Hydraulic Brake Levers And Other Question?

I just got a 2012 Specialized rockhopper with avid hydraulic disk brakes.

1. My right lever is broken. It still brakes but the lever is cut. What brake levers can i replace it with and where do i buy them.

2. The avid brake calipers has a number 5 written on it. does this mean its and avid 5?

 

You may find it cheaper just to replace the whole brake. You would need to ID the part that's broke (check the SRAM Tech Docs) then see if this part is available, and if it can be fitted with out bleeding the brakes.

If the brakes need a bleed, would look at the cost of the part and this (if you can't do it yourself) then compare to say the cost a current Shimano brake to see what is more cost effective.

The 5 will be a Juicy model

 

Avid stopped making Juicy in 2010 I believe, the bike is a 2012 model so it is most likely an Elxir 5.
It is still easier and probably cheaper to buy new brakes.

 

See if LBS can order the broken part in replacements, QBP stocks a lot of Avid Small parts,

SRAM has owned the Avid Brand for awhile.

 

BB7s are mechanical brakes, but I was very happy with a set for years. Easy to service and adjust. And a new set can be had pretty cheap. If you are mechanically handy, replacing the lever only may not be difficult. But a new set of brakes should be plug and play. It is likely your Avid rotors have a 6-bolt mount and Shimano favors a centerlock mounting style. So a swap to Shimano hydraulics could mean a different set of compatible wheels.

 

my hardtail sits in the garage right now with a totally locked rear brake. No reason for it to lock up, it just did while I wasn't riding it. I had similar problems on the dual sus bike. If I ever need to replace these brakes, it won't be with another Juicy or even an Avid hydraulic brake.

 

The caliper doesn't care how the rotor is mounted to a disc hub as long as it has the correct diameter ...

FWIW. MY limited observation of a handful of disc hubs is that a centerlock hub weighs less than a 6-bolt ISO hub ...

And, the centerlock rotors (probably) weigh less because of the (presumably) alloy spider.

Shimano has centerlock adapters which accept traditional 6-bolt rotors, BTW.

If you aren't racing (it probably takes less than 1/4 the amount of time to replace a centerlock rotor), then you can wait until you are replacing your hubs-or-wheels before ponying up for centerlock compatible hubs.