Huge kudos for this video. I feel with so many product release videos these days, it's hard to tell what is just a paid advertisement/honey moon period on first impressions. Stoked to hear some actual feedback on how the brakes were to live with. Subscribed!
Thank you very much we appreciate it. We do also create marketing type videos however we always try to be as clear as possible they not official reviews or endorsements, but we always try to keep the product long term to get a more thorough review out in time. We glad you enjoyed it. And welcome!
Drew, thanks a bunch for the shoutout and publishing this refreshing review. It’s always important that riders have all of the information to make an informed decision, but it’s not an easy piece of content to put out, especially as a media outlet where you stand to lose more than you could gain from a (very justifiable) critical piece like this. I have a lot of respect for that. For a some riders these will surely be the best brakes ever, but it is incredibly validating to hear you echo a majority of my concerns (and even a few more, bummed to hear about that reliability!). Move aside red website, I know where I’ll be getting my bike news from now on!
This comment 100%. The Loam Wolf has really evolved to have a good mix of subjective and objective insights in their gear review. Hope it continues along that trajectory (understand there are limits when it comes to how hard-line candid you can be but the closer to that line the better!).
@@lenolenoleno Thank you Leno, we appreciate it and will always strive to be as honest and trustworthy as possible, while still offering helpful insights to potential customers.
THIS is the kind of material and reviews the industry needs. Some critical scrutiny and emphasis on reliability and serviceability, and not just regurgitating marketing material!
Exactly, I’ve got dhr evos with 220 rotors and gold pads on my dh bike and I constantly lock up the rear wheels and a lot of close calls of almost getting thrown otb with how strong they are. At around 180lbs it’s overkill even for bike park. And trp’s feel way better than any sram brakes period
@@kwilson4880 I kept 180mm rotors on the back of my bike with these brakes so it was less likely to lock up. Kinda balances the feel with the front brake application as well.
@@kwilson4880locking up is not a good attribute. Power without locking is where it’s at. TRP are pretty low in best DH brakes on market. Mavens Hayes Dominions Magura Mt7 (my favs) Examples of more powerful brakes.
Man I love UA-cam content like this. Thank you, thank you. I honestly have had these on my wish list right up until now! Now they are not. There is no point (IMO) in positively or negatively reviewing a product without the detailed 'why', and you definitely covered it, and not in an emotional rant, just matter of fact and to the point with lots of why's and examples of real-world riding. Excellent review. I was so hoping at the end you would reveal what is the brake you would personally go for.... I'd love to know
We appreciate the kind words. We didn't want to specifically mention any other brakes as it may give the impression we have motives to discredit these and "sell" other brands, so we chose to focus purely on these brakes. That said, we tend to spec TRP DH-R Evo on our personal bikes, take that for what you will. There are quite a few other recommendations throughout this comment section, Hayes Dominions and Hopes seem to be getting mentioned quite a bit.
1 year with Shimano xt brakes now, I didn't install them particularly well, I don't really look after them either and yet they're faultless, very strong and I haven't need to re-bleed them etc.
I installed and bled my own xt 4 pots. They are by far the best brakes I've used. Great modulation power and absolutely no wandering bite point. Couldn't be happier.
I've ridden quite some brakes so far and with Shimano it's always the same. Easy to bleed, easy to set up, quit and very low maintenance - they are by far the most trouble free workhorses I know.
For how much media attention and marketing hype these brakes had, I cannot believe they never mentioned how poor the modulation and bite point is on these. Thank you for reviewing these honestly honestly. I bought the brand new Ultimate set when they came out and after trying to bleed them at the bike shop literally 7 to 8 times I decided to have them take them off. Literally the worst brakes I’ve ever ever tried on my bike in 25 years
There is no issue with the bite point if you set them up correctly, the problem is most people don't bother reading the instructions and then complain they don't work properly. The service manual, which has been available since day one, explains the procedure for addressing this. My shop explained this to me when I got them and I followed it, the bite point issue never came back after that and they worked really well. So follow the bleed instructions, do the two rotor procedure (and pull HARD on the lever), and the issue should go away. I agree it's not ideal but watching people on YT bleed these wrong, use the wrong rotors, ignore the service instructions, then complain they don't work properly is frustrating.
This is why I removed the Maven brake levers , kept the Maven calipers and went back to my shimano slx levers. Arm fatigue was soooo bad after one ride it was ridiculous. Back on the old slx levers and im a happy camper. Flex free Maven calipers and plenty of power on long downhills with my Turbo Levo. So yes you can run shimano levers with Maven calipers.
I’m a bike shop mechanic, and we have had 2 new bikes with Mavens come in for service. Both were having the same issues you’ve described, including one caliper spitting out a piston when I removed the pads. Trust me, SRAM isn’t much better with their road bike discs. I don’t know any local shop owners or employees, that I would let work on my bike, that have any SRAM components on any of their bikes. Thanks for an honest review!
19 year shop owner and bike bike mechanic here. Have had SRAM drivetrains including e tap 11 spd road, XX1 AXS Eagle (since 2019) and Force AXS 12 spd. No issues. I will admit that SRAM brakes suck EXCEPT the mavens.
Im so stoked you guys are making this video! I have commented on all the main youtubers that have reviewed these about the levers pumping up and everyone has had the issue. I have bleed them a million times and the piston massage multiple times. Even tried doing it with 1.8mm thick rotors to see if more movement help and nothing worked. I love the brakes they are super powerful im 240 pounds so i want them to work. I have finally figured out a consistent way to get the air out. The trick is to pull vacuum on the caliper bleeder with the system closed so do not put in the lever bleeder just push and pull from the caliper your going to think the seal is leaking there is so much air trapped in there it takes along time to not get bubbles out but once you do close that side up and do the same on the lever then you will finally have consistent brakes. Sram does need to do something about this tho crazy the effort of the end user to get a usable product
@siskodisco just keep pulling vacuum and pushing pressure do it fast and slow your going to be surprised how much is trapped you will think the bleed tool is leaking
I also went for trps I feel as though mavens are to powerful for me, I tried my buddy’s bike he had organic pads on and it was way to much for me nearly went over the bars on the trail
He called the MT520 perfect brake so just like the loam wolf you can’t take anything he says seriously about SRAM. Not hating, I’m a fan of the loam but as soon as they start talking about sram you just have to laugh it off as load of bollocks.
Have been running Mavens for about 6 months and recently also had that wandering bite point after hitting rough sections/trail chatter. I bled them and haven't had anymore issues since, I did also blow a piston out following their massage instructions though 🤣
Couldn´t be happier with my Hope V4T4s. Especially the super light lever feel is amazing. And they have heaps of easy to control power on tap. Crazy thing is the Hopes are pretty much the same price as the Maven silver here. If you look at the build quality, finish and the fact they are made by a relatively small company in the UK it´s really no comparison.
I still like my Hope V4 brakes but I actually prefer the Mavens now. Even with silicone lube on the pistons they constantly stick after less than one season of riding. Had to be bled twice in that season, also the bleed process is just terrible and always makes a mess. Still, they do have the best lever feel and just about as much power as the Mavens. I’ve just had to do nothing with my mavens, they just work for 6 months now and haven’t had to think about them at all
@@SnowShackboy I did need three attempts to get my rear brake bled properly and had to do a bit of piston mobilisation when they where still new. This whole season though I haven´t touched the Hopes at all. (other than a change of brake pads) Like your Mavens they just work flawlessly and consistently now. Seems like everybodys experience is different when it comes to brakes.
@shredbroinc2988 dang! I have not had that problem. I bled them after the first ride. So far they have needed no adjustment same lever throw everytime. Anyone else have your experience?
World Cup DH racers had problems with Maven rotors rubbing the pads, went to old Centerline rotor that was alarming. It's a shame some new products having this weird out of the box problems. Thanks for the honest review.
Shimano saints remain undefeated after a decade. No wonder vital didn't put them on their recent vid. And to improve the feeling and prevent the wandering bite point, just use Redline Linewater which has half the viscosity of shimano's mineral oil. And with lower viscosity the bleed is almlst perfect, its easier to get tiny bubbles out as they flow out easily. I have friends with saints and XTs using the shimano oil, they definitely require more force to pull them. Mine are just solid and lighter. And no WBP whatsoever.
