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"

2012, the Year the Road Bike World gets Disc Brakes

Iceberg Ahead Captain

Iceberg	Disc Brake

It's coming. One way or another, because you, yes you, the public, demand it. Hydraulic disc brakes have been so effective for mountain bikes, we must have them on road bikes, now!

Ghetto Tubeless Do & Don't

Knackers

I had my first failure on a ghetto tubeless setup a few days ago - while experimenting with lower pressures and landing a small jump I had the front tyre lose pressure... with the amusing (not at the time) side effect of putting me right over the bars and landing my little chaps on the top tube. Painful. And the tyre didn't re-seal properly, either, leaving me with a wheel I had no confidence in, with a slow puncture. Time to head home...

Rim Tape

Sometimes, you can't DIY...

With a combination of the rubbish UK weather and an injured shoulder, I've only been riding the road bike lately. I had two mysterious flat tyres within the space of few days... both without any thorns, and both while the bike was in the car. Easy enough to fix, if a bit of a pain and cut short a ride or two. So what was behind the mystery?

The tube had bulged into them there holes.

Turns out that it was all my fault (of course, these things usually are). When I'd built the wheels I'd used a few wraps of electrical tape to cover the spoke holes. Now this is all perfectly satisfactory in the land of 30psi mountain bike tyres, but when it comes to road bikes, the high pressures (100psi+) are far too much for the tape to support, and the tube had squished itself down into the spoke holes. Now, take the bike out for a few rides, and presto - much chafing action.

Lesson learned: no more electrical tape for me - proper stuff only, from now on.

Review updates

A quick update on my recent reviews, now I've been using the bits review for a few months.

Marzocchi 66 ATA

A really short post today - oddly enough with it being summer I'm out riding a bit more than I am fixing things...


So today its just a few links to resources for Marzocchi's big air sprung freeride fork.

Basic setup

Just remember: PAR chamber must be 15psi more than main air chamber.

http://www.marzocchi.com/System/55345/ATA%20SETUP.pdf

Forum links on common issues:

MTBR forums - fixing 66 ATA "stuckdown" problem
MTBR - 66 ATA info
MTBR - 66 ATA setup and further info on ATA internals

DIY Protection

Or, how to cover your delicate parts with rubber, fnar.