliper Positioning System

There's never been an easier brake to install. With Avid's Tri-Align Caliper Positioning System, aligning the caliper to the rotor literally takes seconds. Just loosen the CPSTM bolts a little, and squeeze the brake lever while tightening the bolts again. Perfect caliper alignment, and you barely had to put down your beverage!

The bleeding edge of brake technology

Bleeding most brake systems is about as sophisticated as medieval medicine. That's where Avid comes to the rescue again, with our drip-free bleed process. It's so thorough, you'll never wonder, "Did I get all the air out?" You can see every bit of performance-robbing air being methodically extracted from the system. In fact, as you're preparing to bleed the brake, you actually draw air bubbles that are too small to even be seen out of the fluid. It's a trick you'll want to take to the next cocktail party. Also, the process is clean, because there's no pouring or "catching" fluid and every step is performed with very precise syringes. It's not called drip-free for nothing.

DOT 5.1

For years we have used DOT 4 fluid and it has helped us to achieve an amazing track record of performance. But when we see an opportunity to improve, we're going to take it. That's why this year, we're moving to DOT 5.1 in our Juicy Ultimate, Carbon, Seven and Five. Heat is the enemy of any brake system, so advancements in heat management, mean advancements in your ride. You see, we found that in our systems DOT 5.1 takes almost three times longer to boil than DOT 4, thus allowing flawless performance in even more extreme conditions.