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Submitted by
da bubba
a Weekend Warrior
from Valpo
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Westville | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$21.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Terrific braking | | Weaknesses: | Front unit squeals | | Similar Products Used: | Cane Creek | | Bike Setup: | Steel hard tail | | Bottom Line: | You can't truly appreciate these brakes until you try them off road. I was not used to so much modulation--I liked brakes that were grabby. The modulation on these makes me use them more for cornering. They are strong, however. I hit some roots that sent me skidding of the trail. The former bmxer in me grabbed just the back brake. This was enough to stop me.I was talking to a frame builder about putting a disk mount on my '95 frame. These save me a lot of weight and money.Oh, I listened to everyone else here and put Kool Stop Mtb pads on the brakes. These have a more "grippy" feel than other pads, this is probably what makes them so good. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cbratina
a Cross Country Rider
from Litchfield, CT
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Washington, MA | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Looks good, cheap | | Weaknesses: | Installed on a tandem with travel agents, the rear brake lever could bottom out and the front took too much effort. No bite, scarey unsafe compared to my antique Peterson self actuating cantilevers. The bearing surface is too loose also. Would not use on a tandem or a rear mountain bike brake. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore XT and XTR
Peterson self actuating cantilevers.
Avid Single Digit Ultimate | | Bike Setup: | Lynskey Ti tandem, FSA, White Industries, Deep Vs, DA front, XTR rear, Ultegra levers, Shimano cable thrust housing, SS cables | | Bottom Line: | Switched to Kool Stop Mountain salmon brake pads and the brakes worked!! Very difficult to bottom out and the brakes now had great bite with little effort.
Changed to Avid Single Ultimate and the brakes improved even more. Less brake lever travel.
Would consider Dura Ace vs. Avid Ultimate for tandem | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Butcher67
a Racer
from Fort Collins, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Excellent power and feel. Quality product with attention to detail. Well engineered. | | Weaknesses: | Not much bling value - I guess that's what the SL's and the Ultimates are for. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, XTR, Avid Ultimate. | | Bike Setup: | Using with Avid speed dial levers, Mavic 819 rims. | | Bottom Line: | These perform at a high level and without fuss. They are easy to set up and they seem to work best with the Rim Wranger pads with my set up. Excellent stopping power - true to the name it's a one finger deal. Avid has got these dialed in - put them on and go.
At the price point these are at they are the true value in the line up. They are good enough for the life-style hard core rider at a very affordable price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gw2252
a Racer
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Peaks Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Blue Sky Cyclery | | Strengths: | Work flawlessly with almost no effort involved | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | avid arch rival | | Bike Setup: | specialized m2 metal matrix frame w/ xt components and mavic rims | | Bottom Line: | A great pair of brakes well worth money best v-brakes i've every owned | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mandr007
a Weekend Warrior
from Chardon, OH
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Towpath Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | Pads, low weight, mechanically sound in every feature | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | promax v brake | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Trek 4300 | | Bottom Line: | This gleaming review is probably old hat since the product has a 4.86/5 rating as of this writing, but I need to say that these brakes are amazing. As a degreed mechanical engineer, I can appreciate every single feature, from the chamfer at the bottom of the locating pin to the oversized springs that reduce the aging of the component. I'm not sure if Avid is a publicly traded company (probably not), but if it is, it would be a good stock to pick up! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
buridan
a Cross Country Rider
from Planet Earth
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Dry | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Great stopping power, great modulation, durability, looks and most of all design. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro, older Avid SD 7s, Shimano Deore et al. | | Bike Setup: | Custom | | Bottom Line: | I'll add my positive critique to the chorus. I've been using the SD 7s for sever years now and trying to figure out why the SD 7s are head and shoulders above the rest. My conclusion is its simple and straight forward design. They work extremely well and are very affordable.
I've had a pair of Avid Ultimates sitting on my shelf for quite some time because I really can't justify swapping them out. I know I wouldn't be disappointed with the Ultimates, but I'm so happy with my SD 7s that I don't see the need to switch.
