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Submitted by
Lloyd Opolentisima
a Weekend Warrior
from Cebu, Philippines
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$11.00 | | Purchased At: | Espero | | Strengths: | > Light
> Powerful
> Cost less than any other model and brand
Work as any other V-brakes... Love the Avid logo... | | Weaknesses: | None... | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Vs | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Killer V 900, Rigid Pepperoni fork, all Shimano XTR (8 speed) groupo except the V -brakes, Avid 1d 20 V's, Control Tech Stem and handle bar, Mavic 217 Sup wheel, Maxxis Oriflamme (26x2) tires, Ritchey seat post, Active saddle | | Bottom Line: | Had chosen this V's above the others due to its price. Performance wise, it is the same as any other descent V-brakes out there. This rig of mine is a commuter... for home and office route only.
Don't be mislead by its price... these V-brakes are quite powerful (if set-up properly) and can even throw you on top of the handle bars.
For the trails... had another rig (it's a Mosso) w/ Avid BB5 disc brakes.
Way to go AVID! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
loco
a Cross Country Rider
from SPAIN
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | Very lightweight, simple
good power, for xc
excellent cartridge pads, easy to replace and nice compound | | Weaknesses: | got play at the pivots
somehow flexy,but that´s pad position related
noisy if not lubed regulary | | Similar Products Used: | dia compe, lx, xtr | | Bike Setup: | hartail mix: avid sd levers, steel frame,mars cl fork, 517 rims | | Bottom Line: | If you are looking for something lite and powerful and don´t have the cash for xtr these are a good option.
Pads don´t move parallel to the rim so are triky to adjust but they are cartridge so easily replaceable without further adjustments.
When pad is adjusted to the lower side of the arm there is some flex due to a longer arm exposed, so set them back up and improved the feel.
They developed good play at the pivots, they are bushings so no fix possible. Now replaced for a xtr set with bearings.
Good brakes, they did their job without complain.
(If I had never tryed XTR I would give them 4 chillis) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommi Bass
a Cross Country Rider
from U.K
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | ya sisters house! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | had since 1998 | | Strengths: | They stop you well, had them since 98. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | xt, they are s@*t and they bust up. Sic amount of other stuff. | | Bike Setup: | Merlin 7005 xc, with a bell and a basket for E.T. | | Bottom Line: | I've had these puppys since 98, i have upgraded since to xt. They got bust in a bad crash, i had to build a new bike, as you can imagine building a new bike costs bucks...so i digged these puppys out of the spares box. F@*k they work very well indeed, they still look mega. I bust a spring thing on the back 'V', I sent Avid a email and they sent me a replacement set of parts for free, S@#t I live in the U.K! Avid RULE, WELL DONE U.S.A! I'll take off my slipper and beat my xt 'V' Wid it! ;-) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerry Dalley II
a Weekend Warrior
from Royal Oak, Mi
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | I like them all | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | They look cool. Thats about the only good thing. | | Weaknesses: | Absolutely no power after my first 20 rides. I have to pull the levers extreemly hard in order to stop fast. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano deore LX, and Sram 9.0 | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn homegrown with full lx/xt setup Easton EA-70 bars, Thomson Elite stem, Easton EA-50 seat post. Mavic x222 rims laceed to shimano Paralax Design LX hubs, LX crankset, XT shifters and derailers. | | Bottom Line: | I'm looking for another set of brakes. As soon as I can justify spending $100.00 or more on a descent set of brakes, I'm gonna do it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
G.
a Cross Country Rider
from Denton
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Don't Remember | | Strengths: | They perform well year after year. Aside from adjusting them when changing rims, I don't ever have to fiddle with my brakes--I haven't even worn through the first set of brake pads in years of consistent riding. I took the front set off to do some work on my fork and that teeny-tiny post fell off of the bushing and became lost. The Customer service folks sent me a free replacement bushing lickedy-split no questions asked. | | Weaknesses: | IF you do need to adjust the brake pads, it's a little bit of a pain to get them set right. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio cantilevers | | Bike Setup: | '96 Bontrager | | Bottom Line: | Good brakes, good customer service. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a
from Nova Scotia
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The Gourge | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Very touchy for about two weeks of hard riding | | Weaknesses: | SUCKX HARDCORE in the rain, you maightas well have no brakes at all in the rain... you'll have to replace some part of the thing withen about 3 months! I don't treat my stuff like crap either, my bike is my pride and joy. | | Similar Products Used: | ... | | Bike Setup: | Sasquatch, axiom, z-5 air 100mm, rhyno lites, clipless, trans x, YETI - ROCKS | | Bottom Line: | Price is good, half decient brake, but if you have the bucks, theres no question you want to upgrade... These brakes have medium stopping power no matter what pads you try! These brakes just arn't woth the time of day! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from st louis
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Touring Cyclist; came on bike | | Strengths: | very reliable. easy to adjust and maintain, simple design, very strong for their simplicity. | | Weaknesses: | they are starting to develop some play and wobble on the brake posts, and like any other rim brake, they don't work as well as they could in the wet. but missouri isn't the wettest place, so no big deal. also, toe in can be a real pain in the ass, but maybe i am facing the pad the wrong way... | | Similar Products Used: | arch rivals with speed dial levers (they work better, but i won't buy 'em till these current avids, the 2.0s, break horribly.) | | Bike Setup: | 99 trek 7000 with lots of stuff | | Bottom Line: | these brakes came on my bike, which i bought in february of 1999. they have worked extremely well the entire time! age has not set in yet. i've put these brakes through so much schit that i am amazed when i think about it. hell, they even work great for trials when i feel like doin that. it may not be as effortless of a stop as say disc brakes or maybe some arch rivals, but if you really want to stop, you will stop. or lock up your wheels, but that is your problem, the brakes did their job. if you keep them maintained and adjusted properly, they will provide you with hella good service for a long time, especially on a budget. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clint
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: October 20, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | all of em | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Doug's | | Strengths: | Strong, cheap, good modulation, looks. | | Weaknesses: | Sqealier than hell. Need tons of adjustment. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, cheap Tektros | | Bike Setup: | Kona Blast with Race Face, XT, RhynoLites | | Bottom Line: | Pretty good deal for what you get. There are better brakes, but for the price, they do the job better than LX. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Trask
a Cross Country Rider
from Chesterfield, MO
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Chubb | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Mesa Cycles | | Strengths: | Didnt melt in the sunlight, thats about it. | | Weaknesses: | This is a follow up, see below. Brakes to not perform after a few months. Very flexy. No power. Gets very sloppy at the pivots. Generaly inferior. | | Similar Products Used: | Hayes Disk, XTR, XT v-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Klein Mantra, Avid brakes came stock. | | Bottom Line: | Follow up...i have continued to make attemps to contact Avid, but they will not answer my emails. Terrible customer service. After i told them about the problems, they sent me two new brake pads, which did not help at all. I am not an idiot, i replaced the pads with several different types before i called and emailed them. They are not backing their product, which is a piece of $#@^. If you buy a new bike, make them upgrade to a shimano product. I put a set of XT brakes (1998 model)on my bike and they worked flawlessly. Still, Avid says its not a Avid brake problem. Bike shop cleaned and sanded the rims, made adjustments, then put a 150lb on the bike to test it. He could not stop. It is a joke. I have four stitches in my chin right now because i could not stop on a downhill. I took Avid at their word and waited for them to take care of their problem. I guess it is my problem now, and i will be putting Shimano brakes on my bike. I just ordered another bike, and will not take it out of the shop with Avid brakes because of this. I suggest you do the same. Without customer support we have nothing. Support your local bike shops when you can, and buy from those who take care of you, regardless where they are. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Trask
a Cross Country Rider
from Chesterfield, MO
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Castlewood | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Mesa Cycles | | Strengths: | Did not melt | | Weaknesses: | VERY weak braking and slop after a few months | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR | | Bike Setup: | Klein Mantra Comp | | Bottom Line: | I have had problems with these brakes since I purchased the bike. For some reason, there is alot of slop and the braking power is very weak...I cannot skid the rear tire on wet grass. The only thing that helps is to spray the rims with a citrus based degreaser which makes it sticky, but that rubs off after a few miles. I put my brothers XT brakes and levers on my bike and they worked great.
