Launched two years ago, the SRAM Maven has undergone some tweakings. Here's our initial thoughts.
Yep, they are indeed Bobby, but I value performance over "All style, no substance".
Much like mud guards, you cant see them when riding
£250 an end, and the lever piston is still plastic?
And the Bleeding Edge system is just the icing on the cake. Bleed nipples have worked perfectly well for generations, Avid didn't need to replace them with a messy screw in bung system, and then SRAM didn't need to solve that with a £60 tool.
I binned my last set of Sram brakes after giving up, they'd had umpteen bleeds, new metal lever pistons, the pistons started sticking and then bleeding edge tool stopped sealing. On went a 10 year old set of M785's, bled easily and they work consistently.
I don't want to hear that a company's made it's supposedly best brake ever "more consistent", that should have been the bare minimum in the V1.0!
Why do bike journos give these company such a free pass? Can you imagine if Top Gear was reviewing a car with brakes that were known to fail and just offered praise that they'd improved the brakes?
Bleed nipples have worked perfectly well for generations,
They have but give me bleeding edge every time over the system on my Magura and Hayes brakes where you remove a bolt and fluid falls out.
I don't want to hear that a company's made it's supposedly best brake ever "more consistent", that should have been the bare minimum in the V1.0!
You talking about Shimano's new low viscosity brake fluid brakes? I think they were careful to avoid any mention of resolving inconsistency problems when launched
They have but give me bleeding edge every time over the system on my Magura and Hayes brakes where you remove a bolt and fluid falls out.
Yea, bleeding edge solved that problem, but it's a problem they made for themselves because Avid used that same silly design where you take a bolt out.
You talking about Shimano's new low viscosity brake fluid brakes? I think they were careful to avoid any mention of resolving inconsistency problems when launched
I was actually thinking of the PinkBike review of the B1
"The SRAM Maven has changed the expectation of how much power you can get out of a bicycle brake. They've clearly set a high bar for performance, but some users have lodged complaints about the feel of the lever - it varies brake to brake, but some copies have a fair bit of resistance through the pull when compared to other top-end options.
In order to address these complaints and still try to offer the max power you can access in the Maven, SRAM revised a few key points on the levers and calipers. Most of the changes are out of sight, but they make for a significant change to the feel of the Mavens, both in the stand and on the trail."
But yea, the fact that MTB brakes have been so awful across brands for years that I can have a rant about SRAM (and be right) and you can say "You talking about Shimano" (facetiously, or in actual confusion, it doesn't matter) just illustrates it perfectly.
Then you look at Hope's newest brakes and their biggest selling points to me are:
1) The pistons are made out of metal
2) There's a bleed nipple
30 years of development and the biggest brands in the industry (i.e. SRAM et.al) are just selling us 'developments' that might make production line assembly easier, as I've no doubt the bleed procedure with bleeding edge is a doddle when it's on a computer controlled hose and saving a few pence per brake making important bits of it out of plastic (SRAM the pistons, Magura the lever body, etc). None of those developments actually made the brakes better for the consumer.
it varies brake to brake, but some copies have a fair bit of resistance through the pull
I'd heard some complaints of the heavy feel but didn't know it was variable. Not something that has bothered me, I hadn't even noticed so maybe I have a good set, but I did go out to the shed and squeeze a few levers to check. The Mavens are notably harder to pull than Hayes Dominions but maybe on par with my Maguras.
But yea, the fact that MTB brakes have been so awful across brands for years that I can have a rant about SRAM (and be right) and you can say "You talking about Shimano" (facetiously, or in actual confusion, it doesn't matter) just illustrates it perfectly.
Sadly true ☹️
If I had to buy brakes I'd most likely try the new Hopes
I saw the Pinkbike review, i didnt realise the Mavens were that old - but as has been said it feels liek the v1's were the beta programme! New Hopes are very nice brakes btw, complete overkill for trail riding, buit ive got them to stop my fatness on fast steep stuff that i brake late into.