Then Redline should also fix the Mavens. The problem with consistency definitely seems to be attributed to the mineral oil since DOT fluid brakes are usually flawless. I have never had wandering bite point or reliability issues on my Hayes or SRAM brakes, but I've had multiple Shimano brakes and all of them have been disasters.
@@ah4598 Might be. Shouldn't really affect the seals aswell. It could also reduce the force required to pull the lever, reducing the related fatigue. Bionol brake oil(oil for trickstuff)also has low viscosity. With WDP the only thing you can do to fix it is playing with viscosity as hose length is mainly fixed and hose radius is fixed. See poiseuilles law
I went with the silver. I would highly recommend these brakes because they are powerful and give you confidence. No issues with breakaway force on the lever and I don’t have the biggest hands. I rode these brakes on full days of DH riding multiple times.And they stayed consistent from the first to the last run. No arm pump or hand fatigue whatsoever. The only issue if you can call it an issue is, I switched the resin stock pads to metallic and after quite a few runs. The metallics started getting louder and annoying, whereas the resins were always quiet.
I'm glad I went with dominion, the mavens came out like 2 weeks after I ordered and thought they looked dope but really glad I stuck with a known product and not a first run.
I’d love to see a brake pad comparison test. Especially from the more common brands. Ie: shimano, sram, TRP, mtx, galfer etc It’s easy to say metallics act this way, organic act that way, but the truth is with some of these mixed synthetic compounds like mtx and galfer, there are different ways the pads act and work in reality. I’d especially like to see various compounds of each of these brands on common caliper setups like TRP dhr, sram code, shimano xt
Drew, Thanks for the candid and in depth discussion. SRAM is a huge company and it takes someone with strong ethics to call them out. Hopefully they will listen and correct these shortcomings. SRAM has many great products, but I will avoid this one until they work the bugs out.
Great review once again! I'm sure you've ridden and tested Shimano XT 4 pots, and I'm sure you've tested Migura MT7s as well. But POSITIVE you've never combined the two brakes. I know several people to include myself that run Shigura. TX levers with Migura MT7 calipers. I think it would be fun project for you guys to do. What do ya think?
I have been riding Mavens since about January of 2024. I'm not a fan at all after riding them for 10 months. I had to take them to my local bike shop three times to get them tuned properly, and even after the third time, I still get this crazy brake lever extending and lever all the way out, with a loss in breaking power. What does that say? It says even bike shop techs can't figure them out, and have problems bleeding and tuning these brakes. Mind you, I took them to two different shops too. I have never heard any of my friends who ride Magura, or TRP, or Hayes, or any other high end brakes that have the problems the Mavens have. I've been so frustrated with these brakes. The Mavens are terribly inconsistent, and quite honestly the worst brakes I've ever used. And just to be clear, it's not a bash on SRAM brakes as a whole. I have Code RSC's on my Transition Sentinel that never has these problems. I'm very disappointed in SRAM for heavily marketing this, but not delivering a well made, high quality, functional product. Basically, SRAM shit the bed with these brakes. They need a complete do-over. To be honest, I want to replace them. I've been thinking of calling SRAM and requesting a replacement and a downgrade to Code RSC's, and a credit back. I hate these brakes. Don't buy them. Go with some other high end brake. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't heed my advice.
I have a pair of the limited edition red Maven Ultimate brakes. I love the huge power, but I must unfortunately say that I too have experienced both the wandering bite point and squeaky levers as well. The lever squeak seems to come and go, but the wandering bite point has been a nagging issue for me, especially in the rear brake. I've noticed the same issue with the shifting bite point with very little lever actuation in very bumpy and chattery sections of trail. I am also not a fan of having to pump the brakes a few times to get the pads to contact the rotors.
Now this is a review. So tired of SRAM/Rockshox rushing out a new product to the buying public and using us as beta testers.... Looking at you Charger 3's harshness and AXS Reverb's sag and/or vacuum.
Tell me about it...i've dumped my axs reverb and gone back to normal, working and reliable cable-actuated dropper. All that money and i can't go 3 months without it giving me problems.
@@KotakMeister I've never had any problems with my Reverb AXS. Lots of problems with a hydraulic Reverb tho. There's nothing to rave about the Reverb AXS tho, I like the OneUp V3 on my other bike better.
I'm running the ultimates on the ebike and had the lever noise issue .got it swapped no issues since ....built up a bike recently and bought the bronze calipers and paired them with xt levers....I've named them the shavens ......absolutely insane brakes
Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Really informative. If SRAM made brakes for the auto industry the company would have been sued out of existence by now. Whether under the Avid brand name, or now SRAM, the company - historically and to this day - seems to struggle to produce a consistently reliable brake, no matter the budget. I can't help but think that there's a subtle difference in process or materials between what the chosen factory sends back to the R&D department for testing and sign off and what is eventually mass produced. Nonetheless, I do run SRAM brakes, G2 RSCs, as I like the aesthetic, and more importantly, the progressive lever feel. SRAM get a lot right with their brakes, but there's always a "But". Disappointing, no matter what the price point.
Thanks for showing. I loved when they came out. My code r went on sale. I picked up an extra set of front and rear for 165.00. I don't get free products and don't believe in 10 k bikes. I'm happy with code r, so I haven't tried anything any better. I wouldn't buy anything better than slx or gx drivetrains either.
I was headed out to the garage to bleed my maven’s as this popped up. I had to return mine to Ari 2x for issues but they are feeling good other than the frequent need to be bled. I do enjoy how hard they bite. Thanks for the video Drew!
Still running 2 sets of Guide RSCs on my bikes. SRAM continues to let me down, however. Had the sticky piston problems with the Guides until I replaced the pistons with aluminum ones (at my own cost), then no issues. On my last bleed I used the Stealth-a-majic olive they included in their Pro Bleed Kit. Well, turns out they had a manufacturing issue with the olive (both that were included in the box). They installed backwards which trashed my Lever Assembly when the olive got jammed into the master cylinder. I ended up having to buy a new lever assembly. When I reported the problem to SRAM and told them what their part did to my brake their consolation was to send me a new olive, even though they trashed my brake lever. I should have realized it didn't look right but I made the mistake of trusting SRAM..again.
Yes.. Got new Mavens this summer . -First ride “ holy crap” these are insane..I had to rethink braking points on every trail. These are awesome! -second ride- huh.. lever goes to the bars then get pumped back up and bite poi t is all over the place Take em back to my (very good and thorough shop) they scratch their head and re-bleed -Third ride- “ these are awesome again Did a few local races and they were great. Went to Whistler and day one they went back to lever to bars then had to “pre-pump” the lever before corners .. which was not ideal. Took em to a shop to re-bleed- Next day they were back to awesome.. Two days later back to sketchy- Called a few shops and ended up at a shop where one of the mechanics had the same issue with his and said he could help. Brakes have been awesome ever since. I asked him what he did and w out specific details he said you just have to spend 3-4x as long bleeding them compared to other brakes.. For me the lever pull is way lighter than the prev brakes (codes) but maybe that’s just a testament to how bad the codes were?? They are great now but it was not a good experience initially.
Such a strange experience. i thought it only happened on Shimano brakes. Did you try using a lighter weight oil? I wonder if viscosity is playing a factor here
LOL, as I’m watching this video, my new bike is back at the bike shop having my Maven brakes worked on. Second ride and they starting behaving exactly as being described in this video. I hope it is not a recurring issue, as I just spent a lot of money on this bike. Great review.
@ A bleed and piston massage seems to have done the trick. Time will tell. The new Transition Relay PNW comes with the Maven Silver, as opposed to last years model which, as you know, had the TRP DH brakes. They also dropped the SRAM XO wireless transmission for a SRAM GX cable system, which I’m not happy about. The bike is still awesome. I decided on this bike largely based on your review and do not regret my decision. Thanks.
J rode a Stumpjumper demo bike a week ago with Maven's, and well, they needed a bleed. The bite point was all over the place. Great power tho, when you double clutch the lever
That's unfortunate. When you reviewed Norco Range VLT you said that Mavens would be a better choice. So when I purchased the Range I ordered a set of Mavens based on your review. The brakes haven't arrived yet but I am doubting my decision following this review. Regardless, I really appreciate your honest reviews. I trust your reviews much more than the rest of the industry who are mainly doing advertorials. Keep up the good work.
