Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from San Antonio Date Reviewed: October 31, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Smooth, reliable - best of all there is not flex and you know how it's going to perform everytime you use it. Out lasted 1/2 dozen frames - BMX. Raced and practiced everyday. Set it up and forget about it.
Weaknesses:
NONE!!!
Similar Products Used:
Tried them all, there is no comparision.
Bike Setup:
Supercross, Mavics
Bottom Line:
There never has been a brake like this, not even Avid's other brakes. Sealed bearing and CNC'd arms are the secret. If you're serious about performance brakes and shun disc for there un-responsiveness, this is the brake system.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
N.B.GAS
a Cross Country Rider
from LAS VEGAS, NV. Date Reviewed: November 1, 2005
Favorite Trail:
EMPTY ONES
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
PRICE POINT
Strengths:
STRONGEST V BRAKE EVER!..A TRUE WORK OF ART!..AWESOME FEEL!
Weaknesses:
NOT!...NOPE!...NONE!
Similar Products Used:
XTs.DEORE.TEKTRO QUARTZ.PRO-MAX.NONE OF THEM ARE SIMILAR! SD7s ARE BAD MUDDERS!...[BLACK OPPs= LORD OF DA BRAKES!]...
Bike Setup:
05'IBEX HT FRAME: MANITOU AXEL 100mm LO TA...SRAM X9 GS&RD, X-GEN FD,PG-970,PC-99,9.0 LEVERs...RACE-FACE EVOLVE XC CRANK BB,FLATBAR,STEM,SEATPOST...CANE CREEK AEROHEAT WHEELS,S-2 HEADSET...IRC MYTHOS XC...AVID FLAK-JACKETs...SELLE ITALLIA TRANs AM XO...OURYs...AZONIC X-TENSIONs...FAST&LITE!.......
Bottom Line:
I HAD SD7s ON MY IBEX. BUT THEY WHERE THE ONLY USED PARTs ON THE BIKE....ITs TRUE, THE BLING GOT ME!...I HAD TO HAVE UM!
ASIDE FROM THE BLAH-BLAH, IF YOU CAN PART WITH $$$ GET UM! IT TOOK ME 4mos TO TALK MYSELF INTO IT!...Iam NOT ONE BIT SORRY,THEY DO HAVE THE BEST STOPPING POWER...MODULATION... AND LOOKs...
.........MADE IN THE U.S.A!....100 CHILLES................
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Digitalparrot77
a Cross Country Rider
from Warsaw, IN Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Winona Lake Trails
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Trailhouse
Strengths:
Light weight, unmatched stopping power
Weaknesses:
non at this time
Bike Setup:
Breezer Stom SingleSpeed
Bottom Line:
Whatever the price is just buy them. This was a major upgrade from the standard Brakes that came with my bike back in'96. They feel great and are extremly responsive to the touch
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
BRENT WIRUTH
a Cross Country Rider
from TULSA Date Reviewed: August 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
WOMBLE
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Great looking, excellent breaking power even when wet.
Weaknesses:
i can not get them to stop squealling. i have tried every thing. they are toed in perfectly. tried different pads. the ear pearsing squeal is hard to take. I have been MTB'n for 11 years and have never had a problem until now.
Similar Products Used:
avid tri-aligns, avid arch supreams.
Bike Setup:
moots rigormootis, fox f80x, XO, King,517's, thompson
Bottom Line:
these breaks look great, stop great, very light. some one PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO MAKE THEM STOP SQUEALLING!!!!! i'm sure i have already tried it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bramy
a Weekend Warrior
from Vzla Date Reviewed: July 16, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
pedalpower (Vzla)
Strengths:
just amazing!! I had the Shimano XT.. no modulation at all and very hard to stop the bike. They lock the rear wheel all the time and made a horrible squeel. NOW IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT STORY, Black Ops are perfect. Modulation, strength
Weaknesses:
Price
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT crap, tektro (better than XT)
Bike Setup:
SL, crossmax XL, XT group (except V-brakes, thank God), Thompson, Easton, Fox Float all the way, etc, etc
Bottom Line:
If you are serious about speed and downhills (cross country) and don't want the weight penalty of disc and want the best, just buy them, you wont regret it
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA Date Reviewed: November 5, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Ones with dirt and trees
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$210.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint
Strengths:
Brakes come on smooth and predictable, no diving into the rim after first contact.
Weaknesses:
CNC areas hard to clean, so I don't.
