I first read about the Avid Code brake set in a press release in the summer of 2006. This new downhill specific brake set sounded like a real performer, and I went on the hunt for a set of "Codes"

Fast forward to April 2007. I picked up my new set of Avid Code brakes and raced home to mount them on my bike. The first impression when the boxes were handed to me was pleasant. The Avid crew have given extra detail to the boxes that the product is shipped in. You get a cool black box with a CODE logo embossed on the cover. The lid is held in place with two straps that have a click latches. This makes the boxes re-usable for those that like to remove the brakes off the bike when traveling on airplanes.

The first impression when the boxes were opened was impressive. The product comes in what is called "Dead Moss Grey" color for both the caliper and lever body. A bright red pad adjustment knob stands out on the lever body. It's a pretty neutral color scheme that will match most color selections of bikes other than the few bright pink rides out there. The cosmetics of the brake lever are not at the same level of the caliper or lever body. I agree that it is just cosmetics and has no impact on why you would buy this product, but if your going to the extent of detail on the box that product arrives in pay more attention to the lever. On a side note there are other aftermarket companies that make customized levers for the Code system.

Mounting the Code's was very simple. The two-piece clamp assembly did not require me to remove my grips from the handlebars. The kits comes with a few mounting options for the caliper. I used the 203mm rotor kit and had no issues mounting the system to my DH bike. There is a specific kit for front and rear. The calipers and levers are exactly the same for front and rear, it is just the amount of hydraulic cable is supplied on each brake set. The kits come pre-bleed ready to ride. However the kits comes with very long cables. I installed the Code's on my Transition Gran-Mal size large. This bike is very long and I still had 12-16 inches of extra cable dangling off the front of my bars. I highly recommend that you trim any brake cables to fit your bike properly. The last thing you need is a brake cable catching a tree on a downhill decent. The kit included new cable fittings so you can cut the cables to length. It is recommended that you re-bleed the brakes after this operation to eliminate any air bubble that may have made there way into the lines. The box comes with new hardware for re-terminating the cable ends, however the proper bleed kit is a separate item that you will need to purchase. If your not up to it have you local authorized Avid dealer perform the cable length adjustment and bleed the set properly

A few things set this brake set apart from the others. The red knob I noted in the first impressions section above is the "Pad Adjustment" control. What this enables you to do is adjust how far the lever pulls before the pads move. Here is why this is important. On a brake set that has no lever adjustment the consistency of lever pull to pad travel will continue to change as the pads wear down. Pads with a millimeter removed can result in a centimeter or so of lever pull. As you can see, unless you are constantly re-bleeding, or using that micro allen key to adjust the lever position you are going to over time have the lever pull closer and closer to the bars as the pads wear.

The pad adjustment knob on the Code's enables you move the pads closer to the rotor as the pads wear overtime. This helps keep the same brake lever travel across the entire life of the brake pads. With the Code's you know you'll be able to quickly and accurately adjust your breaks to the way you like them to feel and keep them the same way over the usage of the brake pads. The adjustment knob is located on the front side of the lever body. This enables you to mount the lever on the either side of your bars with no "correct" side issues like on the Juicy product.

The technology behind this brake kit is very impressive. The caliper uses a four-piston design that provides even and very power full braking. The provided rotors are the new "G2 Clean Sweep" design that clears the brake dust and other contaminates away from the pads. On the lever body a 3 cartridge bearing system keeps the lever smooth during its travel.

The first ride impression was noticeable. Coming from a simple 2-piston brake with little adjustability to the Code system was night and day. It took me about 5 minuets to adjust the levers to the right bar to lever distance. I then played with the lever travel to get the brakes feeling the way I liked. The most impressive point about this system is the ability of the Code's to vary braking pressure. The sensitivity of the system was right on the money. What was also impressive was the ability for myself to brake with one finger and achieve greater brake performance than I had with the previous 2-piston brake system I had on the bike before hand. I have a large heavy bike, with a 6'3 240lb rider and I can bring the bike quick stop with one finger, on one brake.

I used the Code's for the entire 2007 summer season on my DH bike. The performance consistency of this system is what I would call no-worries. I simply did not think about what my brakes were going to do. I knew every time I pulled the lever, what response from the brakes I would get. This I find is key to a good ride from any component on a bike. If you are thinking and wondering what your bike is going to do, you are losing time on your race run. Since the first day they have run silent without any of the brake moan you hear coming out of the woods from others brake systems. The build quality is great, and they have stood up to quite a few brake dragging runs down Whistler's single tracks.

There area few things that could be improved on the Avid Code brake set. The first is they are heavy compared to other products. Many World Cup Avid riders have stuck with the Juicy 7 product because of the weight. Avid has reduced the weight in the 2008 product line and it is now 10% lighter. Although for the average rider and recreational racer this shouldn't be too much of an issue. On a personal note the weight was not noticeable in my riding, and I'll take performance improvement for a little extra baggage. The other improvement that could be made is on the lever as I noted. It simply looks out of place. The sexy looking carbon lever off of the Juicy Ultimate would look a lot better, in my opinion.

For 2008 the cosmetics of the Code system have changed. The lever body and caliper are now a raw aluminum (did the paint weight that much ?) and boast a 10% lighter weight. The Avid crew have also introduce the Code 5, a budget minded system that provides Code performance with less adjustability, due to the Juicy 5 levers.

Over all the Code system is a very impressive brake system. Consistent performance, flexible adjustability, and great cosmetics in my opinion, has placed this brake system among the best available. Just know that this is a serious DH brake, and is overkill for pretty much everything else.

Some more Code Facts:

INTENDED USE : All Mountain, Freeride, Downhill
FINISH : New galvanized body/caliper, black lever
UNIQUE TO CODE : Center-Mount Pad Contact-Point Adjustment, Three cartridge bearing lever pivot, Two-piece lever with cam breakaway, Up-front access reach adjustment, New aluminum cam and other improved hardware
SPECIAL FEATURES : New magnesium lever body, Four piston caliper, Anchored brake pads, Tri-Align™ Caliper Positioning System™, Power Reserve Geometry™, Center-mount adjustable banjo, Ambidextrous, Split Clamp/Matchmaker™ compatible, Drip-free bleeding
ROTOR SIZES : 160, 185, 203mm
FLUID : DOT 4
WEIGHT : 449g (160mm rotor; front post mount)

Buck - May 29, 2008 I have minimal DH runs on the Code's, so I can't comment on long-term performance. The Code's are so far very powerful and have yet to see any fade. I will put them through some high-demand runs soon enough. With lever feel, the lever modulation is only OK. Yes the more pressure you apply, the more they bite, but the lever doesn't have good travel feed-back. This is going to take some getting use to. I don't know why the heck they went with a 3 cartridge bearing lever. That is ridiculously overkill, and adds unnecessary weight. It seems as if they just added it as a 'burly' feature of the brake. All they really needed was a bushing in there similar to the Code 5. All in all, it's a nice setup for DH.

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