If anyone has Avid Codes (pre 2010) or Elixirs, Juicys, etc., this thread might help you out in the future. (it would really be awesome if it became a sticky thread in the garage section).
Some people simply hate Avid brakes and say they are overrated...but i personally like them very much. If you are one of those Avid haters, please dont waste precious bandwith and clog up this thread with your complaints about Avid....leave it free and clear to the dumbasses like me who need the technical assistance from time to time.
In my opinion, Avids are easy to work on, very powerful and quite durable if you maintain them...(as with any bike component).
Again, the key is MAINTAINING them....which a lot of us are guilty of NOT doing.
If you own Avids, by now you may have either ran across (first hand)
a sticky lever or perhaps read about the issue on line.
I get a kick out of reading posts that tell you the bleed is the problem....seems like a general default answer to all our brake problems.
Well its not, the bleed CAN be the problem, and in most cases is, but not always.
I was pretty hesitant to take apart my Code levers up until recently. Well, ok i'll be honest.....the past evening there was a full fridge of Newcastle beer, my significant other had hijacked the living room TV with the most recent episode of Glee (which in my opinion should be BANNED from network TV) and my ride lights were not charged...so in other words, the conditions were perfect for a lever disassembly and rebuild.
Step 1;
Have some instructions/diagrams handy....or at least know where to find them quick.
Step 2;
Know when to STOP.....if the piston or bolt isnt coming out, dont get out the skillsaw and try to remove it with that. There is a trick to everything, and sometimes stopping and calling SRAM tech in the morning is your best bet.
Step 3;
Have plenty of cold beer and cigarettes handy.
Step 4;
Have a camera handy to take pictures of the parts when you run into a problem....post them up with your question and 9 times out of 10, someone will have the answer for you.
Now for the fun stuff-
The lever disassembly is pretty easy...just follow the instructions on the SRAM technical manual. Follow them to the T.
(if your specific brake is not in the manual below, go to the SRAM site and look for your year and make)
http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/avid/dea ... 0final.pdfOnce it dissembled, clean everything real good with a mix of alcohol and water (mix 60/40 in a spray bottle). Clean is good, so the more you clean, the better.
After cleaning ALL the internals of the lever real good, you can do one of two things.
1- if your seals are not damaged, you can reuse them
2-if your smart, you will have bought the rebuild kit and will use NEW seals (for Codes -
http://www.bikebling.com/Avid-MC-Lever- ... d-code.htm )
Reinstall the internals (piston and guts) by following the SRAM instructions, and during sliding in of the guts, make sure to LUBE THEM....use either the DOT fluid that your brakes take, or you can use a brake grease (SRAM sells it, its a little yellow tube and comes in some of their rebuild kits).
Reassemble all the brake components, and bleed....
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/134884/ (this video is GOLD when it comes to bleeding Avid brakes) it should work perfect. If it doesnt, one of two things has happened;
1- you royally fucked up somewhere and didnt do exactly what i told you to fuckin do, you fuckin dumbass!
2- something is bent or damaged inside and will need to be replaced.
Here are some of the exploded views for the levers....i only posted the Code and Juicy 7 exploded views, but the rest are in the manual.