Thank you and don't be too worried. However, you may just need to be prepared to do a little bit of work, or ensure the shop who builds the bike up does a thorough piston massage. SRAM claims this will remedy most of the issues of wandering bite point. So, be sure to have the shop note the brake issue at pick up and guarantee help should problems arise. Good luck! Hopefully you get a good set.
IMO the DB8 is the better mineral oil SRAM brake. It doesn't have a heavy lever pull, the brake bite is consistent, and power is about as much as you'd expect for a sub-$200 set of brakes. Reliability is dependent, but the set that I have still don't need a bleed and are leak-free. I'm still changing them out for DHR Evo's though, lol.
I’m a big guy and put them on a Pole Voima. So far they’ve been fantastic in the steep and fast trails of Arizona and Colorado. I also wear XXXL gloves so that could be a factor.
I have an unspoken deal with high end components. I don't bitch about price, and they work flawlessly. So, this would be a deal breaker. They can try again with a revamped version. Until then......
i feel all the drawbacks have been my experience on sram brakes, less the bitepoint issue but noisy, creaky and so on, for the cost they're just a NO go with quality especially when compared with some Hopes for example.
As a clyde i absolutely love the power of the mavens and am willing to compromise on the lever pull force. However I haven’t had any issues with the wandering bite point issue yet.
I’ve been pretty happy with my pair, the one thing that did suck though is I realized the initial pair I’d bought were leaking from the calipers. Since having them warrantied they’ve been flawless though. The piston massage is definitely crucial to getting these to perform as they should.
The lever inconsistency is a thing, happened on both my mavens. The issue I suspect is the piston seals are overly tight pulling the pistons back too far so the first pull your pushing the pistons all the way out and then when you let of and instantly get back on the lever the pistons are still retracting before the second pull and then you pump them up. They do get better and I’m surprised with all your testing they didn’t settle in as mine did. It took an abnormally long time and I’d agree it’s not acceptable but it seems they have to go through some really high heat cycles to finally wear in. I also suspect Sram knows the seals are extremely tight and that’s also why they increased the master cylinder spring to try and pull the pistons back faster (relieve system pressure). Mine don’t do it anymore but it took some bike park days and long extended descents. I do wish the lever was softer like the code but it’s not really terrible for me. I think if sram woulda just stuck to DOT like they know then the mavens would be perfect, as is they do need to work on the seal tightness and change the master cylinder spring but man once they’re working they’re just an amazing brake.
The Bronze model comes stock on the '25 Levo and they feel similar to the Shimano at first. I've had no issues in the first 100 miles but I have DEFINITELY noticed the hand fatigue associated with the lever's initial pull resistance, as I've never had any issues with this before in the last 30 years.
Also had issues with bleeding. With the rear breake. Brought it to my shop. They also know that it is difficult to bleed the rear break. Air gets cought in the caliper quite easily.
I remember having to pour cold water over my CODE brake levers so they would work if they sat in the sun for too long... before they updated the lever piston. ( I think it might have even been a recall, not sure)
No brakes should be having such serious issues, regardless of price point. It's amazing that manufactureres can get away with producing such low quality items, especially brakes of all things!
Regarding squeeky levers, I got that on my Shimano XT brakes as well when I wasn't really paying attention while washing the bike, so I must've shot water in there with the hose. After taking it apart and cleaning everything and relubing, I've stopped completely to use the hose near the brakes at all, and most often you only need a quick wipe down with a rag to remove some dirt. Just consciously keeping water away from that area has done the trick for me, and I'm sure all brake levers can start squeeking as they all swing around a pivot point. So stop spraying lots of cleaning agents around the brake lever area as well as keeping direct water spraying away because most often a rag will be all you need to make them look clean again.
Awesome review! For me as well arm fatigue is the most important factor. Two years ago switched from Shimano to Formula Cura 4 and experienced the same issue. Braking power was superior but the lever pull needed more force. After a couple of months switched back to Shimano XT. How are the TRP when it comes to arm fatigue?
I switched from Shimano prior gen 2pot SLX and current gen Deore 4 pot to TRP DH-R Evos and would say the fatigue is less. I use the Oak levers which like the Freedom Coast levers reduce the reach by 12mm. I haven't focused on if it is the initial pull or the extra power for effort used, but they feel lighter. I always heard Shimano would throw you off the bike with their power and on/off feel, I never thought they had that much power. The TRP's have the power and have more modulation once you retrain your fingers. I'm using MTX red pads on TRP RS01E 2.3 rotors. I've had no fade on the TRP's, did on Shimano full Ice-Tech, and less with Ice-Tech rotors/MTX pads.
TRP doesn't have contact adjust so if you have shorter fingers, if you adjust the lever blade closer to the grip it'll also increase lever throw and decrease bite firmness. Tried the Freedom Coast levers but it didn't really help as it only brought the lever back 10mm. Changed from TRP to XTR and my small fingers appreciate the lever closeness. Hayes is also equally as close to the grip and are noticably more light in trigger feel than Shimano. However Hayes is way more powerful and at times can feel quite tappy and grabby, so for me I stuck to XTR. XTR vs Hayes vs TRP is personal (and finger) preference really. All are miles ahead of Sram, and Magura (purely because Magura is all composite plastic and you blow the seals or crack the body easier)
Somehow I'm not surprised. My bike came with RSCs and I had to swap rotors and pads to get a really useful brake. Also I got one of the RSC sets which are quite ok quality wise as I "only" have to bleed them four times a year 😅 Was looking into Mavens but decided to wait until good reviews come out. Happy I didn't buy them.
My CODE RS do exactly the same thing (instant bite) and have done since new . Problem is apparent when it's hot. Its not like the old problem that SRAM guides had in heat due to the piston plunger. Wheel still spins freely . Its only the rear brake front is 100% fine. I'll try the piston ' massage' ! I have SRAM on all my bikes and overall they are my go to choice but it's all down to personal preference. The G2s are amazing in any model !
I had a little trouble with the brake bleed process on my Maven Silvers but I have ridden Code RSC brakes for over 10 years and find them to be about the same to get a perfect feeling lever pull. As for the force required to actually pull the levers, they are only slightly more stiff than Code RSC brakes. More powerful brakes and pad contact point adjustment is a fair trade off for having to do a few finger kegels.
Sram have been struggling a lot over the last few years when it comes to brake levers. I would say almost 50% of their HRD levers (mechanical and axs) have had a super slow return after braking. This is after fully bleeding them, torquing the hose at the lever properly, and doing everything sram asks is to do. A new lever is the only thing that fixes it. It's not just the road stuff too, the level stealth levers have had the same issue but not as frequently. No idea why they've been like this, no TRP, tektro, or Shimano have had an issue like this.
4:25 Thx for mentioning the issues. I wonder what caused this. I suspect it could be faulty piston seals, or pistons weren't lubed, so locking up the brake. Did you figure out the cause? Usually lack of lube with new seals means the pistons want to stay in, but with worn seals the pistons want to get stuck locking up the brakes. So the issue you had is interesting. 5:12 When doing piston massage as you call it (lubing the pistons cycling them in and out.) You need special block to do it, but this probably doesn't exist for these brakes yet or put a screw driver or some kind of plate in the gap, so pistons don't go past the mid point, so they don't pop out. Formula Cura has a slot at the front machined out that will hold a screw driver in place. Then you can lube them all at once. But if you have a lubing block you can just remove it and flip it to only lube and push out one piston at the time. When messed up a rebuild, not a big deal, but I fixed it. I did not lube the pistons enough and cycle them enough they were stuck on one side, but I did the screw driver thing, pushed all pistons out, but first I had to do a bleed as I still had some air in the system. then I was able to push the pistons out. It took a while, but after cycling them trough and lubing them well. I cleaned it, then installed the pads, it worked.
What communication have you had with SRAM about these issues. Also how many are early production brakes, given for review, etc? I think this also needs to be talked about in context of your mentioned points. Thanks for a longer term review. I feel like long term reviews are sorely lacking in the bike ind.
Thanks for this honest review. On my bikes I have the Shimano XT which do a great job. Had some Srams and Magura before but was not happy with those. I would like to see you guys reviewing the Trickstuff Maxima and the Intend Trinity.
