Avid Code Brakes Review - BikeRadar

Avid's Juicy brakes were long awaited and they don't disappoint - the power is incredible for such a basic brake - but that wasn't enough for Avid. They wanted to make the ultimate brake for downhill and freeride - and here it is, the Code...

Starting up top, the lever can be mounted on either side and boasts some cool features. As with the Juicy lever, the reservoir is shaped to make room for the gear shifter, and there's an adjuster for the braking bite point. The lever blade itself has the slickest action out there. It pivots in a cartridge bearing that also totally eliminates sloppy up and down movement - these things are definitely built to last.

The callipers are big but surprisingly clean looking. Featuring four pistons and Avid's tri-align system, you can set them up for no drag and supreme power. Rather than routing the cable via the banjo to the outside of the calliper, Avid have redesigned this feature and sandwiched the banjo between the two calliper halves, making the cables snag and crash-proof. If you want to make them even hardier, adding some Goodridge hoses would complete the package.

Disc size goes up to a whopping 203mm for power that's simply massive - it's like braking with an anchor. Even before the pads wear in, the Code's power nearly matches that of some DH brakes, and once they are worn in they're shockingly powerful. I was lucky enough to ride these at Whistler - courtesy of Greg Herbold and a SRAM test bike - and was amazed by them. After four days of Garbanzo riding, my hands were hurting on my own bike, but transferring to the Code brakes made me wonder if someone had been pouring oil on my own brakes.

In fact, I've been riding the Codes here in the UK, and I've found that they're almost too powerful. It's ultra easy to lock up either wheel because your hands work half as hard as with some brakes, so until you're used to them this can make for erratic braking. At first I tended to control my speed only when going fast, but now I'm used to the power, braking can be handled with the tiniest of dabs here and there. If riding big Alpine stuff, you'll be thankful.

So there'll be no more struggling to pull the brakes - instead you'll be breezing past those who are, and hitting the brakes at the very last minute. Just because you can, obviously.

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