Skip to main content

Avid Elixir 7 Trail brakes


TRICKLE-DOWN OF technology is a wonderful thing when it means you can now buy a brake 95 per cent as good as the excellent Avid X0 Trail for almost half the price. The only real differences are that the lever is alloy, not carbon, and sits on a bushing rather than a cartridge bearing, so the feel isn’t as luxurious. There’s no bite point adjust and you get a utilitarian grey finish but the brake is only 12g heavier.

The mid-range power and excellent modulation from the four-pot calliper is indistinguishable from the X0 on the trail though, with Avid’s lever geometry always proving popular with our testers. The brake-only option is just 156S, giving fantastic feel and control at an impressively low weight and cracking price, but rotors and mounts are expensive.

WEIGHT 418g
POWER 108Nm

PRICE: 242$



Popular posts from this blog

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

DRC X-Monitor SP1 lap timer

While smartphone apps such as Strava can be a useful way to keep tabs on your mountain bike rides, sometimes you just can’t beat the simplicity and instant feedback that a good old-fashioned stopwatch style lap timer provides.

Merida Big Seven 100

We've rolled up to our local woods, with a meandering blue trail, some natural wooded tracks and a bit of fire road chucked into the mix to see how the Big Seven 100 tackles trails that entry-level riders are likely to cut their teeth on.

Scott Stego MIPS helmet

Scott’s top-end aggressive trail helmet is only available with MIPS, as the Swiss brand were early adopters of the system. The EPS extends low at the rear without clashing with the retention system and the strap attachment points are external to the liner, maximising the amount of material around the temples. This is the closest-fitting helmet on test, with very little clearance inside the liner. Despite this, and although the Stego has fewer vents than some other lids here, we never felt too hot-headed. Scott spent time developing the ventilation system using a wind tunnel and it seems to have paid off. The thin pads don’t offer quite as much comfort as some competitors’, and while the short peak is removable, it doesn’t offer any height adjustment. Weight 340g Sizing S, M, L Price $180

ORANGE 322

Since the 222 back in the early Noughties, Orange’s downhill bike has flown the flag for great British engineering. The 322 is the latest incarnation, and having been in the pipeline for a while, it should be a good ’un.