Similar Products Used:
OEM, XT
Bike Setup:
Klein Attitude Race, XTR drive train, Time ATAC carbon, Thompson seatpost & stem, Dean Ti handlebar, Mavic CrossRide, Marzocchi Z.2 Atom Race
Bottom Line:
I spend too much on my bike, given my abilities. This is the best upgrade/purchase I've made. If you want disc brakes buy them, they work very well. If you don't want to hassle with all that comes with disc but still want the stopping power and smoothness of disc then these are the brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
RAFI JULIUS
a Cross Country Rider
from JERUSALEM ISRAEL Date Reviewed: September 1, 2003
Favorite Trail:
WHERE I DON'T GET SHOT BY TERRORIST'S
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
LEVERS IN ISRAEL, BRAKES FROM BIKEMAN
Strengths:
the best rim brake i found, and better than many disk's. they are light, sexy, amazing stopping power and modulation, simple to clean and adjust. and the best part is avids costumer service. are very nice together with xt 8 levers (same mat black).
Weaknesses:
they don't know when to stop by themself, so the riders needs to look ahead.
Similar Products Used:
rivel arch, xt, lx, promax, hayase.
Bike Setup:
stp 400, mars elite, crossmax with stan's tubless system, xt-xtr 8 - great bike!
Bottom Line:
if you are looking for a realy good product, this is the one. costumer service is excelent too: broke the little part that hold's the pin that insert's the fork, and avid send me 2 replacment part, fast, no questin's asked.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matthew
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee Date Reviewed: May 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Bonzai
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Wheel & Sprocket
Strengths:
Easy to set up and adjust, light, stiff as hell.
Weaknesses:
A bit expensive.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX, Avid Single Digits.
Bike Setup:
'98 Trek 8000 with lots o' goodies.
Bottom Line:
Since Avid no longer makes the Arch Supreme, these are now the best rim brakes in existence. They stop better than most disc brakes, and they aren't nearly as complicated. Avid's got great customer service too. When I got the brakes the metal dust caps that covered the cartridge bearings were warped and bent. I sent an email to Avid's warranty department, and received replacements four days later. True, they're not the cheapest brakes in the world, but if you can afford it, they're the best.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
dale g
a Cross Country Rider
from corralitos Date Reviewed: March 28, 2003
Favorite Trail:
any single track/any where
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$165.00
Purchased At:
web
Strengths:
these brakes work very well,lots of power,no slop in any of the parts yet.
Weaknesses:
possibly the price
Similar Products Used:
xt,xtr,avid sd7
Bike Setup:
spec.m4
Bottom Line:
the best rim brake I have found! Have changed over to avid mech.The best would be to run these in the summer and disk brakes in the winter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Calabasas, CA Date Reviewed: November 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$285.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint
Strengths:
Fully adjustable levers, stopping power.
Weaknesses:
Cost
Similar Products Used:
XTR
Bike Setup:
Titus Racer X, Full XTR, Black Elite Air Fork
Bottom Line:
As far as stopping power goes, they are a noticable improvment over XTR, but don't expect a night and day difference. The adjustability of the levers really let's you dial in the exact feel you want. They are the best non disc brakes out there, but if you require maximum stopping power spend your money on Avid's mechanical disc in the 180 mm size.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Reed Mcintyre
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder, Co, usa Date Reviewed: November 4, 2002
Favorite Trail:
my town
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
My house
Strengths:
Great stoping power. very light and durable
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
xtr brake
Bike Setup:
azonic evolution, new dj3 fork, full 9.0 sram, Rcae face cranks isis bottom bracket, sun ditch witch rims with kenda 2.6 tires
Bottom Line:
These are asome you need these's. Great for every thing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
stamd
a Racer
from Golden, Colorado Date Reviewed: April 19, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
CBO & Pricepoint
Strengths:
Braking power, modulation, machining, ease of setup
The finest rim V-brakes I have used. Pricey though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
marc weinstein
a Cross Country Rider
from chappaqua,n.y. usa Date Reviewed: March 23, 2002
Favorite Trail:
graham hills, pleasantville
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
julio's in chappaqua
Strengths:
total modulation and infinite set up of every brake variable
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
avid arch supremes
Bike Setup:
ibis silk ti, xtr shifting, crane creek ti team wheels, geax sedona tires, moots ti stem, moots ti laid back seatpost, carbon straight bar,wtb ti seat, marzzochi marathon 80mm 2002
Bottom Line:
you get what you need when you need it-as sensitive or as strong as needed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a
from Tempe, AZ Date Reviewed: March 5, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Sexiest v-brake around, hands down, and the levers look so slick they make all other levers look like toys Light weight and very stiff The cartridge bearings make a noticeable difference- so play in the brakes or levers, and they operate very very smoothly Very adjustable, like all of Avid's stuff
Weaknesses:
Hard to justify that price tag. You'd think that when you're paying enough to get a set of hydraulic discs, they could at least use Ti hardware. That much cash should get you everything the world has to offer in a v-brake.