I have 3 sets of maven ultimate red bois installed on 3 bikes and 2 of them have been trouble free but the ones on my daily driver keep getting air in them and I seem to have to re-bleed the rear brake like literally once a month during riding season. I don’t have issues with activation effort but that may just be my style/preference. I love their motorcycle-ass performance but I think there may be QC issues with them as a first gen product.
Felt a set of mavens other day; which felt awesome; but glad I’ve got hope tech 4 v4 brakes with 220mm rotors, been running for 7 months no issues at all
mine rip, no issues, have the limited edition ultimates. Yes, they took some set up,experimentation with different rotors, sizes and different compounds and a bleed. (that's why I bought the ultimate kit) They seemed marketed for a tinker/racer like me. I have them on a 2024 Trek session , I rideride at Windrock, ride rock Creek and Shepherd, Mountain often. thank you loamWolf!!!!
@ I will affirm the lever squeal is real, after cleaning , I apply some MO-94 , about once a month and it keeps them quiet. I have run Shimano and Hopes and found the same thing, especially running repeatedly in muddy conditions. CHEERS! i'm looking forward to getting back outto the Northwest.
My buddy had the same issue setting his maven ultimates. But the Maven Silvers don’t do the surprisingly. Me and my dad are running the silver, no issues. However I do notice that when I pull my brakes for a corner, assuming they are warming up, by the next corner they are stronger than the first corner. Which can come across as inconsistent and a potential hazard if using the front brake.
After every Sram brake I have used turned out to be garbage and require constant bleeds I was really hoping they could turn it around with these. Its not looking so good.
I have no love for SRAM at the moment on account of my issues with Transmission but the Mavens really benefit from switching to metallic pads in my experience. At first, I had tons of issues with the initial bite point on my Mavens before they get pumped up a bit. To address this, I got into the habit of pumping the brakes a little before dropping into my first descent of the day and that helped a lot but eventually that benefit also faded. When I went to bleed the brakes I noticed that the pads were pretty much roached (less than 6 weeks riding with stock organic pads). I've since switched to metallic pads and they have been more consistent. At 4 months they're just starting to fade initially, needing pre-pump before dropping in.
Love my specialized bikes. The only item that they have not got right has been the brakes. As a customer i hate being supplied unreliable products for reliable prices. It wastes our time gong back repeatedly and interest in the company as trust fatigues. It is when things go wrong when you find how good a company actually is. Secialized has been consistently fantastic over a decade, sorting any issues out with confidence they have your back., sometimes going beyond what was expected. This was highlighted when buying an Orbea which has not only fallen apart like a clown car, their 'support' has been the polar opposite, ignoring pleas for help with my investment.
Thank you so very much for an honest review. There was so much hype over these brakes. I have been disappointed with every set that I've test-ridden. Even on bikes in test fleets, I have had the problem that the contact point "jumps" all the way out while riding. At least you don't have to pull them through that heavy deadspace though. 😂 They do have power, but the hand fatigue is ridiculous. I love most SRAM products, but the Maven brakes are not a quality product. Very disappointed. 😞
Sram brakes have always benefitted from a full setup straight out of the box. That means after cutting hoses, they need a full bleed and then leave the bleed syringe attached at the lever, do a full piston reset (cycling each piston out carefully then pushing it back), making sure all pistons are moving evenly, setting the pad gap as close as possible without the rotor rubbing, then remove the lever syringe, squeeze the lever, readjust caliper so rotor doesn't drag, then adjust stroke and reach to taste. The main issue is the sticky caliper seals, the pistons have been sitting in the same position for months in a box and they need to be 'woken up' by cycling them past their current position and then pushed back a bit deeper. I know it sounds trivial, but it is sure-fire effective on all hydraulic brakes. Even when setup perfectly, the Mavens are firmer to pull than a lot of brakes (maybe the firmest on the market). But when dialed in, the deadstroke is one of the shortest and the power is so strong that you aren't pulling them very far to stop the bike, so it offsets the firmer lever pull. This allows you to get the Maven levers closer to the bar than almost any other brake without compromising power or bite point. They are not the perfect brake (doesn't exist in my opinion), but they will stop anything and for a lot of people that will be worth it. For reference, I'm a 20 year master mechanic only working on MTB my entire career.
Hey thanks and appreciate your feedback and input. We agree, these brakes absolutely have great potential, power and will be great for some people! Our stance is merely that if a product is a flagship, premium product they should have a higher expectation from factory for first assembly, similar to other industries where you pay a premium price and get a ready to use premium product. Secondarily to that, there are brakes that are nearly as powerful, have similar performance overall and do not require the effort to work on and are more user friendly. Which is why we’d recommend those others before the Mavens as most people likely don’t have access to a master mechanic like yourself.
Tried a set of the Maven Bronze on a hire Levo and I found them to be almost too powerful, with very little feel of brake engagement before they would bite, immediately locking a wheel. They were better after me putting 40 muddy miles on them, they were less grabby.
I had similar issues with the DB8, I didn't ask for help I bled them and cleaned and lubricated the pistons, I had the opportunity to try the maven bronze I wasn't really that impressed with their performance and lever effort was far superior from the LH4 I'm currently using on all my bikes, I would like to see comparatively what's the clamping force in Nm at the piston & lever effort of various other brakes, that measure isn't included in most tests nowadays.
Huge kudos for this video. I feel with so many product release videos these days, it's hard to tell what is just a paid advertisement/honey moon period on first impressions. Stoked to hear some actual feedback on how the brakes were to live with. Subscribed!
Thank you very much we appreciate it. We do also create marketing type videos however we always try to be as clear as possible they not official reviews or endorsements, but we always try to keep the product long term to get a more thorough review out in time. We glad you enjoyed it. And welcome!
Oh I 100% agree, it is really refreshing to have honest product release videos highlighting issues and serious things for buyers to consider!
Drew, thanks a bunch for the shoutout and publishing this refreshing review. It’s always important that riders have all of the information to make an informed decision, but it’s not an easy piece of content to put out, especially as a media outlet where you stand to lose more than you could gain from a (very justifiable) critical piece like this. I have a lot of respect for that. For a some riders these will surely be the best brakes ever, but it is incredibly validating to hear you echo a majority of my concerns (and even a few more, bummed to hear about that reliability!).
Move aside red website, I know where I’ll be getting my bike news from now on!
Thanks for watching Dale. Greatly appreciate the words and love the Dale Scale! Haha keep up the good work.
This comment 100%. The Loam Wolf has really evolved to have a good mix of subjective and objective insights in their gear review. Hope it continues along that trajectory (understand there are limits when it comes to how hard-line candid you can be but the closer to that line the better!).
@@lenolenoleno Thank you Leno, we appreciate it and will always strive to be as honest and trustworthy as possible, while still offering helpful insights to potential customers.
THIS is the kind of material and reviews the industry needs. Some critical scrutiny and emphasis on reliability and serviceability, and not just regurgitating marketing material!
Thank you very much.
I appreciate the honest reviews you guys do, it's the reason I trust your recommendation on various products and bikes.
Thanks very much Dean. We appreciate it.
Great Video no fluff, real world review!!
Thanks we appreciate that.
I recently got some TRP EVO DHR brakes and I absolutely love them! Not sure I would ever need anything more powerful than these.
Exactly, I’ve got dhr evos with 220 rotors and gold pads on my dh bike and I constantly lock up the rear wheels and a lot of close calls of almost getting thrown otb with how strong they are. At around 180lbs it’s overkill even for bike park. And trp’s feel way better than any sram brakes period
@@kwilson4880 I kept 180mm rotors on the back of my bike with these brakes so it was less likely to lock up. Kinda balances the feel with the front brake application as well.
Same, I have them with 203mm rotors on a 38lb enduro bike and they are awesome.
@@kwilson4880locking up is not a good attribute. Power without locking is where it’s at.
TRP are pretty low in best DH brakes on market.
Mavens
Hayes Dominions
Magura Mt7 (my favs)
Examples of more powerful brakes.
I also ran TRP Dh-R evo's all summer and am very happy with them
Man I love UA-cam content like this. Thank you, thank you. I honestly have had these on my wish list right up until now! Now they are not. There is no point (IMO) in positively or negatively reviewing a product without the detailed 'why', and you definitely covered it, and not in an emotional rant, just matter of fact and to the point with lots of why's and examples of real-world riding. Excellent review. I was so hoping at the end you would reveal what is the brake you would personally go for.... I'd love to know
We appreciate the kind words. We didn't want to specifically mention any other brakes as it may give the impression we have motives to discredit these and "sell" other brands, so we chose to focus purely on these brakes. That said, we tend to spec TRP DH-R Evo on our personal bikes, take that for what you will. There are quite a few other recommendations throughout this comment section, Hayes Dominions and Hopes seem to be getting mentioned quite a bit.