Heres the deal: Every product has problems, what really counts is the customer support. I have emailed Avid about the problem, and after a few days a tech called me and sent out one pair of new pads to try. They did not help anything, still alot of flex and no braking power. At least he tried. I just emailed him back to see what they will do, i even offered to pay for an upgrade.
If they take care of it, i will be an AVID fan for life, if not I will not be bying AVID products again. Service is everything...so i will keep you posted as to the results.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian M
a Cross Country Rider
from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Tyrolean MTB trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | came stock w/ my C'dale | | Strengths: | fantastic stopping power, modulation, weight, looks | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V-brake, Dia-Compe VC-767 | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F-1000 | | Bottom Line: | simply amazing | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex
a Racer
from mtn home ark usa
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Berryman | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | came w/ bike | | Strengths: | UPDATE | | Weaknesses: | UPDATE | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XTR, XT | | Bike Setup: | Fuel 98, Trek 9.9 Pro | | Bottom Line: | Mr. Paul Kantor from Avid called me personaly to apologize for the situation and offered to upgrade to one of their most quality brakes front and rear. I was floored and I want people to know that my opinion of Avid has done a 180 and Im now a Avid customer! Go Avid! BTW the original products was SD 50 i couldnt find a list for 50 so i listed here. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex
a Racer
from mountain home ark
Date Reviewed: May 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Berryman | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Came w/ bike | | Strengths: | Weight | | Weaknesses: | POOR CRAFTMENSHIP AND CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM AVID | | Similar Products Used: | XTR,XT | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 98 | | Bottom Line: | Worked good when it stayed together. I noticed after about 6hrs of riding that the rear arm had no tension. After inspection i found that the pin that fit into the upper chainstay brake post had become loose and wallowed out the middle hole on my bike's brake post. I contacted Avid and within a month they sent me a replacement part. To my surprise the replacement part pin was bent a good 60 degrees. I contacted Dan at Avid who said he would FWD it to shipping via Dennis and they would get it squared away. A month later and still no part. I'm still trying to contact Avid and see if they will hold true to their warranty, i will post again to update the progress. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Bay Cycle Sports Excellence | | Strengths: | Amasing breaking power! | | Weaknesses: | -none that I can find- | | Similar Products Used: | -none- | | Bike Setup: | Wheeler 5900zx with Rock Shox Judy XC | | Bottom Line: | Although these are the only real v-brakes I have ridden, I adore them and swear by them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BVBR
a Racer
from Ocomukowonowaukesha, WI
Date Reviewed: March 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | OEM | | Strengths: | Its not Shimano | | Weaknesses: | Its not Shimano | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR, Avid Arch Rival Mag | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Paragon | | Bottom Line: | These were OEM on my Fisher Paragon and I thought they were the cat's ass until I rode a real V-brake...XTR.
There's a little play in the brake arm. The lack of a parallel push design robs power and makes setup a little trickier. Furthermore, I've had a hell of a time trying to get the brake arms parallel while setting them up. I already am using the large spacer...and had to add some washers to this to get the arms somewhat close to parallel. When I put the power on both arms are now bent inward. This also robs power from the braking system. This is a poor design.
This brake also lacks a cartridge brake pad system.
Basically these are just a cheap brake that allows the bike manufacturers to cut corners by spec'ing them as OEM. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Galant Ho
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Road | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Taiwan ROC | | Strengths: | Excellent stopping power, best matched with Avid L levers. | | Weaknesses: | Superseeded by the SD25s, but still a good choice. Pads are generic Koolstops ones and will need to change to a better one. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, Alivio, Tektro RPB | | Bike Setup: | Oldman bike | | Bottom Line: | I'm not going back to Shimano brakes anytime soon. For V-brakes, Avids simply are the best. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mtb_man
a Cross Country Rider
from Hobart, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anything singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Light Weight, Good looks, Colour, Modulation and feel | | Weaknesses: | Stupid spring tension adjustment, Maybe a bit lacking in bulk stopping power (i realise they're not disks) | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Arch Rivals, Shimano DX, Tektro V's | | Bike Setup: | Kona Muni-Mula with Avid Levers and Kool Stop pads | | Bottom Line: | I got these brakes when i bought my Kona and initially i was fairly impressed with them, however the spring tension adjustment has really started to get me down. The only other brake i've ever seen with such a bad tension adjustment was a set of El Cheapo Tektro's on a mates bike. I expected more from Avid.
Having to use an adjustable wrench to ensure that the brake arms are centered just pisses me off. The adjusment always goes out the window as soon as i hit the first rocky section of trail, leaving me with dragging pads front and rear (since i don't lug an adjustable wrench with me in my seat pack) .
To be fair to Avid, the brakes are great when properly adjusted and work fine in all conditions (dry & dusty to snow, slop and mud).
I'm reaplacing them with a set of 2001 Avid SD7's which have a grub screw to adjust tension so every thing should be fixed and this person can finally ride without dragging pads.