I've looked hard for the review that claims Avid Ultimates are worth the switch from Avid SD 7s. I haven't found it yet. I think this is one of those cases where a company designed and built a "lower end" product too well - from a marketing standpoint. In other words, Avid rim brakes have become their own competition. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
El Baelos
a Cross Country Rider
from Ghent, Belgium
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | www.bike-discount.de | | Strengths: | Great stopping power in combination with Tectonic KoolStop pads and Shimano XTR brake cables.
Very easy to adjust.
Lots of control in braking power. | | Weaknesses: | No weaknesses noticed. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD3's who came with my bike.
These brakes sucked big time in comparison with the SD7's. | | Bike Setup: | Scott Scale-frame model 2008 with Shimano XT drivetrain, Mavic Crosstrail wheels and Rockshox Reba World Cup fork. | | Bottom Line: | These are among the best V-brakes one can buy, and they are much cheaper than e.g. Magura's.
Great stopping power, even during the toughest rides here in the Belgian Ardennes they've never put me in trouble.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hanzz
a Weekend Warrior
from Netherlands
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Reliable, smooth, powerfull and sensitive. With the right brakeshoes they perform allmost as well in wet as in dry conditions. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Magura's, Tektro, Campagnolo | | Bike Setup: | Trek 7300, with Deore LX, Avid brake levers and shimano XTR cables. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are great. Have these brakes used for over two years and over 20.000 km. I had to adjust them once after the intial set-up.
Trash the original brakeshoes immediately and change them for the Union BS-321 (3-color pads). I tried Kool-Stop shoes, but the Union were better.
At this moment this combination outperforms the Magura HS33.
If you want a simple, reliable brakesystem go for the Avids. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jefwilli
a Weekend Warrior
from Garner, NC
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Serious stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None I've found. | | Bike Setup: | Marzocchi MX-Comp w/ETA 100-120mm Fork
Titec Hell Bent bar
Titec Rip 3D Stem
ODI Ruffian Grips
Avid Single Digit 7 brakes
Race Face Evolve XC Crank and BB
Black Spire Big Ring Protector
Sun Ringle Zu Zu Platforms
Kalloy Uno Seat Post
Panaracer Fire XC Pro | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are great. Stop on a dime power for only a few dimes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
taputah1
a Cross Country Rider
from Lehi, UT
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Wasatch Crest | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Niagra | | Strengths: | Lightweight, lots of power, easy to adjust. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | xt v-brakes, tektro v-brakes, lx v-brakes. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are pretty sweet. When I opened the package, they didn't much different from my stock tektros, but when I installed them (I didn't replace the cables or my stock levers) they are 10 times better. I can only imagine the difference some new cables and levers would make. Great upgrade. I was thinking going to disc, but the cost was prohibitive and I never liked the disc "feel". Now I think I'll stick with v's for awhile. Oh, I spent the 90 on a complete set. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Miller Time
a Weekend Warrior
from Breckenridge CO USA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$67.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Simple design
Durable so far | | Weaknesses: | RW2 / Rim Wrangler 2 Pads are horrible | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT
Shimano XT paralell linkage | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mtn. Oxygen
Full XT drivetrain and wheels
Easton cockpit
Magura Brake Booters Front and Rear, these make V brakes the bomb | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are solid. No better or worse than my XT brakes. Slight play in the joint where the arm meets the frame. The Rim Wrangler 2 pads are worthless. They were louder than my shimano setup. I put some kool stop red pads on and it is quiet now. In terms of the brake assembly, not an upgrade or downgrade over the XT standard brakes(not the paralell linkage ones.) Don't buy these expecting better performance, just add better pads. Pads were pretty easy to setup properly and to change to good ones. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Armchair Spaceman