The honest real world review is appreciated. Thanks.
1 year with Shimano xt brakes now, I didn't install them particularly well, I don't really look after them either and yet they're faultless, very strong and I haven't need to re-bleed them etc.
I installed and bled my own xt 4 pots. They are by far the best brakes I've used. Great modulation power and absolutely no wandering bite point. Couldn't be happier.
@johndef5075 same! I'm incredibly lazy when it comes to brakes and yet they just work perfectly still.
I've ridden quite some brakes so far and with Shimano it's always the same. Easy to bleed, easy to set up, quit and very low maintenance - they are by far the most trouble free workhorses I know.
For how much media attention and marketing hype these brakes had, I cannot believe they never mentioned how poor the modulation and bite point is on these. Thank you for reviewing these honestly honestly. I bought the brand new Ultimate set when they came out and after trying to bleed them at the bike shop literally 7 to 8 times I decided to have them take them off. Literally the worst brakes I’ve ever ever tried on my bike in 25 years
I feel like that might be a bleed problem not a brake problem my mavens have the best feeling out of any brake I’ve ran
There is no issue with the bite point if you set them up correctly, the problem is most people don't bother reading the instructions and then complain they don't work properly. The service manual, which has been available since day one, explains the procedure for addressing this. My shop explained this to me when I got them and I followed it, the bite point issue never came back after that and they worked really well.
So follow the bleed instructions, do the two rotor procedure (and pull HARD on the lever), and the issue should go away. I agree it's not ideal but watching people on YT bleed these wrong, use the wrong rotors, ignore the service instructions, then complain they don't work properly is frustrating.
This is why I removed the Maven brake levers , kept the Maven calipers and went back to my shimano slx levers. Arm fatigue was soooo bad after one ride it was ridiculous. Back on the old slx levers and im a happy camper. Flex free Maven calipers and plenty of power on long downhills with my Turbo Levo. So yes you can run shimano levers with Maven calipers.
I’m a bike shop mechanic, and we have had 2 new bikes with Mavens come in for service. Both were having the same issues you’ve described, including one caliper spitting out a piston when I removed the pads.
Trust me, SRAM isn’t much better with their road bike discs.
I don’t know any local shop owners or employees, that I would let work on my bike, that have any SRAM components on any of their bikes.
Thanks for an honest review!
Appreciate you sharing your perspective! Thank you.
19 year shop owner and bike bike mechanic here. Have had SRAM drivetrains including e tap 11 spd road, XX1 AXS Eagle (since 2019) and Force AXS 12 spd. No issues. I will admit that SRAM brakes suck EXCEPT the mavens.
Awesome review! Telling it how it is. Loving the hayes Dominions so underrated
Im so stoked you guys are making this video! I have commented on all the main youtubers that have reviewed these about the levers pumping up and everyone has had the issue. I have bleed them a million times and the piston massage multiple times. Even tried doing it with 1.8mm thick rotors to see if more movement help and nothing worked. I love the brakes they are super powerful im 240 pounds so i want them to work. I have finally figured out a consistent way to get the air out. The trick is to pull vacuum on the caliper bleeder with the system closed so do not put in the lever bleeder just push and pull from the caliper your going to think the seal is leaking there is so much air trapped in there it takes along time to not get bubbles out but once you do close that side up and do the same on the lever then you will finally have consistent brakes. Sram does need to do something about this tho crazy the effort of the end user to get a usable product
Many thanks for sharing this info - will definitely give this a shot when I re-bleed my Mavens this weekend.
@siskodisco just keep pulling vacuum and pushing pressure do it fast and slow your going to be surprised how much is trapped you will think the bleed tool is leaking
@@thinkaboutit3011 Many Thanks - will do!
@@siskodisco Any luck?
Was gonna get Mavens, went with TRP DHR Evos instead. Glad I did
iI gave up on Sram brakes years ago, cant pay me to go back from TRP or literally any other brand.
i went the other way, MAvens are on anther level.
@@MrSupermugen the key message of this video says otherwise to me, top tier price and bottom end reliability
@@Onlydansmtb see my other comment, bled caliper via vacuum and zero issues.
I also went for trps I feel as though mavens are to powerful for me, I tried my buddy’s bike he had organic pads on and it was way to much for me nearly went over the bars on the trail
Excellant. I've always had a very posititve opinion of your quality reviews. Thanks
Okay, so I haven't even watched the whole video, but the 10 second intro is already gold.😂
Yo thank you for shouting out the guy @Dalestone
His brake review videos are next level… and his riding too
Absolutely and well deserved! It was an awesome test and rad to see it.
He called the MT520 perfect brake so just like the loam wolf you can’t take anything he says seriously about SRAM. Not hating, I’m a fan of the loam but as soon as they start talking about sram you just have to laugh it off as load of bollocks.
@@TheNotoriousMIC the MT520s are definitely not perfect, but they continue blow everything else in their price range away!
@ said almost perfectly which is pure fanboy nonsense. Not hating though as I genuinely agree with you most of the time. ✌️
@@TheNotoriousMIC You sensationalised and misinterpreted Dale's comments, which he has justified with logic.
Sit down and take the L mate.
Have been running Mavens for about 6 months and recently also had that wandering bite point after hitting rough sections/trail chatter. I bled them and haven't had anymore issues since, I did also blow a piston out following their massage instructions though 🤣
Thats very suspect with a piston blowout following a massage 😀😀
I felt the mavens and I'm glad I went with Hayes
Thanks for this warts and all review, much appreciated.
Our pleasure!
Couldn´t be happier with my Hope V4T4s. Especially the super light lever feel is amazing. And they have heaps of easy to control power on tap. Crazy thing is the Hopes are pretty much the same price as the Maven silver here. If you look at the build quality, finish and the fact they are made by a relatively small company in the UK it´s really no comparison.
I still like my Hope V4 brakes but I actually prefer the Mavens now. Even with silicone lube on the pistons they constantly stick after less than one season of riding. Had to be bled twice in that season, also the bleed process is just terrible and always makes a mess. Still, they do have the best lever feel and just about as much power as the Mavens. I’ve just had to do nothing with my mavens, they just work for 6 months now and haven’t had to think about them at all
@@SnowShackboy I did need three attempts to get my rear brake bled properly and had to do a bit of piston mobilisation when they where still new. This whole season though I haven´t touched the Hopes at all. (other than a change of brake pads) Like your Mavens they just work flawlessly and consistently now. Seems like everybodys experience is different when it comes to brakes.
Best opening line ever..with the sound of the 'snap' of those nitrile surgical gloves. :). Here's to MTB ridin for the over 40's!!
Ha ha ha thank you. And cheers.
Exactly why I bought the Shimano Saints! Absolutely great breaks no issues, always the same every time you grab. 👊😎
Saint for the win, Bro!
@oliverbaumhofer4662 💯%
I had wandering bite point with mine
@shredbroinc2988 dang! I have not had that problem. I bled them after the first ride. So far they have needed no adjustment same lever throw everytime. Anyone else have your experience?
@@kr38tvetotally shimano is known for the wandering bite point more than any other brand.
World Cup DH racers had problems with Maven rotors rubbing the pads, went to old Centerline rotor that was alarming. It's a shame some new products having this weird out of the box problems. Thanks for the honest review.
Great work Drew, I really respect ✊ you give the honest feedback to the riders! Loved your review on the Amflow as well!
I appreciate that! Thanks a ton Sam. Let’s ride soon.
Loving the Descendents inspired shirt! 🤘 also the honest review. I was thinking about trying these out but I will stick with the TRP’s
Great review. no BS
huge respect for putting this out there. you should make a series out of this! goods and bads
Thank you and we just may do that!
Shimano saints remain undefeated after a decade. No wonder vital didn't put them on their recent vid. And to improve the feeling and prevent the wandering bite point, just use Redline Linewater which has half the viscosity of shimano's mineral oil. And with lower viscosity the bleed is almlst perfect, its easier to get tiny bubbles out as they flow out easily. I have friends with saints and XTs using the shimano oil, they definitely require more force to pull them. Mine are just solid and lighter. And no WBP whatsoever.