Overall a good brake that's let down by minor problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mario Javier
a Weekend Warrior
from Oakville, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Kelso, Hardwood Trails | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclepath Oakville | | Strengths: | Price, ease of installation, performance | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | 97 Gary Fisher Joshua X-0 with full XT, Raceface, Rockshock Sid rear, XC front. | | Bottom Line: | This is an update of my first review earlier in the year when I first installed these brakes. So far it has been great and no sign of problems. I had replaced the stock brake pads with Koolstop red and it seems to be better in the wet than in the dry. Overall the brakes are excellent and well worth the money I paid. By the way, I have also installed a brake booster made by Brodie to stiffen the rear end of the Joshua and it is the only brake system that accept this setup. My XT brakes does not allow the booster to be installed, it caused some rubbing on the frame. I recommend these brake set to anyone who needs to upgrade. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
K P
a Weekend Warrior
from City of Angels
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | anything out there | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | mtbr marketplace | | Strengths: | awesome stopping power
relatively light
look great
easy to set up and adjust
$55 w/ set of levers | | Weaknesses: | mm...your kidding, right? | | Similar Products Used: | tektro quartz v's
shimano xt v's
shimano deore lx canti's | | Bike Setup: | jamis dragon, 8sp. sram esp 9.0, lx hollowtechs,avid 20 calipers and 1.9 levers bonty mustang/lx hubs, manitou sx r fork | | Bottom Line: | sweet brakes, easy to set up, tune, and work great. i'm not sure how good they work in extreme mucks, but worth the $55 | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pascal Cormeau
a
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 1, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Nose Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Stop well, have great modulation, look sooooo kewl | | Similar Products Used: | pro-max crap | | Bottom Line: | When combined whith Avid's thumb screw levers, these brakes can have increadible stopping power... When I first tried them I was amazed at their proformance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scorch
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Very good stopping power
Awesome modulation
pads are still going strong
Decent in muddy rides | | Weaknesses: | Rear lever is a little squishy
lever play-they rattle when goin over stutter bumps
squeals | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT vbrakes | | Bike Setup: | SD 2.0 levers and brakes | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are the best for your money. Way cheaper than a pair of Shimano's and they work better too. Excellent stopping power in dry weather and it works when it gets wet. Requires little adjustments. And if they do, they are easy to do. No need to worry bout more moving parts like the LX, XT and XTR's. I've been using them for 2 years and I ride lots. I haven't had to change the brake pads yet. I also use them for trials and they work great. The lever only needs one finger to apply and they look great in that polished finished. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from BC
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Lotz | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | 456 | | Strengths: | Stopping power pretty good, reilable, nice feel | | Weaknesses: | Brake Pads completely melt on a muddy ride | | Similar Products Used: | LX V-Brakes | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX 760 LX/XT | | Bottom Line: | These are pretty good brakes but you will wear them down within two muddy rides. If you are in dry condidtinos these pads will last a long time but in BC so it rains a lot | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wen Yao Ho
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | BT | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Cool looks and fantastic stopping powers. Used them for a year already and performs well with minimal tuning. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro RPBs, Shimano Alivos Vs, XT Vs | | Bike Setup: | Concord MTB | | Bottom Line: | Overall a very efficient and strong brake system. Best matched with the Avid 2.0/1.9L levers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sue
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, NJ
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Sue's Trail, Allamucy State Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | OEM | | Strengths: | They stop the bike... | | Weaknesses: | Sloppy after less than a year. | | Similar Products Used: | None first mtb. | | Bike Setup: | Lil' Stumpjumper, Judy SL, XT, LX componenents, Frog pedals | | Bottom Line: | Stop the bike well, uneven wear. Brakes are very sloppy for the amount of use. XTR's last years longer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Regina
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Toilet Bowl | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Excellent power, good feel, good modulation | | Weaknesses: | A bit touchy | | Similar Products Used: | Owned:
Shimano ('97) LX V-Brakes
Shimano M-System Cantis
Tried:
Hayes Disk
Formula Disk
Magura Tomac
XTR V-Brake
XT V-Brake | | Bike Setup: | '99 Specialized Stumpjumper, stock 'cept for a rise bar, better tires, a new seat, and a brake booster (it was free, I thought what the hell...) | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are just damn good for the $$$... pretty much the best I've tried. No Shimano V-Brake can touch them (yes, I've tried XTR too...), and even my friends' Tomacs weren't quite as good... they just didn't have that immediate bite of power that mine have (which is preference I suppose). They're a bit touchy, as mentioned, but the braking power is just awesome! I haven't had them too warm on descents, but they seem pretty fade-free all the same. Even in the wet or in slimy mud, deadly power is only a grab away. The stock pads are excellent Kool Stops, the brakes look good, they're reasonably priced (OEM for me, but not much aftermarket)... it all adds up to a 5-star product! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ormtnbiker
a Cross Country Rider
from Eugene, Oregon
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | its a secret, thats why its my fav | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Everyting. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Haven't had to try anything else. | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper, Crossmax, RaceFace, XT | | Bottom Line: | What can you say about a brake setup that has outlasted every component on my bike except for the seatpost and the frame?
This is an excellent braking system! Maybe too good for
Avid...I have been looking for an excuse to upgrade...but why do it when the original work so well...
Just a darn good product, and simple to fix on the trail.
Sometimes a little tricky on adjustment...but once they are set..they are set. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Dignan
a Cross Country Rider
from Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Brunette Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | light, great stopping ability, great looks, cheap | | Weaknesses: | nothing yet | | Similar Products Used: | lx or xt v-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Kona manomano | | Bottom Line: | great brake for the xc rider. 5 flamin' chilis! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy
a
from NY
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | everything | | Weaknesses: | NOTHING! | | Bike Setup: | trek 8000 | | Bottom Line: | BUY THEM-THEY ARE VERY SENSATIVE AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL. A MUST GET 5 FLAMIN CHILIS PRODUCT! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from New York
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Cool looks, very simple and easy to set up | | Weaknesses: | Very flexy, pads wear quickly | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XTR, Avid 1.0, Avid Arch Rival, Hayes disc | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 stock | | Bottom Line: | Not bad. They are really good for XC, when you don't want to skid. THEY NEVER LOCK! The pads wear down very fasst if you ride in wet conditions. I say 4. Use a brake booster if you buy these | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ray The Violinist
a Weekend Warrior
from The Planet Zorg
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Skid marks on Jeff Kennets face (probably has them on his under pants too!!!) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | It is a brilliant brake, cheap and very effective.
Even capable of restraining Mr.Lands lips from moving ( i think, maybe they arent that powerful hehehe, just kidding) | | Weaknesses: | It has not even a sible weakness | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing similar, just some shoddy no name V brakes, oh did I mention the Arch Lever Supremes, hang on a second, I am not an optimistic/delusional liar like Nick, whoops!! Nup, nothing that I have used so far is as efficient. | | Bike Setup: | A simple Boulder Se (cool handel bars though!), working towards a Warp Ds-1 though. | | Bottom Line: | The product is brillian, it is cheap, efficient, nice and simple to adjust and it is also laser etched hence reducing the chance of the label from wearing. I thin that the Id 20's could even halt a run away freight frieght train loaded with over weight American toursist destined to the local fat farm huahahaha, just joking (don't take offense). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mr.stoker
a Weekend Warrior
from berkeley, CA, us
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | side oak | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | excellent modulation, cheap, looks bitchin, works at slowing in dry conditions at 60mph without skiddin(if set up right | | Weaknesses: | not great in wet weather | | Similar Products Used: | LX v-brakes, tekrtro(all the worst pieces of crap) | | Bike Setup: | GT with judy 100, lots of freeride goodies | | Bottom Line: | get some. cheap, light, race proven, worth the money. I ride every day for 3 hours for 3 years on one pair with only one brake tune up
5 well deserved chilis | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
stupid biker
a Downhiller
from mars
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | KIS promosport(glouster) or moab! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | simplicity+price | | Weaknesses: | pad wear | | Similar Products Used: | XT,XTR,LX,AR50,AR40,SD10,SD25. | | Bike Setup: | spooky metalhead manitou millenium fork | | Bottom Line: | cheap
anyway who needs brakes?