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne VIC Australia
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere that's not my office | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$33.00 | | Purchased At: | ben's bikes | | Strengths: | Simple setup, super stopping power, don't weigh much (compared to disc). | | Weaknesses: | Stock Rim Wrangler pads (Rim Mangler??) are crap. | | Similar Products Used: | Shi(t)mano LX & XT v's, Various Cantis, Hayes hydraulics (great for stopping, even better if you love maintenance more than riding). | | Bike Setup: | 29er frankenbike | | Bottom Line: | Swap the rubbish stock pads out for Kool Stops and you'll have monster stopping power (with light weight) for all but the hardest uses. I was thinking of upgrading these to discs at some later time but now I don't think I'll bother. It's only the crappy stock pads that prevent me from giving these 5 & 5. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sven Jacobsen
a
from BW, Germany
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | The difficult one | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Reliable, almost maintenance-free, by far cheaper and lighter than discs but with the same performance for sure. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Discs and V´s. | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | After years of frustration with my first class hydro (perhaps just bad luck?) I put back v´s on my bike. I simply was fed up with servicing my hydro and the higher expenses. I can´t understand the disc hysteria any more. Avid´s SD 7 offers a genuine feeling and with the right pads a superb performance in every situation. Makes your bike looking smarter. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al Painter
a Racer
from Mtn View, CA
Date Reviewed: December 4, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | baseballbert@hotmail.com | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay, I got new SD 7 brakes + SD SL levers for $80! | | Strengths: | weight, stopping power, I like the new graphite looks, easy to maintain, awesome when paired with SD SL levers, modulate very well, makes life much more simple. | | Weaknesses: | it is hard to find a good fork with V-brake bosses, and if you want ceramic rims, it won't be cheap. I lucked out and found a Fox F100 RLT on ebay, but it took some digging. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore Mechanicals, Avid BB7 Discs, LX V's (SUCK), Deore V's, Hayes Hydraulic Discs | | Bike Setup: | Giant Trance 4
Fox F100 RLT
Avid SD 7 brakes
SD SL levers
XO twisters/rear der and LX up front
RaceFace: Deus stem, Next risers, Evolve XC cranks
Thompson Elite Post
WTB Shadow Saddle
CrossMax XL wheels | | Bottom Line: | I am actually putting SD 7's BACK on my bike (I know this is MTB sacriledge to some!) to save some weight for racing purposes. There is ZERO PERFORMANCE DROP OFF from the BB7 mechanical disc brakes and the SD 7's. Especially with CrossMax XL ceramic rims.
I got the Trance down to 28lbs, but still wanted to try to get it lighter. Since I've had SD 7's before, and had a great experience, I decided to give them another go. This was a great decision because the bike handles better, feels more nimble/lighter (haven't weighed it yet for the official results) and stops me when I need them to.
I have also had hydraulic discs on an Anthem (got rid of it because it beat my low back up), and these brakes are on par. The hydraulic breaks may have required less of a pull on the brake levers to stop, but other than that, I don't notice any difference in stopping power. That's right, I DIDN'T notice any difference in performance between Hayes hydraulic disc breaks, and Avid SD 7 V-brakes.
I've got to be honest, because of this I think disc brakes are over rated. There is something simple and almost artistic about the v-brake, and they help me remember why I got into the sport in the first place.
Plus, I don't live in the North West or North East, so the SD 7's are perfect for me. These are great brakes for XC riders who don't ride in wet weather or in the mud. Since I don't either, they are great for me too. If you pair them with SD levers and ceramic rims, you will have one awesome way to stop your bike.
To get the best braking performance possible from the SD 7's, be sure to get either the Kool-Stop salmon pads for regular rim surfaces or the green pads if you have ceramic rims.