Is that "Likewater" like the suspension fluid?
Then Redline should also fix the Mavens. The problem with consistency definitely seems to be attributed to the mineral oil since DOT fluid brakes are usually flawless. I have never had wandering bite point or reliability issues on my Hayes or SRAM brakes, but I've had multiple Shimano brakes and all of them have been disasters.
@@johnsospencer yep. The other option is putoline hpx r2.5
@@ah4598 Might be. Shouldn't really affect the seals aswell. It could also reduce the force required to pull the lever, reducing the related fatigue. Bionol brake oil(oil for trickstuff)also has low viscosity.
With WDP the only thing you can do to fix it is playing with viscosity as hose length is mainly fixed and hose radius is fixed. See poiseuilles law
I went with the silver. I would highly recommend these brakes because they are powerful and give you confidence. No issues with breakaway force on the lever and I don’t have the biggest hands. I rode these brakes on full days of DH riding multiple times.And they stayed consistent from the first to the last run. No arm pump or hand fatigue whatsoever. The only issue if you can call it an issue is, I switched the resin stock pads to metallic and after quite a few runs. The metallics started getting louder and annoying, whereas the resins were always quiet.
Awesome to hear your feedback really glad that they are working for you and thanks for sharing your tips.
I'm glad I went with dominion, the mavens came out like 2 weeks after I ordered and thought they looked dope but really glad I stuck with a known product and not a first run.
I’d love to see a brake pad comparison test. Especially from the more common brands.
Ie: shimano, sram, TRP, mtx, galfer etc
It’s easy to say metallics act this way, organic act that way, but the truth is with some of these mixed synthetic compounds like mtx and galfer, there are different ways the pads act and work in reality.
I’d especially like to see various compounds of each of these brands on common caliper setups like TRP dhr, sram code, shimano xt
Drew, Thanks for the candid and in depth discussion. SRAM is a huge company and it takes someone with strong ethics to call them out. Hopefully they will listen and correct these shortcomings. SRAM has many great products, but I will avoid this one until they work the bugs out.
Best start of video ever!
Haha thank you.
Great review once again! I'm sure you've ridden and tested Shimano XT 4 pots, and I'm sure you've tested Migura MT7s as well. But POSITIVE you've never combined the two brakes. I know several people to include myself that run Shigura. TX levers with Migura MT7 calipers. I think it would be fun project for you guys to do. What do ya think?
I have been riding Mavens since about January of 2024. I'm not a fan at all after riding them for 10 months.
I had to take them to my local bike shop three times to get them tuned properly, and even after the third time, I still get this crazy brake lever extending and lever all the way out, with a loss in breaking power.
What does that say? It says even bike shop techs can't figure them out, and have problems bleeding and tuning these brakes. Mind you, I took them to two different shops too.
I have never heard any of my friends who ride Magura, or TRP, or Hayes, or any other high end brakes that have the problems the Mavens have.
I've been so frustrated with these brakes. The Mavens are terribly inconsistent, and quite honestly the worst brakes I've ever used. And just to be clear, it's not a bash on SRAM brakes as a whole. I have Code RSC's on my Transition Sentinel that never has these problems.
I'm very disappointed in SRAM for heavily marketing this, but not delivering a well made, high quality, functional product.
Basically, SRAM shit the bed with these brakes. They need a complete do-over. To be honest, I want to replace them. I've been thinking of calling SRAM and requesting a replacement and a downgrade to Code RSC's, and a credit back.
I hate these brakes. Don't buy them. Go with some other high end brake. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't heed my advice.
Sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing.
This is my exact experience - I have written off SRAM forever
I have a pair of the limited edition red Maven Ultimate brakes. I love the huge power, but I must unfortunately say that I too have experienced both the wandering bite point and squeaky levers as well. The lever squeak seems to come and go, but the wandering bite point has been a nagging issue for me, especially in the rear brake. I've noticed the same issue with the shifting bite point with very little lever actuation in very bumpy and chattery sections of trail. I am also not a fan of having to pump the brakes a few times to get the pads to contact the rotors.
Now this is a review. So tired of SRAM/Rockshox rushing out a new product to the buying public and using us as beta testers.... Looking at you Charger 3's harshness and AXS Reverb's sag and/or vacuum.
Tell me about it...i've dumped my axs reverb and gone back to normal, working and reliable cable-actuated dropper. All that money and i can't go 3 months without it giving me problems.
@@KotakMeister I've never had any problems with my Reverb AXS. Lots of problems with a hydraulic Reverb tho. There's nothing to rave about the Reverb AXS tho, I like the OneUp V3 on my other bike better.
dont blame bad setup on Sram......
I'm running the ultimates on the ebike and had the lever noise issue .got it swapped no issues since ....built up a bike recently and bought the bronze calipers and paired them with xt levers....I've named them the shavens ......absolutely insane brakes
The Shavens 😂. Seriously a dope idea though. Hope they stay solid for you in the long term
I love to see a review on the updated shimano saint brakes
We’ll work on it
Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Really informative. If SRAM made brakes for the auto industry the company would have been sued out of existence by now. Whether under the Avid brand name, or now SRAM, the company - historically and to this day - seems to struggle to produce a consistently reliable brake, no matter the budget. I can't help but think that there's a subtle difference in process or materials between what the chosen factory sends back to the R&D department for testing and sign off and what is eventually mass produced. Nonetheless, I do run SRAM brakes, G2 RSCs, as I like the aesthetic, and more importantly, the progressive lever feel. SRAM get a lot right with their brakes, but there's always a "But". Disappointing, no matter what the price point.
Thanks for showing. I loved when they came out. My code r went on sale. I picked up an extra set of front and rear for 165.00. I don't get free products and don't believe in 10 k bikes. I'm happy with code r, so I haven't tried anything any better. I wouldn't buy anything better than slx or gx drivetrains either.
I was headed out to the garage to bleed my maven’s as this popped up. I had to return mine to Ari 2x for issues but they are feeling good other than the frequent need to be bled. I do enjoy how hard they bite. Thanks for the video Drew!
Thanks for sharing
Still running 2 sets of Guide RSCs on my bikes. SRAM continues to let me down, however. Had the sticky piston problems with the Guides until I replaced the pistons with aluminum ones (at my own cost), then no issues. On my last bleed I used the Stealth-a-majic olive they included in their Pro Bleed Kit. Well, turns out they had a manufacturing issue with the olive (both that were included in the box). They installed backwards which trashed my Lever Assembly when the olive got jammed into the master cylinder. I ended up having to buy a new lever assembly. When I reported the problem to SRAM and told them what their part did to my brake their consolation was to send me a new olive, even though they trashed my brake lever. I should have realized it didn't look right but I made the mistake of trusting SRAM..again.
Thanks for sharing and glad you found a way to get em running smoothly.
Yes..
Got new Mavens this summer . -First ride “ holy crap” these are insane..I had to rethink braking points on every trail. These are awesome!
-second ride- huh.. lever goes to the bars then get pumped back up and bite poi t is all over the place
Take em back to my (very good and thorough shop) they scratch their head and re-bleed
-Third ride- “ these are awesome again
Did a few local races and they were great.
Went to Whistler and day one they went back to lever to bars then had to “pre-pump” the lever before corners .. which was not ideal.
Took em to a shop to re-bleed-
Next day they were back to awesome..
Two days later back to sketchy-
Called a few shops and ended up at a shop where one of the mechanics had the same issue with his and said he could help.
Brakes have been awesome ever since. I asked him what he did and w out specific details he said you just have to spend 3-4x as long bleeding them compared to other brakes..
For me the lever pull is way lighter than the prev brakes (codes) but maybe that’s just a testament to how bad the codes were?? They are great now but it was not a good experience initially.
@joncoln4337 so given all that you'd still recommend them over the Codes?
Such a strange experience. i thought it only happened on Shimano brakes. Did you try using a lighter weight oil? I wonder if viscosity is playing a factor here
@@viperrules24 The Maxima mineral oil that Sram uses is really light weight, one of the less viscous I've used before. I'm sure they used that oil.