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from North Royalton
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | A long one | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Costs | | Weaknesses: | Costs | | Similar Products Used: | XTR, Suntour Self-Energizer | | Bike Setup: | Great | | Bottom Line: | No comparison to XTR. Need constant attention. Do not bother if you've passed 101 or make more than $8.00/hour. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse
a Weekend Warrior
from Iowa
Date Reviewed: November 6, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Sugar Bottom | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Cheap,
looks not loud
work well | | Weaknesses: |
bushings instead of bearings, | | Bike Setup: |
Gary fisher, XT drivetrain | | Bottom Line: | For only 20 bucks I figured I couldn't go wrong and I was right. THey have saved my life a few times riding though traffic in town and out on the trails. Couldn't ask for more. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cam
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: September 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Cheap,Strong Workwell even with me on the bike | | Weaknesses: |
a Little bit of flex and when going donw a Long Steep hill they dont work as well as I would like them to but maybe you dont weight 240lbs ea? | | Bike Setup: |
98 Judy XC,Schwinn MOAB2 | | Bottom Line: | Great brake fo the money ahve nto broken on me or anything | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael fisher
a Weekend Warrior
from Brentwood, England
Date Reviewed: August 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Warley | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
The stopping power is amazing.
They're pretty light
very cheap | | Weaknesses: |
Its pretty hard taking the cable off to release the brake | | Similar Products Used: |
formula cable disks
diatech | | Bike Setup: |
GT backwoods, jett xc | | Bottom Line: | These brakes work great and i havn't had any problems with them, I've got a pretty nasty chip on them due to the soft aluminum. 5 chillis for a good pair of brakes | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Cross-Country Rider
from Temecula, CA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Superman | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Look cool,
work better than hydor rim, lighter that XTR, half the price of XTR | | Weaknesses: |
NONO | | Similar Products Used: |
98 xt
98xtr | | Bike Setup: |
Specialized rockhopper,
99 Judy XC,
Sram 9.0 sl,
World Class-X 517 | | Bottom Line: | Best on market | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
a Weekend Warrior
a
from earth
Date Reviewed: May 20, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Copper Falls | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Strong
No flex
Nice levers
Good looks
Light
Springs work great
Strong | | Weaknesses: |
Weaknesses? | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano P.O.S. | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Muni-Mula
Marzocchi Z-2 | | Bottom Line: | Buy them.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daryl Godwin
a Racer
from Hamilton, Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: May 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Algonquin Park Minnising Trail | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM COMPANY | | Weaknesses: |
NONE AT THIS TIME | | Similar Products Used: |
SHIMANO | | Bike Setup: |
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BLIZZARD
COMBINATION SHIMANO XT, RACE FACE, SYNCROS AND AVID COMPONENTS | | Bottom Line: | DURING A RACE 2 MAY 99 A RATHER SPETACULAR CRASH RESULTED IN THE FRONT BRAKE TENSION SPRING POPPING LOOSE AND DAMAGING THE BRAKE SPRING RETENTION PAD AND BUSHING. AN E-MAIL TO AVID ON 3 MAY 99 RESULTED IN A RESPONSE FROM AVID THAT DATE AND NEW PARTS MAILED AND RECEIVED BY 7 MAY 99. EXCELLENT SERVICE FROM THE COMPANY. ( THEY EVEN SENT THE PARTS FREE) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter W. Polack
a Cross-Country Rider
from Meriden CT
Date Reviewed: April 18, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
none | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
They work. | | Weaknesses: |
The springs.The pad arrangement. | | Similar Products Used: |
Deore DX. | | Bike Setup: |
1990 Bridgestone MB-3, fully rigid, Shimano Deore DX equipped. | | Bottom Line: | The only reason I replaced my cantilever brakes is the levers died, and finding replacements for canti-levers wasn't worth the effort; the whole world has gone direct-pull, and mad!
I bought Avids to get away from Shimano, and the Avid web site was very informative. The brakes are easy to install, the mounting bolts even come with threadlock already applied-nice touch. The spring tension varied too much between left and right arms, too much to center the brakes with just the centering screws. I solved the problem by gently bending the springs to suit me. Unlike other posts, I experienced no problems with stripping either the centering screws or mounting bolts.
I did purchase the 2.0 levers to go with the brakes, due to my situation.
As for their operation, I never needed more power than my cantilevers offered, but by golly, these brakes have power to spare! Even with the modulation screw on the levers fully off, wheel lock up is on demand. I would prefer even more modulation; I'd hate to see what these brakes would do with the modulation screws set for more power. The only other caveat I have is with the pads. The brake pads are retained by tiny safety pins which go through the brake pad holder, through the pad, and out the other side of the holder. They are sure to get lost some day, and I hope like hell they are not necessary to prevent the pads from self-extricating from the holders. Otherwise, pad replacement is extremely easy, just remove the pin, slide the worn pad out and insert the new, replace the pin, and you're done. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Racer
from Eden Prairie, MN
Date Reviewed: April 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
The Farm, Baby!! | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Simplistic design
little flex | | Weaknesses: |
spring adjustment on older models | | Similar Products Used: |
Altus cantis
Hayes Disc (demo)
XT and XTR | | Bike Setup: |
StumpJumper, 97 SX fork, q21r fork | | Bottom Line: | These babies rock. I have ridden friends bikes with XT and XTR, those have as much stopping power but develop that nasty squeal and are a touch heavier. I have had them on my Stumpy for 2 years, and have yet to need a pad replacement. Very little adjusting involved. The only weakness is the spring adjustment on the older models- I prefer the ones on the newer type Avids or or Shimano. A good excuse to take Shimano crap off your bike. Get these, Crossmaxes, Race Face cranks, bb, Avid levers and ESP 9.0sl and we'll start an Anti- Shimano revolution!!! 5 flaming dead horses for the guys from Colorado. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gilad Regev
a Weekend Warrior
from Israel
Date Reviewed: April 10, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Look Good
Not a shimano | | Weaknesses: |
Spring Adjusment sucks
Less power than the xt
| | Similar Products Used: |
shimano 98XT,99XT,stx | | Bike Setup: |
Santa Cruz heckler, Marzzochi atom bomb & cane creek AD-10 | | Bottom Line: | I preferd these over the shimano but two month after i got them the front brake spring became loose and i had to replace it .now the rear one is rateling.Ive swiched back to a 99XT and althogh they make this anoing noise they are much powerfull.
bottom line they suck | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rampe
a Cross-Country Rider
from Finland
Date Reviewed: April 8, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Any singletrack | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Cool looks
Ideal stopping power
Adjustability
No squealing | | Weaknesses: |
Prize (in Finland) | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: |
Breezer hardtail, '99 SID | | Bottom Line: | What I mean by ideal stopping power is that they stop both you and the bike, not just the bike, like Shimano XT's, which are perhaps too powerful. Avid's don't really squeal (XT's easily do). In the long run, sd 20's won't develop flex (XT's probably will) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Frost
a Cross-Country Rider
from Watertown, MA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bow Ridge @ Lynn Woods | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Work great, very reliable. | | Weaknesses: |
Cheesy bolts. | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano LX, XT, XTR.
Onza HO (canti). | | Bike Setup: |
GT Tequesta (more or less).
Marzocchi Atom Bomb.
