Bleedin' 'ell, guv

A lot of Elixir

Recently, I've added a couple of pairs of Avid's Elixir brakes to the RideItFixIt garage. Second hand pairs mind, that had some problems... Problems which thankfully turn out (so far) to mean "by jove, these brakes are in need of a jolly good bleeding". I've also had to bleed another pair not long ago - that's a few bleeds I've done lately.

As you might guess, I'm a big fan of Avid brakes here - especially the current models (Elixir, and no, I don't like Juicys). Decent modulation and power and good vfm. The levers can feel a bit plasticky, especially on the cheaper, models, but they work, well, and are very effective bits of kit. I've ridden some Hayes (never again) and Shimano (quite nice) brakes, I think the Avids are a tough act to beat.

So, let's take a look inside the Elixir, and I'll list a few hints and easy fixes for common problems with these things.

A trip round the Elixir lever, or how TaperBore(TM) works

Prototype Elixir lever was "a bit plasticky"

On-One Max Hubset Review & Servicing

This is a Service Guide + First Impressions review of On-One's value for money AM hubset, sold as part of their "MAX Adaptable Maxle Wheelset", or on their own for £80 a pair (£40 each, front and rear).

Everythings cheaper up north...

Well, you can't argue with the price. This is about as good as it gets for a 20mm front hub, and a 10mm bolt-thru rear hub. These hubs will run you a total of £80 for both front and rear hubs from the Yorkshire based outfit On-One (or is it Planet-X? I can never tell).

Close competition comes from Superstar's Switch EVO hubs, which are £20 more but do have four cartridge bearings at the rear, Halo's Spin Doctor, Octane One Orbitals, DMR Revolver 3-pawl, the inevitable Shimano offerings - SLX at this price point, and of course a huge number of others I haven't listed. It's a fairly competitive sector of the hub market - although the prices for through-axle style hubs have yet to drop to the level of QR hubs.

On One?

Well, no, only "sort of". On-One are not Hope - so no in-house manufacture here. These are the product of the Chosen Hub Co. of Taiwan (you might have guessed it was a rebrand from the price). Anyway, lets take a look inside...