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SRAM Brake Levers Brake Lever

3.96/5 (27 Reviews)

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SRAM Brake Levers


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Reviews 1 - 15 (27 Reviews Total) | Next 15

User Reviews

Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:4
Submitted by David a Cross Country Rider from THE BIG T.O CAN

Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001

Strengths:    Light, feel strong, no slop, cool looking, feel nice

Weaknesses:    none yet

Bottom Line:   
Well, I just installed the new 7.0's, and have only ridden them once, a follow up review will happen in september, but they are a huge increase over the old avids that came with the bike.. (could be b/c the avids wern't designed for V-Brakes) but anyhow.. they are strong, quite, cool looking, and cheap compared to everything else that is comparible. Remember this is just the initial review.

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Favorite Trail:   anything

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $60.00

Purchased At:   Sports Swap

Similar Products Used:   Tektro Stuff
Avid 2.0 S.D's

Bike Setup:   96 Norco Torrent, Avids 2.0 brakes, White Industry Crank, 9.0 R.D, LX front D.R, 900 shifting system,
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Matt Frederick a Cross Country Rider from Forest of Dean, England

Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001

Strengths:    Light,cheap, won't rust or corode

Weaknesses:    Flexes badly but shatters rather than bend in a crash, leaving a jagged edge.

Bottom Line:   
I always found the brakes flexed under pressure. Last year I went over the bars in a slow speed stack and caught the lever on the way over. It snapped, leaving a sharp edge which tore through two layers of shorts and left a lrge deep hole in my thigh, ripping out the side branches to the femoral artery. The surgeons then had to open my leg up further to find the missing bit 'cos being composite it didn't show up on any X-rays! I was off the bike for about 4-5 months. You can't make a lever that is indestructable but it should bend before shattering, buy a metal lever instead, some, like Hope levers are designed to pop out of the pivot in the case of a crash to avoid this kind of accident.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Dowies Run

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Purchased At:   Original Equipment

Similar Products Used:   Avid SD 1.9

Bike Setup:   Cannondale SV 700 SL
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Rob a Cross Country Rider from Santa Cruz

Date Reviewed: March 30, 2001

Strengths:    Light, adjustable, not too expensive

Weaknesses:    Kinda funky looking, not real cheap, can't replace blade.

Bottom Line:   
This is for the '99 and '00 9.0 levers. I had a set of the 99's, which look like the current 7.0's. Snapped a blade in a biff (that's ok) & got a set of '00 to replace them. Outstanding levers. Adjustable, light, functional. Wish I could get replacement blades.

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Favorite Trail:   Star Wars

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $43.00

Purchased At:   Jenson

Similar Products Used:   Avid 1.0

Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Johnny a Weekend Warrior from St. Louis, MO

Date Reviewed: March 27, 2001

Strengths:    Adjustability is really nice
Light weight
Cool Looks
Cheap

Weaknesses:    Appear Weak, but really aren't

Bottom Line:   
Got the lever (SRAM 9.0)and brake set for $50 through Universal Cycles. Let me tell you, this is really a GREAT deal - I'd talk about the whole thing, but this is just about levers, so here goes - they're very light, and also very adjustable. The lightness tends to make me think that they're flexy, but I looked at them, pulled the crap out of them - I'm pretty sure I'd snap a cable or something else before I screw up the levers. They're really smooth and have nice light action, and the leverage adjustment allows you to get the same power out of both the front and back brakes, when normally you have to pull harder to get the same power from the back. The adjustability is nice if you're changing riding styles... for instance, i'm trying some trials stuff where you need your brakes EXTREMELY strong... but still ride XC where you need good control. No problem, just turn the knob and go. Can even adjust mid-ride. The levers also allow you to adjust the distance to the bar, which is a good thing since the default is rather far away. Bottom line: these may appear cheap/flexy, but they're very strong, very light, and very adjustable. I'd recommend them, and especially at this price.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Purchased At:   Universal Cycles

Similar Products Used:   None

Bike Setup:   Marin Bear Valley SE, Manitou SXR, STX-RC, SRAM 9.0 levers/7.0 brakes
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Craig M. a Racer from Abington, MA

Date Reviewed: March 11, 2001

Strengths:    Decent price. I use them with XT v-brakes and man they work great!!!!

Weaknesses:    Have not seen one yet, if I encounter one I will let you know.

Bottom Line:   
If you have read any of my other reviews you will know I'm about 230lbs. I go through brake pads pretty quick and untill these last few months I have been hard pressed to get good stopping power. I purchased a new racing bike with disc brakes and my XT's with the 9.0 levers is the next best thing I have used. Becasue of the set up (where the cable connects) it gives me that extra pull I have been looking for and they work like a champ. I feel like I have a whole new brake system now. For a while I thought that the XT's did not measure up but now it's a whole new world. If you have problems with these take this advice: go to your LBS and ask the mechanic how to tune your V-brakes, my friend is a mechanic and he has taught me how to tune my brakes and if you do this you will really see the difference in all brakes which makes these levers outstanding!!