Avid SD2.0L levers. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are simple and effective.Downsides are limited spring adjustability (about the same as Shimano, but much worse than my old Onzas) and especially the really cheesy bolts.I don't know what size bolts they're supposed to be but they're a fraction too big for a 5mm key and they're not English either. It's way easy to strip them.The supplied pads have worked very well for me: reasonable life, no squeeling.4 chilis rather than 5 due to the cheesy bolts.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel
a Weekend Warrior
from College Station
Date Reviewed: March 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
-good stopping
-easy to adjust
-you can tell these brakes have quality construction by just looking at them | | Weaknesses: |
i don't know if the pads that are on mine are avid stock because the brakes came with my bike, but my pads wear down my rims when they are wet | | Similar Products Used: |
-these are the first direct pull brakes i've owned | | Bike Setup: |
'98 Schwinn Moab1 Cro-mo
judy xc
avid SD1.9L levers | | Bottom Line: | avid's are great - just take them off the brake posts and look at the construction - quality all over. great stopping power. adjustment is super easy - great deal in comparison to shimano lx's | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thermus Aquaticus
a cross-country rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
At first, they feel like a solid entry level brake. 5 minutes later, their looser than your momma after a bottle of scotch. Sometimes the levers lock out. sometimes the pads lodge themsleves into the rim. Sometimes the levers get enough play to touch the handlebars. By the way, I'm selling these to anyone interested. If you want them, I'll pay you 20 dollars to take them away... far away. Please. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek Jensen
a cross-country rider
from Edmonds, WA
Date Reviewed: March 1, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Awright, I have single-digit 10's and it's not like you guys need another good review, but I just had to say how awesome these brakes are. They're so linear and solid and easy to modulate, and they have lots of power. I just love 'em. I rode my friend's '98 Rockhopper w/Dia-Compe 767's (I think) and they were WAY worse than my Avid's - all mushy and squishy and weak as hell. I noticed that the '99 Rockhopper now has Avid's. Makes you wonder, huh?
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
LoKi
a cross-country rider
from Northern Hemisphere
Date Reviewed: February 12, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
LoKi Loves them, yes I do, when Thor is chasing me down a mountain side, and his crappy diacomps fail, and he plunges hapless over a ledge, LoKi loves his Avids 1d 20s!! They don't fade, and they are easily adjusted...a feature most appreciated by the fundamentally lazy, Like I, LoKi... Neither the friggen dwarves of the nether regions who forge things most trick, or Odin himself, the fat sot in asgarde-who rides full suspension with hydraulic discs, could hope to improve on this simple, yet killer design.Buy them, or be cursed with JUNK.LoKi gives them 5 flaming norns. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derby Tested
a cross-country rider
from San Rafael, CA
Date Reviewed: February 1, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Finally! Quiet V brakes! After a full year of trying everything to get rid of the front brake screech in my '98 XTR V's: swapping front and always-quiet rear brakes, new Mavic 517, shims, toe-in, toe-out, pads... Shimano, Ritchies, KoolStop, WTB-black, WTB-duel-compound [pretty quiet without constant rim cleaning, but wear out rims and don't work in rain when worn in!]... I finaly figured it had to be the brakes themselves or the flexy '96 RockShock-XC (a friend has a Z-2 Bomber with the same XTR's and rims as me with no squeel, another friend has squeel with a Bomber). L.B.S. says no Shimano warrantee. It's the XTR pad link that causes squeel. The Arch Supreme looks like more solid linkage, but they sure look erector set, and the price is foofoo. These Avid-20's are just as powerful as XTR's (using the same pads). Other than saving an ounce or so, you can't do better technically than (most comfortable) Avid SD-2.0L levers with the 20 brakes. Recommend removable pad upgrade for more options. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bomber
a cross-country rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
If your thinking about making the upgrade from canti's to v-brakes, DO IT. Get these babies. They rock. You will never go back
to those worthless pieces of no stopping power. I have had mine for over a year and i love them. I haven't had a single problem
with them and they are easy to adjust. The only thing that stinks is that you have to get new levers. oh well, these babies get 5
flaming big ones | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vince
a cross-country rider
from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Date Reviewed: January 9, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I like these brakes. They stop good but just not enough power as I want.do dod odododo poI spoajs;l oiwelk;nga ;oiermg ;paiut; aluh;tioa a; oairhjt ;lka oahtl;a oiuyt ;oasthk. I give these brakes 5 cilli's. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DOGG
a cross-country rider
from Petoskey MI
Date Reviewed: December 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes sure kick the ass off any other cable-pull brakes I have used. I was thinking about the XT v's but they were the same price as these. The fact that they are not direct pull makes it clear how much those little linkages in the XT's flex. The avids are MUCH more powerful than the XT's, especially when paired with my REAL levers. Sweet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sean temrick
a weekend warrior
from fernie B.C Canada
Date Reviewed: December 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have these brakes on my rockey mountain . The looks of these brake are good, simple in design , great stopping power . I would recomend these brakes for a best buy for the price | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a cross-country rider
from Cary
Date Reviewed: December 15, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just installed these on my bike and they are awesome!!! Can you say power? I was so used to my wimpy canti's (yes I did have them dialed in right, as tight as they got) that I pulled a wheelie on my front wheel when I grabbed the lever to hard. But I got used to it and I'm wondering why I waited this long to get V brakes. I was debating between these and the XT's but I didn't trust the parallel push mechanixm of the XT's. Simpler is better. I'll write another review after a while on the longer term performance. But for now they get 5 chillies. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tom thumb
a weekend warrior
from Delta B.C.
Date Reviewed: December 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had my avids now for over a year. They are equiped with kool stop pads and work like a charm. These brakes are definately a huge upgrade over my old shimano dx cantis. However ones thing I don't find all that great is the fact that the avids don't hit the rim parallel unlike the xt and xtr. These brakes are still the best deal for your buck. They are really adjustable and have plenty of stopping power.
Ps.
For the idiots out there who are complaining about the stopping power being to powerful have you ever thought of adjusting your brakes with the little dials located on your brake levers?
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Quad
a racer
from IL
Date Reviewed: December 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have tried these and like them alot. However too many riders have them. Ilike to be different.I am thinking about the 1D 30 brakes does anyone have any words on them. They are about $44.00 a piece but way only 156 grams. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nat
a weekend warrior
from WA USA
Date Reviewed: December 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I am a new rider. My 1D's (why does it say 1D when it's 2.0's anyways?) came with my Stumper. My inexperience and eagerness found me on my fave trail during a stormy weekend. My shoes were clogged up with mud so thick that my cleats won't click in anymore. My stays, brakes/bosses and tires were packed with mud as well. Modulating properly on one steep descent; slope on safe side, ravine on death side; with almost no traction on my tires my 1D's performed. My friend (more experienced and had XT V's) walked/slid down. He knew the limits of his brakes. I of less experience didn't know better but Avid saw me through. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nick arran
a weekend warrior
from uk
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Avid 2ds are amazingly good, light, simple, powerful brakes. They are even quite easy to adjust. BUT.... beware of a dangerous failure mode; that little metal gizmo that supports the cable tube can, and did with me, pop open releasing the brakes without warning. All owners should check that bit of metal to be sure it hasn't started to splay apart. If it has just squeeze it back with pliers - if you're still alive to do so that is! Oh, and the little rubber concertina that's supposed to keep mud out... it doesn't.Great brakes all the same. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a cross-country rider
from Hawaii
Date Reviewed: November 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The Avid 1D20's are great brakes. They stop well, they're fairly light, and they don't cost a whole lot. There is good modulation, and they are pretty mecanically simple. The cartridge pads are a good feature. And, it's nice to have something on your bike that is NOT made by Shimano! I paired mine with the SD 2.0L levers and they work great. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ACE
a cross-country rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The beauties came on my new Stumpy, and are simply the BEST MTB component EVER!!! They're lighter than Shimano, look a sh*tload better, but more importantly they stop like a bird flying into a brick wall. I was considering XT for their parallelogram design but realised that these are heaps better, and don't deserve to be compared to the dismal XT. Some idiot complained about the pads squeaking, but I've had no problems. They're a whole lot better than Shimano (rock hard) pads, but I'll be buying Kool Stop when they wear out. These babies deserve more than 5 chilies. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Eady
a weekend warrior
from London in England
Date Reviewed: October 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I love these brakes, they came as standard on my Stumpy and they are perfect. The only thing that has gone wrong is that the thread got striped from the spring mounter, but it doesn't really matter, they work fine anyway.