Similar Products Used:
Avid SD7, SD5, SD2, SD1, Shimano LX and XT, XT discs, Magura HS-33's, Avid mechanical discs, Hayes hydros
Bike Setup:
Trials
Bottom Line:
Beautifully crafted, top of the line equipment. The levers have a huge range of leverage adjustability, and also a reach adjust, which is nice. The way they designed the barrel adjusters, they can't possibly slip around on you. (Not that I've ever had that much of a problem with that.) The lever blades are more ergonomical than other Avid's, but it's not that big of a deal. You don't have to remove your grips to take off your levers, which is cool in theory but I can't think of any reason you'd want to do that. I'd say these are great brakes if you love v-brakes and want the best- but the performance difference is not really that drastic over the SD-7's. Bottom line- the perfect v-brakes, but you pay for what you get.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bonker
a Cross Country Rider
from Texas Date Reviewed: January 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Bluff Creek Ranch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Lightweight Cartridge bearings No slop CNC Machining It stops your bike
Weaknesses:
Steel hardware
Similar Products Used:
Avid SD Mags
Bike Setup:
Custom spec'd Trek Fuel 100
Bottom Line:
WOW! I can truly say that these things are on par with hydraulic rim brakes. I once had Magura HS33's and the stopping power is almost the same. The sealed bearings make the brakes as smooth as can be. I am using the Ultimates with XTR levers. What a combination. I was stuck between the Avid Ti's, and Paul's Motolite. I'm glad I went with the Ultimates. The brakes are about 180 grams. I'm a weight weenie but I will sacrifice weight for performance in the brake division. FYI, if you buy them from Pricepoint, don't expect "Retail" packaging. Mine came in ziplock bags with all the stuff. No problems. These are THE v-brakes if it came down to what is the best.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Brighton Date Reviewed: December 19, 2001
Favorite Trail:
White Ranch
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
www.jensonusa.com
Strengths:
Incredible braking power, very adjustable to suit any riding/braking preferences, very well designed & built It is the same design principle that RaceFace uses to stiffen their crank arms, an "I-beam" design. Amazing difference from what I was using prior
Weaknesses:
None. *they are a little more costly but with this component, you definitely get what you pay for.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX, XT
Bike Setup:
Airborne LS, RaceFace, Chris King, Mavic, Sram
Bottom Line:
I was using Shimano XT components that I could not keep from squealing. This seemed to be a problem with both XT & XTR brakes with the parallel linkage design. I read reviews on what people thought was a good upgrade path for replacements as I saw nothing being done by the manufacturer to resolve this. I emailed some of owners of these brakes that had posted here and corresponded with enough questions to satisfy forking out the money for these units. I originally thought the price was this product's only weakness, but after having spent some time on these brakes, there is no better V-brake system available. Period. Sealed cartridge bearings in all pivot points make application effortless with no play or slop. You would have to use these brakes to understand why that are the best. I also purchase the levers. Ditto on above to those too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
alex davidson
a Cross Country Rider
from new zealand Date Reviewed: December 15, 2001
Favorite Trail:
not sure yet...
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
bike shop I work at...in UK.
Strengths:
beautifully made, solid..finally a V brake that doesn't have any slop and no linkages. I shall see how they last. Nice to be able set cable runs the proper way ie;motor bike style.
Weaknesses:
at this price they should include ti bolts but they still won't be the lightest out there-not intended as that any how. stupid torque settings etched all over the place-if someone buys these(spending this much)they will either know how to tighten a bolt properly or get a mechanic to do it wouldn't they?.
Similar Products Used:
avid 2.0's, xtr, xt and loads of cantis..
Bike Setup:
fat city yo eddy, rigid team forks, xtr, syncros, race face, ceramic 618 rims.
Bottom Line:
If you dont mind spending some money on your bike I can't see any rim brakes nicer than these..they have no slop and work great. silver would be nice but as it is they look better covered with dirt anyhow.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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