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Favorite Trail:   All

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $35.00

Purchased At:   Ebay

Similar Products Used:   XT, Avid, Hayes

Bike Setup:   Freeride
Overall Rating:2
Value Rating:4
Submitted by Smillee McIver a Racer from Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada

Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001

Strengths:    They had nice modulation to them, but other than that? From what I've read, they are cheap and take a fair beating.

Weaknesses:    While the flex they had is probably not to bad when coupled with brakes other thatn the 7.0, the combo together makes for an uncomfortable ride when bombing down a hill. They seemed to have an unusual amount of vertical flex, and the 7.0 brakes are pieces, they had minimal flex, and very limited power.

Bottom Line:   
While 7.0 levers may be Ok for light XC riding, they really didn't fit the bill for a freeride bike. They, combined with 7.0 brakes, made for a bike with loose controls and unpredictable stopping power. I'm not a irongrip person, but I do like to feel results when I pull the lever. Overall rating is 2 because of performance, and value is 4 because of price.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   ???

Duration Product Used:   Tested or demo'ed only

Purchased At:   I rented a Rocky Pipeline out in Whistler

Similar Products Used:   Lots of diffferent stuff, I have 1.9 Avids on my 99 Manomano. They are fairly good, but starting to get a little sloppy.

Bike Setup:   99 Manomano, with SX-LE fork and Avid 1.9 Levers with Arch 40 brakes.
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Derek a Cross Country Rider from Wilmington, DE

Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001

Strengths:    They work
Light
Look good

Bottom Line:   
These are the original 9.0's. Which are the same as the new 7.0's. They're pretty cheap. I got them for $30, and the 7.0's you can get for $25 from Cambria. (Just got some for my girlfriends bike.) Super light, and they work. They feel great, and are plenty stiff. Not as easy to set up as the Avid's - with the removable chips and all - and the cable routing is kind of wierd. But the fact is, once they're set up they just plain feel better. And they look cool to boot.

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Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $30.00

Similar Products Used:   Avid

Bike Setup:   Just the way I like it.
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Gavin a Cross Country Rider from tha a.t.l., GA

Date Reviewed: November 23, 2000

Strengths:    light weight, they laugh at abuse, little ching req'd for purchase

Weaknesses:    bulky lever perches, overly thick lever (neccessary to combat flexiness I guess), a bit cheesy looking i.m.op

Bottom Line:   
I have the 7.0's. I have never experienced any problems whatsoever with these levers. I'm thinking about replacing them with either my old xtr's or kooka racha's because I don't like the shape of the lever. If I adjust the things close enough to the bar for my short fingers to be happy they bottom out unless I set the pads against the rims.
They don't rust or corrode (except the little adjustment screws.) They haven't slipped around on my bars at all. They don't seem to reqire ANY maintenance or lubrication. They have developed a little slop, but what wouldn't after two years of steady use? I bought them 'cause I had about $40 bucks to spend on levers after building up my bike. I bought these and had enough left over for a 12 of PBR! ps- I use them with xtr v-brakes.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Bull Mountain in Dahlonega, GA

Duration Product Used:   2 Years

Price Paid:    $29.00

Purchased At:   Atlanta Pro Bicycles

Similar Products Used:   avid sd 2.0, xtr v-levers

Bike Setup:   Airborne Lucky Strike, z.2 superfly, sram betsy edition, blah, blah, blah...
Overall Rating:4
Value Rating:5
Submitted by daren a Cross Country Rider from Morrison CO

Date Reviewed: October 17, 2000

Strengths:    weight,modulation, stopping power, longer levers for gripshift users, don't feel icy cold in cool weather

Weaknesses:    a little flex butt not enough to make switch

Bottom Line:   
I've tried alot of levers and actually opted to switch back to the 9.0sl's over a pair of 2000 ultimate levers. I have Avid Arch Supreme brakes and get great modulation and power with the 9.0sl's. Part of this might be cause I like to have my levers pretty close to the bars before they engage with the rims.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Mustang off the top of White Ranch

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Similar Products Used:   Avid 2.0, 2000 Avid Ultimates, XTR's

Bike Setup:   Kona Hei Hei with sid xc
Overall Rating:1
Value Rating:1
Submitted by Dave a Cross Country Rider from Santa Cruz, Cali

Date Reviewed: September 27, 2000

Strengths:    Very light, kewl looks (as if this matters)

Weaknesses:    Super Flexy and unable to keep them from rotating on bar

Bottom Line:   
These levers look cool and I thought that they would function well since I love the Grip shift system. I thought that the increased lever length would be important b/c of the twist shifters.

Boy was I ever wrong! These levers totally SUK. They are all plastic and as a result super flexible and require two fingers and a lot of force when descending the steep and technical. They rotate all over the bar. They are easily scratched up. My old XT levers were far superior and my new Avid Ultimate L levers and Supreme brakes totally rock. Finally dropped the coin and wished I'd done it a lot sooner.

The adjustment mechanism is nice. Big woop.