LOL, as I’m watching this video, my new bike is back at the bike shop having my Maven brakes worked on. Second ride and they starting behaving exactly as being described in this video. I hope it is not a recurring issue, as I just spent a lot of money on this bike. Great review.
Oh man, that's rough. Hopefully, a quick fix.
@ A bleed and piston massage seems to have done the trick. Time will tell. The new Transition Relay PNW comes with the Maven Silver, as opposed to last years model which, as you know, had the TRP DH brakes. They also dropped the SRAM XO wireless transmission for a SRAM GX cable system, which I’m not happy about. The bike is still awesome. I decided on this bike largely based on your review and do not regret my decision. Thanks.
Awesome to hear you like the bike for the most part! It’s a ripper!! Let us know how long the brakes hold up for ya.
J rode a Stumpjumper demo bike a week ago with Maven's, and well, they needed a bleed. The bite point was all over the place. Great power tho, when you double clutch the lever
Great to see some honest reviews with all the negative aspects! Too many are just fluff and advertising these days.
Shoutout 2 @Dale Stone
That's unfortunate. When you reviewed Norco Range VLT you said that Mavens would be a better choice. So when I purchased the Range I ordered a set of Mavens based on your review. The brakes haven't arrived yet but I am doubting my decision following this review.
Regardless, I really appreciate your honest reviews. I trust your reviews much more than the rest of the industry who are mainly doing advertorials. Keep up the good work.
Thank you and don't be too worried. However, you may just need to be prepared to do a little bit of work, or ensure the shop who builds the bike up does a thorough piston massage. SRAM claims this will remedy most of the issues of wandering bite point. So, be sure to have the shop note the brake issue at pick up and guarantee help should problems arise. Good luck! Hopefully you get a good set.
@@TheLoamWolf much appreciated. I will pass the info to my shop.
IMO the DB8 is the better mineral oil SRAM brake. It doesn't have a heavy lever pull, the brake bite is consistent, and power is about as much as you'd expect for a sub-$200 set of brakes. Reliability is dependent, but the set that I have still don't need a bleed and are leak-free.
I'm still changing them out for DHR Evo's though, lol.
I’m a big guy and put them on a Pole Voima. So far they’ve been fantastic in the steep and fast trails of Arizona and Colorado. I also wear XXXL gloves so that could be a factor.
I have an unspoken deal with high end components. I don't bitch about price, and they work flawlessly. So, this would be a deal breaker. They can try again with a revamped version. Until then......
i feel all the drawbacks have been my experience on sram brakes, less the bitepoint issue but noisy, creaky and so on, for the cost they're just a NO go with quality especially when compared with some Hopes for example.
Had the same problem with XO Trails back in the day, the guru at my LBS vertically bleed them and that solved all the level issues with those brakes
As a clyde i absolutely love the power of the mavens and am willing to compromise on the lever pull force. However I haven’t had any issues with the wandering bite point issue yet.
I’ve been pretty happy with my pair, the one thing that did suck though is I realized the initial pair I’d bought were leaking from the calipers. Since having them warrantied they’ve been flawless though.
The piston massage is definitely crucial to getting these to perform as they should.
Duuude... Bitepoint wander that bad absolutely kills the hype. Then add the armpump and I can't ever see myself enjoying this
The lever inconsistency is a thing, happened on both my mavens. The issue I suspect is the piston seals are overly tight pulling the pistons back too far so the first pull your pushing the pistons all the way out and then when you let of and instantly get back on the lever the pistons are still retracting before the second pull and then you pump them up. They do get better and I’m surprised with all your testing they didn’t settle in as mine did. It took an abnormally long time and I’d agree it’s not acceptable but it seems they have to go through some really high heat cycles to finally wear in. I also suspect Sram knows the seals are extremely tight and that’s also why they increased the master cylinder spring to try and pull the pistons back faster (relieve system pressure). Mine don’t do it anymore but it took some bike park days and long extended descents. I do wish the lever was softer like the code but it’s not really terrible for me. I think if sram woulda just stuck to DOT like they know then the mavens would be perfect, as is they do need to work on the seal tightness and change the master cylinder spring but man once they’re working they’re just an amazing brake.
The Bronze model comes stock on the '25 Levo and they feel similar to the Shimano at first. I've had no issues in the first 100 miles but I have DEFINITELY noticed the hand fatigue associated with the lever's initial pull resistance, as I've never had any issues with this before in the last 30 years.
Thanks sharing your impressions and interesting to hear.
Also had issues with bleeding. With the rear breake. Brought it to my shop. They also know that it is difficult to bleed the rear break. Air gets cought in the caliper quite easily.
I remember having to pour cold water over my CODE brake levers so they would work if they sat in the sun for too long... before they updated the lever piston. ( I think it might have even been a recall, not sure)
No brakes should be having such serious issues, regardless of price point. It's amazing that manufactureres can get away with producing such low quality items, especially brakes of all things!
Been riding Hayes for 3+ seasons. A tricky bleed, but the results are worth it. Lever feel is top tier.
Regarding squeeky levers, I got that on my Shimano XT brakes as well when I wasn't really paying attention while washing the bike, so I must've shot water in there with the hose. After taking it apart and cleaning everything and relubing, I've stopped completely to use the hose near the brakes at all, and most often you only need a quick wipe down with a rag to remove some dirt. Just consciously keeping water away from that area has done the trick for me, and I'm sure all brake levers can start squeeking as they all swing around a pivot point.
So stop spraying lots of cleaning agents around the brake lever area as well as keeping direct water spraying away because most often a rag will be all you need to make them look clean again.
Awesome review! For me as well arm fatigue is the most important factor. Two years ago switched from Shimano to Formula Cura 4 and experienced the same issue. Braking power was superior but the lever pull needed more force. After a couple of months switched back to Shimano XT. How are the TRP when it comes to arm fatigue?
check out hayes - more power than shimano, very consistent and top tier lever feel
I switched from Shimano prior gen 2pot SLX and current gen Deore 4 pot to TRP DH-R Evos and would say the fatigue is less. I use the Oak levers which like the Freedom Coast levers reduce the reach by 12mm. I haven't focused on if it is the initial pull or the extra power for effort used, but they feel lighter. I always heard Shimano would throw you off the bike with their power and on/off feel, I never thought they had that much power. The TRP's have the power and have more modulation once you retrain your fingers. I'm using MTX red pads on TRP RS01E 2.3 rotors. I've had no fade on the TRP's, did on Shimano full Ice-Tech, and less with Ice-Tech rotors/MTX pads.
TRP doesn't have contact adjust so if you have shorter fingers, if you adjust the lever blade closer to the grip it'll also increase lever throw and decrease bite firmness.
Tried the Freedom Coast levers but it didn't really help as it only brought the lever back 10mm.
Changed from TRP to XTR and my small fingers appreciate the lever closeness.
Hayes is also equally as close to the grip and are noticably more light in trigger feel than Shimano. However Hayes is way more powerful and at times can feel quite tappy and grabby, so for me I stuck to XTR.
XTR vs Hayes vs TRP is personal (and finger) preference really. All are miles ahead of Sram, and Magura (purely because Magura is all composite plastic and you blow the seals or crack the body easier)
I run Mavens on my G1 but haven’t had these issues after 6 months. I do appreciate the honesty of this video.
I have a Nebo Peak with TRP DH-R Evo brakes and it has been awesome.
Drew another great video. I was thinking about updating my Levo, but if they are no better than my current Maguras im going to keep looking.
Somehow I'm not surprised. My bike came with RSCs and I had to swap rotors and pads to get a really useful brake. Also I got one of the RSC sets which are quite ok quality wise as I "only" have to bleed them four times a year 😅
Was looking into Mavens but decided to wait until good reviews come out. Happy I didn't buy them.
My CODE RS do exactly the same thing (instant bite) and have done since new . Problem is apparent when it's hot. Its not like the old problem that SRAM guides had in heat due to the piston plunger. Wheel still spins freely . Its only the rear brake front is 100% fine. I'll try the piston ' massage' ! I have SRAM on all my bikes and overall they are my go to choice but it's all down to personal preference. The G2s are amazing in any model !
Great review
Thank you.
I had a little trouble with the brake bleed process on my Maven Silvers but I have ridden Code RSC brakes for over 10 years and find them to be about the same to get a perfect feeling lever pull. As for the force required to actually pull the levers, they are only slightly more stiff than Code RSC brakes. More powerful brakes and pad contact point adjustment is a fair trade off for having to do a few finger kegels.
