The "XO Trail" brake showed the way: four pistons like on a downhill brake, but one weight in the cross-country frame. Avid is now taking this concept down the component hierarchy and upgrading two stoppers in the Elixir range with a four-piston trail version.

Although more news from Sram can be expected at the Sea Otter Festival from April 19 to 22, the company has been announcing new products almost every week. Now it's the turn of the X0-level brakes to attract attention with new features.

After the recently unveiled new Elixir "7" and "9", Sram now presents the brand new, technically revised "XX" and "XX World Cup". Visually, the two new brakes are now strongly based on the more affordable one.

The brake specialist Avid is launching new models for the Elixir "R" and "CR". Elixir is now supplemented with "7" and "9". The new brakes are designed for wider use, can be mounted on both sides and are "MatchMaker X" compatible.

The new Avid "Elixir 3" offers proven technology at an interesting price. If you take the official 105.00 US dollars (with 160-millimetre brake discs) as a guide, the brake should also offer good value for money in Switzerland.

The SRAM Corporation continues to grow: What once began as a "Grip Shift" twist shifter has become a provider of shifters, hubs and suspension elements through the acquisition of Sachs and Rock Shox. According to a press release from SRAM, the brake specialist Avid is to be acquired under an agreement reached today. With this acquisition, which is to be sealed at the end of January, SRAM is one step closer to its goal of a complete component group - and thus more market share in the OEM market. Shimano is therefore once again challenged.

Two years after the takeover by Sram, disc brake manufacturer Avid is launching a special product to combine the two brands for the first time. The special "MatchMaker" mounting clamp makes it possible to mount the Sram trigger shift lever directly on an Avid brake lever. This makes the handlebars look tidier and allows easy mounting of bike computers or GPS devices.

Now it's officially confirmed: Sram is taking over the brake specialist Avid, thereby acquiring a competence that has not yet been covered. Following the purchase of Rock Shox, Sram is thus moving ever closer to becoming a comprehensive component manufacturer. Avid is to be fully integrated into Sram in the near future.

With Avid, SRAM has acquired a veritable brake specialist. And the company, which has made a name for itself above all with lightweight and very well-functioning V-brakes, already made a promising debut in terms of hydraulic discs last season with the "Juicy".