If you are on the fence about V's vs disc, if you get a set of the Avid Single Digit 7's, you won't be any longer! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry Leigh
a Weekend Warrior
from South Orange, NJ
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Street, paved park paths, commuter | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$22.00 | | Purchased At: | JensonUSA | | Strengths: | Rear V-brake. Well designed. Precise. But light weight. Solid contact and great power. | | Weaknesses: | None so far. The Silver version is hard to find. Black/charcoal is O.K. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock V-brake (Promax, I think). | | Bike Setup: | Kawasaki 2006 KDX2 full suspension, fully upgraded with Avid/SRAM and quality Shimano components. Rock Shox Dart 2. Sun Rhyno wheels with Deore hubs. | | Bottom Line: | SIngle Digit 7 is a great product. Feels as secure as disc brakes. If adjusted properly they provide excellent braking performance. Matched with Avid brake levers and you'll be pleased. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ralph Sonderegger
a Weekend Warrior
from Farmington, Utah
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Mueller park | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$46.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.treefortbikes.com/ | | Strengths: | Easy to install, good modulation, worked w/ old Dia Comp cantilever brake levers | | Weaknesses: | None noted so far | | Bike Setup: | Older (~96) Specialized Stumpjumper FS | | Bottom Line: | Brakes well, modulates well, and seems to work fine with original Dia Compe levers (which had been coupled to a Shimano Deore LS cantilever brake setup). I may add a set of Avid Speed Dial 7 levers, but I have to get a good reason first. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pedals Fastly
a
from Austin, Texas
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Blueskycycling.com | | Strengths: | powerful. | | Weaknesses: | none. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Single Digit 3 | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Marlin | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are excellent. They modulate well and the power is awesome. I had to get use to the stopping power--they will stop you on a dime. For the price, these cannot be beat. I like these much better than low end disc brakes (and maybe all disc brakes for that matter!). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JASON
a Racer
from MINNESOTA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | light weight (but not light action) | | Weaknesses: | stiff and durable | | Similar Products Used: | shimano, avid sd3 | | Bottom Line: | These are exceptional calipers. The color is sweet and the quality is outstanding. Avid knows how to make good v-brakes and you know that by seeing how popular and well-approved this product is. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin Shelman
a Weekend Warrior
from Wichita, Kansas, United States
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Smithville Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle-X-Change | | Strengths: | Quick and easy to install....works very very good | | Weaknesses: | color (personally i think it looks better in black) | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Single Digit 3 | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Marlin Stock except upgraded brakes from single digit 3 to single digit 7 and upgraded stem to race face | | Bottom Line: | upgrade | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colin Shelman
a Weekend Warrior
from Wichita, Kansas, United States
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Smithville Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle-X-Change | | Strengths: | Quick and easy to install....works very very good | | Weaknesses: | color (personally i think it looks better in black) | | Similar Products Used: | Avid Single Digit 3 | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Marlin Stock except upgraded brakes from single digit 3 to single digit 7 and upgraded stem to race face | | Bottom Line: | upgrade | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Cross Country Rider
from Green Lane, Pa, USA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | green lane park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Easy to install, and setup. These felt light, and strong. They stop like nothing I've ever felt. Very clear documentation, and instructions. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Promax v-brakes, lower end disc systems. | | Bike Setup: | Shimano deore Xt FD, Deore RD, Race Face Evolve XC crankset, Rockshox J1 fork, and generic Mongoose CroMo frame. | | Bottom Line: | Excellent brakes for the money. These are by far the best v-brakes I've ever felt. They stand up to dusty, dry conditions, and with proper cleaning absolutely plow through mud and swamp muck. Great for XC riding through whatever you can get into! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Cullen
a Cross Country Rider
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | light and strong - easy to install and great stopping power, even in the wet | | Weaknesses: | the adjuster screw is an alan key size that i didn't have on hand and had to go out to get one | | Bike Setup: | Devinci Cactus cross country - hardtail | | Bottom Line: | Quick and easy install. tested them out in the rain and couldn't believe the stopping power they had. definately worth the wait for them to come in the mail. they make a good match for a xc rider who sees some steep hills, or waits till the last second to brake in the corners. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | -Excellent stopping power.
-Silver.
-Cheaper than disc brakes and just as effective. | | Weaknesses: | - None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock "Promax" v-brakes on my Trek 4500. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500 - Avid SD7's both front and rear, Deore brake levers. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are a HUGE improvement over my stock promax v-brakes. The pads are bigger, provide more surface area for more stopping power - and they have yet to squeak. I did notice my old v-brake pads were all cracked - not sure if they do that with age, or what happened there.
Needless to say, I bought the SD7's for the front and rear and when some of the other posters have mentioned the amazing stopping power - they are not kidding. I locked the front tire very easily - something that I will have to get used to for sure.
