Avid Elixir Adjustment

[Junta]

Newbie needs help with Elixir R. It came with the used bike, but they were new. They worked great during my last ride but I just noticed that the Front lever depresses all the way to the grip and I can't seem to adjust the play. (I have no instructions) It grabs, but not that strong.

No signs of leak but the "Reach In" knob thing is now really tight and I had to turn it using the hex head screw on the inside the lever.

Also, I transported the bike with the wheel off and nothing between the pads. I heard it's not good for hydro brakes if there's no rotor or spacer in between the pads and lever is depressed...

All help is appreciated. Thanks!

[LukeTrailrider]

I had the same problem with my rear Elixer CR, which lead to a bigger problem when I tried using the pad contact adjustment to address the problem. Long story short, it came apart and I had to send it in for a warranty replacement. My guess is that fluid loss caused the intial problem. My advice would be to have them bled and refilled. If the problem happens again after that, contact avid.

[92se-r]

You need to reset the piston probably because you might have squeezed the levers with the wheel off.

Take the pads off, push the pistons back in with a 10mm box wrench. Then put the pads back in, loosen the caliper bolts, and squeeze away with the wheel back on. If the lever still goes to the handlebar, take the pads off, squeeze the levers halfway and pump a few times. Do not squeeze all the way to the handlebar. Watch your piston come out a bit, replace the pads, and see how it feels with the wheel back on. If it feels good, hold the lever down, tighten the caliper bolts. Done.

[Chewyeti]

bleed em....

I had a random fluke with an elixir R, some fluid SOMEHOW got behind the master cylinder piston.... i think it happenned after i crashed....

Bled it, and it all got better.

[SnookDawg]

Did you depress the lever without anything in the caliper? It's not clear from your post.

[Junta]

Thanks All. I might have to do that. Resetting didnt do the job. Theres still too much play in the lever. I will have to invest in a bleed kit and try it for the first time. I guess Mexican hills were too bumpy for the brakes and maybe it leaked just enough...

Yes, I probably depressed it while there was nothing in the caliper. Still not sure what that does...

[NipomoGuy]

it extends the pistons out, and with nothing between them, they will stay out. re set them, bleed them and go from there. The bleed kit is a good investment, mine paid for itself the second time i used it (got it for $47.00, the shop charges 25$ for a brake bleed).

[SAR_boats]

I would be willing to bet that the lever was depressed a few times and your master cylinder reservoir was close to empty when you had the wheel off. Once the master cylinder runs out of brake fluid it will cause a bubble to get into the brake line since there is no fluid to actuate the system. Sometimes just resetting the pistons will get the bubble out and make everything ok, sometimes not. Do a good bleed on the system. If you are going to try bleeding it yourself you may have to do it a couple times before you get it right.

[Fewinhibitions]

I would concur with the other posts. I would also get a clip for when the wheel is off.

Just an FYI if you do a lot of DH, you will need to bleed every so often - after a while the fluid gets overheated heated and loses its effectiveness.

The lever losing it's power is a usual signal for this as well.