The Avid X0 Silver Disc Brake exploits the mirror-like finish of polished aluminum to harken back to the origin of the X0 components. While they remind us of bygone days, they're as modern as ever.
The X0 brakes make use of forged aluminum for the lever body and caliper where the XX brakes use forged magnesium, and they use Avid's G3 Cleansweep rotor where XX brakes use a two piece Cleansweep X rotor. This is really what sets the two brake systems apart and the difference is measured with a few extra grams and some money left in your pocket.
Since they're part of the Elixir family, these brakes use Avid's Taperbore technology that incorporates the fluid reservoir into the piston assembly. This simplifies the system a bit and saves weight over designs that use separate reservoirs. The carbon fiber levers pivot close to the bars, closer than other makes. The reason for this is that it provides a lever swing that more closely matches the movement of your fingers as they close in towards the handlebars. This is part of what gives Avid Elixirs a natural feel. Combine this lever movement with a tool-free reach adjust and a pad contact adjustment, and they can be dialed in to fit anyone's hands and preferences. The last great thing about the levers is that they're Matchmaker X compatible. This is part of the upgrade from X9 brakes -- only XX and X0 have it. Matchmaker X allows you to bolt your shifters, brake levers, and even X-Loc remote buttons onto one clamp to simplify your control arrangement on the bars. It's a lighter system to boot.
The forged 2-piece aluminum calipers are stiff and have two huge pistons to provide big stopping power when you need it. The top loading design allows you to remove the organic brake pads without removing the wheel. And a banjo fitting on the caliper end of the brake hose swivels just enough to make hose routing clean and easy. Another detail, often overlooked, is that Avid uses DOT 5.1 fluid in their Elixir brakes. Test show that it boils at temperatures 3x higher than DOT 4 fluid. This means more stable and fade resistant performance for incessant braking on lengthy descents. To complete the system, the X0 Disc Brake gets Avid's G3 Cleansweep rotor. The G3 has varying sizes and shapes of cut-outs for a more consistent feeling braking surface and vastly improved heat dissipation.
The Avid X0 Silver Disc Brake is polished aluminum. Front and rear brakes are sold separately. You'll get everything you need for either your front or rear wheel -- one brake for each end. You'll need to select your rotor size -- 160, 180, 200mm.
- Tri-Align caliper adjustment is super simple for pain-free precision
- TaperBore technology provides consistent lever feel and predictable modulation
- MatchMaker X compatibility keeps your bars clean
- Carbon fiber levers drop weight and add envy points
- Ordanic, top loading pads are grippy and easy to replace
- Includes lever, caliper, hose, and rotor
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Avid X0 Silver Disc Brake
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Read Troy's Review
Austin H.
Member since
Agree on all counts.
Running mine on a '09 Heckler set up with a more aggressive-trail-bike build. These brakes are a huge improvement in modulation over my Formula RX's (although the Formula's have serious power, which I love).
I would suggest 180mm rotors if you're really blasting on a trail bike.
XO Race Ready Performance
Troy Barry
Member since
Having the opportunity to run the XO brakes front and rear on my 29 inch race setup, Santa Cruz Highball, I can definitively endorse the high end performance of this brake set up. The XO was chosen for its ability for minor adjustments on the fly vs. the upscaled XX that has limited adjustibility. Going into my build I like the ability to adjust the calipers during a long ride if something radically changed in my braking system. The XO performed really well all season including standing up to about 6K miles in varying conditions. I did go through several sets of brake pads but that should be expected when finishing 5 NUE's on the season. The way I see it, I want the brakes PADS to wear not the brake cylinders, so pads are a cheap price to pay for continued performance. I ran the 160mm disc front/rear and could probably go through less pads if I upsized the dia of my rotors (albeit I like the lower wgt and response of the 160 dia rotors).
I did find the cable length that came stock were a bit long for my liking even on my size (L) frameset. Therefore, after about a month of riding I decided to flush the system with new brake fluid and cut down the cable length. The system comes with extra compression fittings so that you can mate the cable system to your frame size (I hav to give kudos for thinking on SRAM's part here).
If you are looking for high end performance, light wgt, and to keep some $$ in your pocket look no further these are your brakes for your high end XC rig. I am sticking with the XO this year again as they proved reliable and easily adjustable.
Ride ON!