Highly recommend to anyone not wanting to spend the money on disc brakes, but want a great brake system. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gabby
a Weekend Warrior
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$49.00 | | Purchased At: | Tay Junction | | Strengths: | Extremely quiet, able to stop almost immediately. Pretty cheap and the braking ability is phenomenal! | | Weaknesses: | None so far. I just had to pay extra to change the brakes, cables and levers but it was all good. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock cantilever brakes. | | Bike Setup: | Standard Aleoca Leomano Mtb fitted with Kenda Klimax Tires. Shimano front and rear deraileur. | | Bottom Line: | Unbelievable! before this, i needed a LONG distance to be able to stop. extremely unsafe. granted that i previously used the now-outdated cantilever brake set-up, these brakes are the best! they are cheap, efficient and do not make any funny high-pitched sounds.
Yet to try it in wet weather but judging from the no. of positive reviews, these brakes are gonna last a long time! to think that i almost committed to purchasing hydraulic disc brakes for my old bikes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Dayton
a Cross Country Rider
from Nine Mile Falls, WA
Date Reviewed: March 15, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Trail #7 on Lookout Pass | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$48.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Easy set up, stops much better than the XT's I used to have on the bike. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT V brakes | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale CAD3 frame, Marzzochi fork, XT drive train with the Avid brakes. Sun Ryno lite rims. | | Bottom Line: | Probably the the best V brake out there. Paired with XT levers it does what it's supposed to do and that's stop my fat butt. Don't waste your money on Shimano V,s. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
go insane
a Cross Country Rider
from strabane, northern ireland, uk
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Gortin Glen | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Price, Modulation, stopping power, looks, no need for discs! | | Weaknesses: | .....????....none.... | | Bike Setup: | Marin Bear Valley: FOX F80 RLT, XT front rear mech,XT BB, XT cassete, Avid SD7 V-brakes + levers, TruVativ Firex, XT hubs and Mavic 717 wheels.
Marin Bear valley: FOX F80 RLT, 7SD brakes + levers the rest stock. | | Bottom Line: | I put these on my bear valley about 3 years ago due to not having disk brake mounts on the frame. I was shocked to notice the defference between the stock brakes and the SD7. These brakes are great no need for expencive disc brake at all these will do the job great.
At the moment these brakes can be grabbed up for a bargain i paid $60 for my second set of SD7 V`s + SD7 levers! Bought these for my wife`s Bear valley. I must have paid well over $ 100 when i bought my first set. These brakes are and were worth every buck!
Great brakes if you have no mounts for discs, i think there is no need for discs with these brakes.
Just one comment....Please be carefull when you use them on the first run....they stop as hard as discs!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Racer
from Sydney NSW Australia
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Power, feel and quietness. | | Weaknesses: | None! The best buy I've made in a long time. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT V Brakes - piece of junk compared to the Avids | | Bike Setup: | Norco Torrent 98 XC frame, LX/XT drivetrain, Ultegra 12-27 cassette, Avid Single Digit 7 and Speed Dial 7 levers, Easton Carbon seatpost, Selle Italia SLR XP saddle | | Bottom Line: | I tolerated my awfully loud XT V brakes for too long. The Avids are awesome - powerful and quiet to boot. A recommended buy. I tested them in an emergency situation commuting and they pulled up in short distangce with a single digit! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al Painter
a Racer
from Mtn View, CA
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | baseballbert@hotmail.com | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Performance. Kool Stop pads make a huge difference over the wrim wranglers. Can easily dial them in yourself. Extremely lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | hard to find forks that still have brake bosses | | Bike Setup: | Giant Trance 4 with great upgrades | | Bottom Line: | This is a follow up to an earlier review. I've been running these for a few months now. Due to the way they perform, I do not miss the BB7 disc brakes. They have performed smooth as silk the whole time. Even did a 6-hour race with them on some pretty technical terrain (rock gardens, steep descents, etc), and they did everything I needed an more.
They've got me sold, and am thinking about getting ceramic rims instead of a straight disc hub wheelset. If you're on a budget, but need some new stoppers, this is a great alternative to disc brakes. Just be sure to pair them with the SD 7 levers for the best performance.