Other than that they have been great, survired various crashes and worked while caked in about 1/2 a lb of wonderful british mud. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed A.
a weekend warrior
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: October 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Through water, mud, sand, dust or even dry, they are perfect. I've ridden with Shimano and Diacompe V-brakes, but the Avids feel the best and none stop faster. Easy to adjust and very powerful (you can easily stop or clear the handlebars with a single dgit, buy them - you won't be disappointed. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles
a cross-country rider
from Pasadena,California
Date Reviewed: October 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This product performs as well as Shimano XT / XTR if not better. In the middle of a wrong judgement yesterday, I decided to abort a steep descent in fear for my safety. The Avids to my surprise, stopped on a dime. I kept on reminding my self to just gain momentum and roll over any obstacle. I cant believe these things. It's plain...awesome and trick looking. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
flick
a
from Phoenix, Az
Date Reviewed: October 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Ok so like you needed another positive review about avid 20 brakes. I installed these things and the first time I hit the brakes I was barely at walking speed but it still slid me off the seat. I used the pressure that I used to use with my Altus and that was to much. If you pull the levers decently even with one finger (I even tried my pinkey once) you are going to lock up your tires no ifs, and, or buts. They stop like hitting a wall. However, they still have good modulation ability when you get used to them. Their damn good looking, work great, and are a breeze to adjust and release. The pads squeel badly but I don't consider them to be part of this review since so many diferent compounds are out there. I use them with 2.0L levers on Rapidfires and have no complaints. Brake boosters are a must since they put so much pressure, the cantilever bosses to which they mount, bend and take some of your feel. I can't see how anybody, even pros, could ask for more! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tony
a racer
from utah
Date Reviewed: October 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I agree with all of the reviews I read, these brakes are delicioso! They have incredible braking power, they are super light weight and the pads last much longer than the paper thin Shimano pads. I have everything XTR on my bike except for the brakes, I recommend these brakes to everyone, one other benefit is that they are so simple to work on. VIVA AVID!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Big Sur
a weekend warrior
from Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Guys dont be fooled into buying those expensive XTR brakes. Save you money and put it into those frosty beverages we all enjoy after the ride. Ive riden with LX, XT, XTR, and I bought Avid 20's. I dont care what your buddys say as long as you wheels stop the brakes work. Yes, weight is important but your not loosing that much by buying XTR. Ive put them all to the test and the only differce I can tell is that the Avid 20's are a little more grabby than the shimano's but hey thats all the better in my book. So if you want to look cool in front of the bike store groupies buy XTR. If you want to stop on the trail buy Avid!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RK
a
from weekend warrior
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Replaced my stock cantilevers w/ Avid 20s and SD 2.0L levers all for around $95 and a month's wait. Wow, these things have serious stopping power, and good feedback and modulation with hardly any effort. Almost did a few endos riding home when I first got them cuz they stopped so well. I'd recommend these brakes to anyone interested in stopping. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Garner of the Hill People
a cross-country rider
from Branson, MO
Date Reviewed: September 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
All v-brakes are the same right? Not so, grasshopper. The great thing about these Avids is that (at least with Avid sd20 levers) is that you get LIGHT ACTION. This sounded like sales pitch until I tried them out. With my LX v's, DiaCompes, and XT's you had to really crank up the return spring tension to get a snappy lever return. But, these Avids snap back, negating cable drag, with a small amount of spring tension. So, I get a lot more lever travel before lock-up resulting in grandios modulation. Smooth and easy, not notchy, stiff and mechanical. As for parallel push? When they're not squealing (after a little wear) they're rattling. Any v-brake can deliver one finger-over-the-bar breaking, but is that what you really want to achieve? Avids are all about feel, man. 5 big ol' chiles. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charlie Chough
a cross-country rider
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: September 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Bought em, installed em, LOVE EM! Excellent stopping power and used with the SD 2.0 levers, they provide excellent feel and modulation. I couldn't get the rear brakes adjusted to the manual's spec's (the tops of the arms are too close together) but they work well anyway. I have yet to wear through a set of pads so I'm not sure what pad situation is... yet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex A
a cross-country rider
from Springfield, VA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I got these brakes as an upgrade to my old cantilevers, and let me tell you, these brakes kick major ass!!!!! Take the advice that you read on this page! Avid does not make crap! The make some of the best quality shit I've ever seen on the market. I spent months just researching and checking what was the absolute best for the price range, and these are the perfect ones. $170 got me the entire set, brakes and levers. They look so sweet, and perform better than anything I've ever seen, (other than the Arch Supreme, guess what, also made by Avid!) If you're considering upgrading to v-brakes, or replacing your current ones, go for these, they'll be the best upgrade you've ever made on your bike. So why are you still sitting there? Go get them!!!P.S. No, I wasn't paid by Avid to say all this stuff, their brakes really do kick this much ass! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Xavery Mulinski
a cross-country rider
from PL
Date Reviewed: September 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are flawless even when mated to shitty DiaCompe V-levers.
They've got great koolstop pads. The only pain in the ass was adjusting them
for the first time just after installation.
Ridden in all conditions (despite winter) and for my weight (175 pounds) they can stop me on a dime.
My last vee's (Dia Compe 747) were dangerous for me.
Just STOP talking ..
5 BiG fLaMiNg pieces of shit!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a weekend warrior
from Indy-moving to Durango
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
okay, here's the deal. Avid has 2 designs, the square adjuster brakes (which suck) and the newer design which uses screws. The later models rock. They do not get out of adjustment every other day like the old ones. As for the complaint of no one carrying the pads, where the hell do you guys live? I live in the middle of Indyanoplace and can buy pads at Bike Wave @82nd and Ditch. Come on, were talking Indiana here;where bikers are used for target practice, and we are so hated that IN has the smallest amount of rail-trails in the country. Anyway, the brakes rock. If you're poor buy these. If you happen to receive an inheritence, buy the Arch Supremes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick Phan
a cross-country rider
from Temecula, CA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I recently purchased Avid 1D 20. I love them they are more tight than other braks. They dont make noise and they are lighter and stronger than XTR. I was running Dia compes and I couldn't get them to stop making noise. I am running the 1d 20 with Dia Compes levers and they work great. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve
a cross-country rider
from western new york
Date Reviewed: September 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
if you're hesitating about these brakes or considering another setup JUST GET THESE THINGS, they work as well as anyone could really need for a non-disc brake. they're as good if not better than the shimano's and they're better cause they work just as well but are a hell of a lot more serviceable. the only beef comes in this department though, watch out cause the heads on the bolts are a little shallow and if you are some kind of crunger who doesn't wash your bike before you work on it you're gonna mess these up. i use the sd 2.0 levers with them and they work great, they'll put you on your nose even if you're sitting back in the saddle. they're easy to adjust and i had the pleasure of dealing with them on the phone to get some replacement's for the old tri align III's and they're real nice folx - americans too!
