For quite some time I've been wanting to try out this combination...finally got around to doing one brake last night.
Elixirs are already powerful enough brakes in my opinion, and the Codes (if set up properly) are extremely damn strong too...however, i have always felt that my Elixir levers (even though they are the R model and not the CR) have always had a much stronger
initial engagement than my Code levers (even though my Code levers have the pad contact adjust which is equivalent to the Elixir CR lever).
From some brief interwebz reading, it seems the 'Taperbore' design on the Elixir levers allows for a much stronger hydraulic brake in relations to the lever. Don't get me wrong, the Code system has always been strong, how can it not be with 4 damn pistons? But if i can get my brakes to stop even better than they already do, I am all ears.....and after seeing that the Specialized team tried this combination on their 2010 Demo 8 pro's bike (Elixir CR lever paired with Code calipers), I figured they must be onto something. Funny enough, for the 'new' Code brakes (2011+), Avid redesigned the lever and it looks very similar to the Elixir lever design ('Taperbore').
HOW TO:
Well, the job is damn simple; all you do is disconnect your Code lever from the existing line and attach the Elixir lever to the Code caliper and line. Then bleed.
**NOTE**you cannot disconnect the hydraulic line at the caliper, the banjos are different between the Elixir and Code. You MUST use the Code caliper and Code hydraulic line with the Elixir lever.
If you are careful enough, you might even be able to get away with disconnecting the lines, reattaching and then just riding...no bleeding. When i did this last night, immediately after reattaching, the system held pressure with hardly any spongy feeling to it......But i still didn't and wouldn't risk it, a bleed is simple enough and ensures that you are getting the most out of your brake.
When you do bleed the system, I recommend (as i always do) using MOTUL 5.1 brake fluid. It has much less air/gas in the fluid straight out of the bottle, not to mention the boiling point is a bit higher. You should always degas the fluid in the bleeding syringes (before bleeding), and if you have used SRAM Pit stop fluid in the past, you know how much gas that crap has.....it was 20 minutes alone just for degassing the SRAM fluid.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Well, i haven't had a true trail test on the brake yet, but just from the parking lot test, i am very impressed. I literally pulled a 'stoppie' and almost when over the bars when i grabbed a handful of front brake. Keep in mind I only replaced my front brake caliper and not both (front/back) since i wanted to get a good feeling between the two.
I figured that since your front brake receives most of the stopping duty, the front was a good place to start....and i also wanted to see the difference in modulation between the Code caliper (4 piston) and the Elixir caliper (2 piston)....again, from the parking lot test i am pretty impressed. The modulation is definitely better. For one, you dont have to squeeze till your arms turn blue to get the front to lock/stop....i would venture to say that with the new Code caliper/Elixir lever combination, it takes about 1/2 to 2/3 (max) the force i had to use with the stock Elixir setup. Keep in mind this is simply to get the brake to STOP...i.e. lock up.
When you are giving the new setup just a regular old squeeze, you can definitely tell the modulation is cleaner and allows for a better 'finessing' (or 'feathering') of the brake.
In conclusion, the stock Elixirs were always good at modulation, i never felt i needed more in that aspect....but i did feel the brake somewhat lacking at the other end of the spectrum. Lately I've been riding a super (SUPER) steep trail and my brakes have been getting put to muttherf'ckin TEST....so it will interesting to see how this brake holds up under true fire.
More to come once i get a couple good runs on the new system.