Do not buy the Avid levers -- you are wasting your money. I give 'em one flaming turd hoping that someone will stomp it out. Give a pair to your enemies for X-mass.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $43.00

Purchased At:   Cambria

Similar Products Used:   Shimano XT V levers, Avid Ultimate

Bike Setup:   C'dale F2000, Fatty headShock, SRAM 9.0 SL shifting, XTR front der., XTR hubs w/Mavic 517, XT crank, 747 pedals, Thompson post and WTM saddle.
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by smokey strodtman a Cross Country Rider from gilliam, MO USA

Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000

Strengths:    adjustable leverage and reach, light weight, feel.

Weaknesses:    none so far.

Bottom Line:   
i have the 7.0 lever, which has the internal leverage adjuster pin instead of the external one on the 9.0s. the 7.0s are also simpler and slightly lighter. i really doubt that most riders will be changing the leverage adjustment, once they find their preferred setting. the levers come set with minimum leverage. be sure and try them before changing to a stronger setting. i put mine on max immediately; a couple of unwanted nose wheelies soon had me going back to stock! i've heard some criticism of their plastic "feel", but it hasn't bothered me at all. i like the shape of them very much, perfect for one-finger braking(and that's all you'll need!).. feel and modulation are excellent as well. the real test of any braking component is on the trail; when you find yourself diving deeper into downhill corners and braking harder on slopes and loose surfaces, you'll know you have a winner. good job, SRAM!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   the one i'm on at the moment!

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $23.00

Purchased At:   jensonusa.com

Similar Products Used:   stock generic g/f levers on my marlin.

Bike Setup:   fisher marlin hardtail, avid2.os, delta cables,lots of other stuff.
Overall Rating:3
Value Rating:5
Submitted by mike a Cross Country Rider from Ny

Date Reviewed: August 31, 2000

Strengths:    Really light, really cheap, and will never ever rust.

Weaknesses:    they are made very cheaply( ihave esp 5.0 brake levers and they are really bad) and the brake lever itself flexes when i pull the brake lever. And also the esp 5.0 brake system is bad too. It never stops me in time and i'm light (130lbs).

Bottom Line:   
If you want extremely light brake levers that won't rust or cost you some cash these are definitely good. But if you expect anything above that kind of performance then don't get'em.

Final word: Save up 40$ and get better levers.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Tektro quartz ( O.K.)

Bike Setup:   Rockymoutain fusion everything stock.
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by jeff fisher a Cross Country Rider from Phoenix,AZ,USA

Date Reviewed: August 29, 2000

Strengths:    still work
everything i said before

Weaknesses:    clamps loosen occasionally


Bottom Line:   
i've had these for six months now and have beat the sh*t out of them. they still work, and i can't really say their performance has changed much at all since i bought them six months ago. the clamp likes to loosen some, but that's minor. the decals did begin to wear off, but considering how i've crashed on them, that's no big surprise. the only real complaint is that on the left (front) brake lever, the cable adjuster screw likes to loosen, releasing extra cable. you really have to torque the locknut down. other than that, no problems. they're cheap, they work, buy 'em and forget about 'em.

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Favorite Trail:   corona loma

Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $25.00

Purchased At:   rage cycles

Similar Products Used:   tektro crap
shimano LX
magura
dia-compe crap

Bike Setup:   98 rockhopper w/ indy c
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Geoff a Cross Country Rider from Wellington, New Zealand

Date Reviewed: April 9, 2000

Strengths:    Light, good looks, power

Weaknesses:    None to mention as yet

Bottom Line:   
More powerful and much lighter than the stock avids (1.0s) that came standard on the bike. Great feel for 1 and 2 finger controlled braking.

Got them for a good price (99 model 9.0). Fitting instructions easy to follow but I had to trim the 99 LX thumb shifter a bit to get the best fit.

These levers easily outperform LX and lower end avids in power and feel. If you can get them for an equivalent price like I did, it is a worthwhile upgrade.

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Mt Victoria

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   LX vees, cantis
XT vees
Avid

Bike Setup:   Schwinn Moab 1, Avid 1.0 brakes, LX/XT drivechain, rolf wheels
Overall Rating:5
Value Rating:5
Submitted by Big Mac a Weekend Warrior from Southern CA

Date Reviewed: April 2, 2000

Strengths:    adjustability, feel, they look toooo sweet!

Weaknesses:    lever perches kind of big

Bottom Line:   
The ones I'm reviewing here are the '99 9.0's.
Much better feel and power than the Tektro levers I replaced! The modulation is still a little bit on/off, but I'm hoping that will change as things break in a bit. Adjustability is great, 3 different settings for pull, plus set screw for lever position adjustment.
The only thing bad I could say about them so far is that the lever perches are rather large, kind of limits your setup options on riser bars. Other than that, they look sweet, they're plenty light, and feel pretty sturdy. I guess time will tell. 5 flaming roadkills for these!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   anything w/singletrack!

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Similar Products Used:   Tektro Quartz

Bike Setup:   '00 Specialized Rockhopper A1 FSR Comp
Reviews 1 - 15 (27 Reviews Total) | Next 15

Review Options:  Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating

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