GET THEM, they're cheap, easy to work on and they work great. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
UofAbiker
a racer
from Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Date Reviewed: September 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These are pretty good brakes. After hearing EVERY co-worker and bike junkie at the shop say GET XTR! GET XTR! I decided to do some research. These are 8 grams lighter than XTR, and cheaper than XTR too. And no, they don't have the parallel push mechanism, but as Howard Stern would say if he were a mountian biker A skid is a skid is a skid. Granted I only weigh 160, and I know that heavier riders might need the PP mechanism, but for me they work. I do have one complaint- my nuts on the end of the brake pad bolt are in really bad shape, but that is probably because of the shop's 3-year old 3 way that was used to put them on. I had to toe mine in a little to get rid of the horny pig mating -call, and when I did one nut wallowed out. But just about any shop has plenty of others that will work. like the guy below said, Use a fresh 5mm wrench when installing. by the way, has anyone heard anything about, or ridden the arch duals? I saw them on a new Caad4 f-1000 yesterday and I've got to find out more about them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a weekend warrior
from Thousand Oaks CA
Date Reviewed: August 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are the best i've ever had. they are able to stop on a dime yet when tapped they don't send you flying over the handle bars like the Shimono XT V brakes.I would Highly reccomend these to anyone. They even stop fairly well when wet. The brakes have held up after 3 months | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Liette
a weekend warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My new bike came with Avid 1D 20 brakes. They are nice too look at but for a beginner rider they are a nightmare. They are very touchy grabby and have very little modulation. It got to the point with these brakes that I was afraid to use them especially the front. It would snap my neck forward and I got thrown over the bars once. These brakes may be good for a more exprienced rider but for beginners they are just plain trouble.My husband has since installed Magura HS-22 brakes on my bike and it is like night and day. They stop very smoothly and are still plenty powerful.For a beginner I'd say stay away from Avid brakes and get a set of nice smooth Maguras | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Porkchop
a racer
from Denver
Date Reviewed: August 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
AVID 2.0's came stock on my bike. They work fine. The pads on mine weren't the above beefed about Rump Wranglers- they were Kool-Stops, or whatever that brand is. I've owned XT V's, and these compare well from a performance standpoint, are lighter, and I think cheaper from what I've heard. I did replace the thick Kool-Stops with the really skinny ones, and can now get my front wheel on and off without a mallet. The skinny pads seem not to have had any adverse effects on the Avid's performance. I'm not overwhelmed, but these brakes don't suck. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc
a cross-country rider
from Montreal, Québec
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is my 2nd pair of V-brakes, I have shimano LX on my old bike and I was satified with that, until I tried these babies. It has a different feel, I can't realy explain it. I have th 1.0, but I am thinking of upgrading to 2.0... and putting the 1.0 on my old bike. One tiny problem, the pads aren't parallel to the rim, and when I'm not going fast ex: walking my bike across the living room floor, I can hear it rub against the rim :( Ah well, it doesn't do much of a difference went you apply presure on them, they seem to allign correcly ... 4 Chillies | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fade
a cross-country rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These damn brakes just pissed me off so much i had to come bad mouth them normally i would have to give them 5 chiles because the stop on a dime ive never had better brakes but today what i just noticed just pissed me off. i am now an anti avid fanatice for life. i just bought my bike a week ago and ive never ajusted them yet the guy in the shop ajusted everything right before he sold it to me its a Trek 7000 if it matters anyway these brake worked fine for the first few days in fact i couldnt belive how awsome they were but today when i went to take my bike out i noticed the back right pad was rubbing anyway when i went to ajust it i noticed the screw just sliped in and out of the hole at first i thought the screw was stripped but then after testing it with the screw from the other side i notice the inside of the hole was stripped how could this happen the brakes are brand new!!! now i cant go ridding untill i can get a new brake i give the brake not one chile but one flaming pile of shit . | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott McLean
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: August 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Ok, so maybe I over reacted. Avid may not return all calls or e-mails, but someone is listening. I know that because yesterday 4 new Rim Wrangler brake pads came in the mail. And since there was no bill attached, I guess they were free. Avid could still (and should) stock these pads at more LBS, so I'll give them a four, for a great product (these brakes rock) and working to please the customer. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott McLean
a
from cross-country rider
Date Reviewed: July 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
DO NOT BUY THESE BRAKES. Oh sure they work well. Hell, they work great. But just try buying rim wrangler cartridge pad replacements. NO ONE, REPEAT NO ONE carries them. I have called Avid for information, but never get through. I have been leaving messages and sending e-mail. So far I have been ignored (for weeks now). If you can afford to buy a whole new set of brakes when your pads wear down buy Avid. If you think you should be able to buy pads at the local bike shop on the corner, or at the biggest bike shop in Southern California, don’t. THEY DO NOT CARRY THEM. NO ONE CARRIES THEM. DO NOT BUY THEM. They also do not care about customers after the sale. They will ignore your attempts to contact them. Zero chilies (for ignoring their customers after the sale). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pricephister
a cross-country rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Real nice braking system. Have the 2.0 brakes and 1.9 levers. Can stop on a dime, for real. There is a limit to how much braking force a bike needs....a skid is a skid. These are cheap, effective and not Shimano. They are real easy to adjust as well.
Buy some, stop easier.
Simple.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mac
a cross-country rider
from San Jose, Ca
Date Reviewed: July 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
After getting my new bike, I wanted to start upgrading ASAP. One of my targets was the Avids. With so many of the flashier bikes and magazine ads showing disc brakes, I was sure that the factory spec'd Avids were cheapo throw-aways. But after trying out a couple of disc brake equipped bikes and one that had an XTR set-up, I realized that there's only so far you can go with stopping power on a bicycle before losing control. The Avids stopped just as quickly as the others (while maintaining control), they were the least expensive by far, and they were the lightest....hmmm...which do I choose... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a racer
from Mechanicsburg, PA
Date Reviewed: June 27, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Shame on me! After one year of flawless performance from the 1D 2.0s, I had the gaul to upgrade (I use the term loosely) to XTR V's. I sure paid!The Avids are hastle free, have pretty good stopping power for a guy my size (6 ft, 205) and stay very clean in the most horrendous of conditions. I use them with 2.0 levers and also have them dialed to the max like my fellow rider below me. They are the cat's meow! All for about $35/ea.5 big hot chilli's to Avid! Bite me, Shimano! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel M.
a cross-country rider
from New Yok City
Date Reviewed: June 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a review of both the SD1.0 brakes and SD2.0L levers:
I've had these on my hardtail for about a year. These brakes rule! Excellent forged construction and extremely lightweight. I got the black brakes with red SD2.0L levers. The power is amazing-and the leverage adjustment really works. They are also very comfy on the hands. I like to keep the levers set to max power-this also seems to give the best modulation. Also, these levers work fine with GripShift and sachs Twistshifters. The pads seem to last an extremely long time-I rode with them all winter in NYC and there's still plenty o' pad left (cartridge type). Setup is really easy-I would suggest using the minimun amount of linear spring tension possible-that's about 1/8 space between the end of the spring and the brake arm (with the spring disconnected and the pads touching the rim). Also, I have found that you can adjust the spring force with a 16mm cone wrench if you don't overtighten the bolts. These things have never sqealled, ever. They are way better than shimanos' parallel push mechanisms-which tend to get sloppy and require a special bushing kit to fix-Mo money. They also require no toe in at all-just set the pads flush with the rim.