Sram have been struggling a lot over the last few years when it comes to brake levers. I would say almost 50% of their HRD levers (mechanical and axs) have had a super slow return after braking. This is after fully bleeding them, torquing the hose at the lever properly, and doing everything sram asks is to do. A new lever is the only thing that fixes it. It's not just the road stuff too, the level stealth levers have had the same issue but not as frequently. No idea why they've been like this, no TRP, tektro, or Shimano have had an issue like this.
so never use sram brakes? i really like Shimano SLX or XT
4:25 Thx for mentioning the issues. I wonder what caused this. I suspect it could be faulty piston seals, or pistons weren't lubed, so locking up the brake. Did you figure out the cause? Usually lack of lube with new seals means the pistons want to stay in, but with worn seals the pistons want to get stuck locking up the brakes. So the issue you had is interesting.
5:12 When doing piston massage as you call it (lubing the pistons cycling them in and out.) You need special block to do it, but this probably doesn't exist for these brakes yet or put a screw driver or some kind of plate in the gap, so pistons don't go past the mid point, so they don't pop out. Formula Cura has a slot at the front machined out that will hold a screw driver in place.
Then you can lube them all at once. But if you have a lubing block you can just remove it and flip it to only lube and push out one piston at the time.
When messed up a rebuild, not a big deal, but I fixed it. I did not lube the pistons enough and cycle them enough they were stuck on one side, but I did the screw driver thing, pushed all pistons out, but first I had to do a bleed as I still had some air in the system. then I was able to push the pistons out. It took a while, but after cycling them trough and lubing them well. I cleaned it, then installed the pads, it worked.
What communication have you had with SRAM about these issues. Also how many are early production brakes, given for review, etc? I think this also needs to be talked about in context of your mentioned points. Thanks for a longer term review. I feel like long term reviews are sorely lacking in the bike ind.
Thanks for this honest review. On my bikes I have the Shimano XT which do a great job. Had some Srams and Magura before but was not happy with those.
I would like to see you guys reviewing the Trickstuff Maxima and the Intend Trinity.
I’d love to hear a similar review of the Hope Tech 4 v4 and the Lewis LHT.
I have 3 sets of maven ultimate red bois installed on 3 bikes and 2 of them have been trouble free but the ones on my daily driver keep getting air in them and I seem to have to re-bleed the rear brake like literally once a month during riding season. I don’t have issues with activation effort but that may just be my style/preference. I love their motorcycle-ass performance but I think there may be QC issues with them as a first gen product.
Thanks for sharing
Please review the Magura Gustav Pros 🤙🏻😬
A first ride is coming soon!
Thanks for the video,
That Descendents shirt design 🔥
Thanks! We were pretty stoked on it too.
Great video! Dale Stone is da man!
Yeah Dale sure does a good job!
Felt a set of mavens other day; which felt awesome; but glad I’ve got hope tech 4 v4 brakes with 220mm rotors, been running for 7 months no issues at all
I was going to change out my Tektro brakes for the mavens but I think I'll stick with my current brake setup.
hope tech 4 v4s for life
mine rip, no issues, have the limited edition ultimates. Yes, they took some set up,experimentation with different rotors, sizes and different compounds and a bleed. (that's why I bought the ultimate kit) They seemed marketed for a tinker/racer like me. I have them on a 2024 Trek session , I rideride at Windrock, ride rock Creek and Shepherd, Mountain often. thank you loamWolf!!!!
Right on Michael, Stoked to hear you are enjoying them and having fun riding some very rad spots! We hope to get back out that way soon!
@ I will affirm the lever squeal is real, after cleaning , I apply some MO-94 , about once a month and it keeps them quiet. I have run Shimano and Hopes and found the same thing, especially running repeatedly in muddy conditions. CHEERS! i'm looking forward to getting back outto the Northwest.
My buddy had the same issue setting his maven ultimates. But the Maven Silvers don’t do the surprisingly. Me and my dad are running the silver, no issues. However I do notice that when I pull my brakes for a corner, assuming they are warming up, by the next corner they are stronger than the first corner. Which can come across as inconsistent and a potential hazard if using the front brake.
After every Sram brake I have used turned out to be garbage and require constant bleeds I was really hoping they could turn it around with these. Its not looking so good.
I have no love for SRAM at the moment on account of my issues with Transmission but the Mavens really benefit from switching to metallic pads in my experience. At first, I had tons of issues with the initial bite point on my Mavens before they get pumped up a bit. To address this, I got into the habit of pumping the brakes a little before dropping into my first descent of the day and that helped a lot but eventually that benefit also faded. When I went to bleed the brakes I noticed that the pads were pretty much roached (less than 6 weeks riding with stock organic pads). I've since switched to metallic pads and they have been more consistent. At 4 months they're just starting to fade initially, needing pre-pump before dropping in.
Thanks for sharing your input.
Have you done a review about Magura’s MT7?
Love my specialized bikes. The only item that they have not got right has been the brakes. As a customer i hate being supplied unreliable products for reliable prices. It wastes our time gong back repeatedly and interest in the company as trust fatigues. It is when things go wrong when you find how good a company actually is. Secialized has been consistently fantastic over a decade, sorting any issues out with confidence they have your back., sometimes going beyond what was expected. This was highlighted when buying an Orbea which has not only fallen apart like a clown car, their 'support' has been the polar opposite, ignoring pleas for help with my investment.
Thank you so very much for an honest review.
There was so much hype over these brakes. I have been disappointed with every set that I've test-ridden. Even on bikes in test fleets, I have had the problem that the contact point "jumps" all the way out while riding. At least you don't have to pull them through that heavy deadspace though. 😂 They do have power, but the hand fatigue is ridiculous.
I love most SRAM products, but the Maven brakes are not a quality product. Very disappointed. 😞
Best intro
Hahaha. Glad you enjoyed it. We thought it was pretty funny too.
Sram brakes have always benefitted from a full setup straight out of the box. That means after cutting hoses, they need a full bleed and then leave the bleed syringe attached at the lever, do a full piston reset (cycling each piston out carefully then pushing it back), making sure all pistons are moving evenly, setting the pad gap as close as possible without the rotor rubbing, then remove the lever syringe, squeeze the lever, readjust caliper so rotor doesn't drag, then adjust stroke and reach to taste. The main issue is the sticky caliper seals, the pistons have been sitting in the same position for months in a box and they need to be 'woken up' by cycling them past their current position and then pushed back a bit deeper. I know it sounds trivial, but it is sure-fire effective on all hydraulic brakes. Even when setup perfectly, the Mavens are firmer to pull than a lot of brakes (maybe the firmest on the market). But when dialed in, the deadstroke is one of the shortest and the power is so strong that you aren't pulling them very far to stop the bike, so it offsets the firmer lever pull. This allows you to get the Maven levers closer to the bar than almost any other brake without compromising power or bite point. They are not the perfect brake (doesn't exist in my opinion), but they will stop anything and for a lot of people that will be worth it. For reference, I'm a 20 year master mechanic only working on MTB my entire career.
Hey thanks and appreciate your feedback and input. We agree, these brakes absolutely have great potential, power and will be great for some people! Our stance is merely that if a product is a flagship, premium product they should have a higher expectation from factory for first assembly, similar to other industries where you pay a premium price and get a ready to use premium product. Secondarily to that, there are brakes that are nearly as powerful, have similar performance overall and do not require the effort to work on and are more user friendly. Which is why we’d recommend those others before the Mavens as most people likely don’t have access to a master mechanic like yourself.
Tried a set of the Maven Bronze on a hire Levo and I found them to be almost too powerful, with very little feel of brake engagement before they would bite, immediately locking a wheel. They were better after me putting 40 muddy miles on them, they were less grabby.
I had similar issues with the DB8, I didn't ask for help I bled them and cleaned and lubricated the pistons, I had the opportunity to try the maven bronze I wasn't really that impressed with their performance and lever effort was far superior from the LH4 I'm currently using on all my bikes, I would like to see comparatively what's the clamping force in Nm at the piston & lever effort of various other brakes, that measure isn't included in most tests nowadays.
I just bleeding sram dots. Will try trps, thanks for the review