The CR sits right in the middle of the Elixir range and it’s a sound, highly adjustable but comparatively very expensive brake. The master cylinder is upgraded with a chunky feeling and usefully robust carbon lever.
The CR also gets a rotatable red anodised barrel that controls the pad contact point. It doesn’t adjust it much, though, and you need to ‘de-kink’ the hose or it’ll just wind back in again.
Like a lot of bite-point-adjust brakes, the extra complexity makes the brake less consistent and more hiccup-prone over the long term. Despite the carbon lever it’s also fractionally heavier than the R version and a lot heavier than comparable £200 brakes.
Actual braking power is slightly increased over the R though, and overall control from the angled lever is excellent. The way it pulls back to the bar also increases perceived power so it never feels short of grunt on the trail. Avid have just added Centerlock style rotors and a white finish to the options too.