One minor complaint-the boss bolt heads can strip fairly easily if your not careful to use a high quality tool and keep it aligned with the bolt. This is not a big deal-you can use your old bolts or get new ones cheap. This brakeset is one of the best performance/dollar upgrade you will ever make. You really can't go wrong. Five red hot chillies! minus 1/10 of a chilli for the bolts. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles Martin
a cross-country rider
from Oklahoma
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These brakes are unreal! They offer excellent control and feel. One finger is all that's needed for major stopping power. Yet, they are easy to modulate and they don't squeal like a pig at every application. I have only used them for a few weeks so don't know about their long term reliability. But, so far, they are without a doubt the best upgrade I've made to any bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RED SINNER
a racer
from new-brunswick Canada
Date Reviewed: June 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Avid brakes and lever are the best buy you can do go on buy some avid you won't regret they work better than LX and XT they rules i've replace pads and i've put kool-stop thats a good thing to do for 14$ canadian avid are really light they've came with my KONA muli-mula 97and i'll never change them!!!!!!!!!! they are the best RED SINNER | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
HEY! READ THIS!
a cross-country rider
from British Columbia, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
A pair came on my new bike. Not bad. Light, simple and cheap. A lot of slop in the pivots though. Rim wrangler catridge pads are nice and easy to just set-up and leave. Alright stopping power. Nothing like XT's though. Go XT. Don't waste your money on these. Decent brakes, but buy the XT's or the new avid 2.0s instead. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex Livingston
a racer
from Port Coquitlam, BC Canada
Date Reviewed: May 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Talk about high maintnance brakes. Don't get me wrong, the braking power is pretty good, but I have to re-aline these brakes every couple rides. Luckily it only takes a 5/8 wrentch and a 5mm allan key to do it. They're better than canties, and maybe better than LXs, but that's about it. Go XTR. 3 Stars just cause thsy've stopped for me when I've needed them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a cross-country rider
from Bainbridge Island WA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
wow! these brakes work great. and there light, and there cheap. and they don't squeal like wild boars in heat like some other more expensive monkey slop parrallel push breaks you could buy. the setup is a breeze too. remenber what you had to go through to get a set of old school cantie's dialed in. the linear spring is an elegant solution to one of the most frustrating aspects of brake setup. i love a bike part that is cheap light easy to set up and strong enough to last. bravo avid | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a cross-country rider
from IL
Date Reviewed: May 9, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The best brakes l ever had. I ordered XT's, but they weren't in stock. So l was asked if l would take Avid's for $5 more, l said o.k. When l got them l was very impressed with the quality and weight. Having ridden both XT's and my 1d-20's l would say that Avid takes it hands down. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
patrick
a weekend warrior
from PA/MD
Date Reviewed: April 18, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is probably the best up-grade that I have put on my bike!! ya don't have to be a rocket scientist to put on and they work great. Easy to adjust and take care of, takes the abuse of the trail with ease. Have not had a lick of trouble with them, and work in all weather conditions. Strong stopping power!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shaun Murray
a weekend warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: April 14, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Avid 2.0's came as standard on my Specialized FSR Elite so I had nothing to gain but try them out. I've never ridden with V style brakes for a long period so i thought I'd give them a go. Partly out of laziness and partly out of interest. I usually ride with Maguras on all my bikes.First thoughts were that they were more powerful than the Maguras but after a week or so I was getting a bit tired of them being so grabby. I had a few occasions where the brakes bit too quickly for my bike positioning. Maguras feed the braking power in more gradually so that you arive at full power without locking unless you really yank on the levers. I don't know if this is just years of ingrained habit but I know my Maguras.I spent a few weeks trying to dial in (they are speed dials after all) a different braking response but didn't arrive at anything I liked. I stuck my Maguras on the bike and I'm happy again. I also now have consistant braking in the wet and no maintenance.To sum up. Nicely made, levers nice shape if a little short. pain to setup. Too grabby. This is probably true of all V-brakes though ;-) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a racer
from MONTREAL CANADA
Date Reviewed: April 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
AVID 1D 20 ARE VERY GOOD BRAKES.
I FEEL THEM MORE POWERFUL THAN MAGURAS AND WRANGLER
PADS STICKS VERY WELL ON MY RIM WHEN I GRAB THE LEVER.THE ONLY TROUBLE I HAD IS THE LITTLE ALU. SQUARE (SPRING HOLDER) IS MOVINGMAKING ONE OF THE PAD RUBBING ON THE RIM.
USE LOCKTITE TO AVOID THIS.VERY GOOD BRAKES 'TIL IT HAPPENS.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Leo Fletcher-Smith
a downhiller
from london uk
Date Reviewed: March 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
wicked breaks. Cool price, excellent performance, best breaks I have ever used. Only bummer is that they are a bit hard to adjust sometimes. Apart from that they are great breaks, no squelling and great stopping even in the wet. Go buy some now.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SJP III
a weekend warrior
from Wausau, WI
Date Reviewed: March 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I think these brakes are an excellent value, there light weight easy to set up and operate, and offer a smooth consistant feel. You have an excellent combination when you match it with the levers,that provides you with unbeleaveable controll and stopping power. I LOVE THEM.....And I promise you will to. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn
a cross-country rider
from Milwaukee
Date Reviewed: March 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Avids are simple, effective, light, good looking and cheap. I glad I chose these over other high priced and high hyped models. The power is good they're easy to set up and adjust. Centering goes out of whack every once in a while but it's not bad. Buy 'em, you'll love 'em | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Karkus
a weekend warrior
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: March 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have Avid and XT V-brakes, and they both work fine. The Avid is slighly lighter, cheaper, and more maintenance free. However, centering the Avid is a bit more cumbersome and less precise (although still a lot easier than the old style brakes). The lack of a paralellogram mechanism doesn't bother me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billie-Joe-Bob
a racer
from Hickville, IA
Date Reviewed: February 25, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The dilemma was XT or Avid. I weighed the pro's and con's and the Avids came out on top. Power and modulation are great(I'm using XT levers) and the simplicity is reassuring. I thought I might miss the parallel push, but in using the Avids, I really see no need for it. I liked these so much I took the XT v's off a new bike purchase and installed a set of Avids. Light, cheap, reliable, and efficientl. What more can you ask for? | | Overall Rating: |
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