I'm interested in seeing how they perform when weather is a factor in a few months. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
NORM
a Weekend Warrior
from CANADA
Date Reviewed: October 10, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere I can ride | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | THE CYCLEPATH | | Strengths: | LIGHT WEIGHT, EASY SET UP & ADJUSTABILITY | | Weaknesses: | NONE RIGHT NOW | | Similar Products Used: | SHIMANO V'S , TRADITIONAL CANTILEVERS. | | Bike Setup: | MONGOOSE MANUEVER, ROCK SHOCK JETT XC, HARDTAIL, FR-5 LEVERS, PANCRACER DART/SMOKE RUBBER, SRAM GRIP SHIFT, RADICAL BAR ENDS, SHIMANO DRIVE TRAIN. | | Bottom Line: | AWESOME STOPPING POWER - ALMOST DID A HEADER OVER THE HANDLE BARS THE FIRST TIME I USED THEM. HAVEN'T TRIED DISC BRAKES YET BUT DON'T THINK I'LL NEED TO NOW. LOOK GREAT TOO AND SILENT, NO BRAKE SQUEAL AT ALL. PAIRED THEM UP WITH THE FR-5 LEVERS, SO FAR SO GOOD.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Very Easy to setup. Great Braking. Light. Easy to maintain | | Weaknesses: | None found so far | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro 832 Alloy V Brakes | | Bike Setup: | Norco Bushpilot 2004. Using shimano vbrake / shifter combo. | | Bottom Line: | A great brake. Was tempted to go Disc brakes as I wasn't that happy with my Tektros. I could slow down to a stop, but never stop quickly. Pads were very noisy.
Due to cost, and based on the reviews below, I thought i'd try the avid's. I got a pair, including kool-stop pads for $79AU (about $55us) shipped.
They are a fantastic brake. Truly 1 finger stopping, with 2 fingers I can actually skid which I could never do with the Tektros. I'm sure the pads have a lot to do with the stopping power, but even with the shimano levers (not the avid sd7 levers) It is so much more precise and easy to brake.
I'm sure discs are better, but for what I am getting, I don't need anything more and now have no need to upgrade beyond the avids. (and for value for money, you can't beat it) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, Idaho
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | light, good looks, silent. | | Bike Setup: | Steel hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I got these because I was in the market for new v-brakes and I saw that these get great ratings on this site. I haven't been disappointed. Clear installation instructions. I like the stopping power and they never squeak, except for the first five minutes after I installed them. I guess this was the break in period. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light, simple to maintain, quality parts, and most important - excellent stopping power | | Bike Setup: | XC-hardtail | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the SL version of the Avid single digit 7(weigh 165 gm versus 185 gm for the standard Avid single digit 7). Should be put on more XC bikes as they are better than all but the highest quality hydraulic discs. Also easier to maintain (a big advantage when you ride in remote areas). These V-brakes (the 7 or 7SL) will stop you in a hurry. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al Painter
a Racer
from Mtn View, CA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | baseballbert@hotmail.com | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Ease of set up, weight, performance, ease of adjustability, price, quality, inspires confidence in braking power | | Weaknesses: | Avid pads aren't that good. Be sure to upgrade to Kool Stop salmon pads. | | Similar Products Used: | LX V's, Deore Mechanicals, BB7 Mechanicals | | Bike Setup: | X9 Shifters/Der's, RaceFace Deus stem, post, bar, Evolve XC Cranks, Avid SD7's, Mavic CrossRides, Maxxis ADvantage 2.1's, RockShox Duke XC U-Turn | | Bottom Line: | Great product. I had BB7's on my bike, and I wanted to save some weight on my 05 Trance 4 for XC racing. Based on what I read here, I thought I'd give the SD7's a go. Once I saw that Gunn-Ritah used V's in all kinds of conditions, I figured they couldn't be that bad since she is a four time World XC Champ. In fact, Merida uses the SD7's on their high end carbon racing bikes. Kona also has SD's on one of their high end full suspension XC race bikes as well.
Once they were dialed in, I have to be honest I didn't notice much difference between the disc breaks and the V's. In fact it seemed like the SD7's up front had more stopping power than the BB7's. I also didn't experience hand fatigue from having to squeeze the levers harder to stop. Be sure to pair them with the SD7 levers for best performance.
Bottom line is these are a great disc alternative, and going from mechanical disc brakes to these, there was not a performance drop. Take the time to dial them in, and you won't be sorry.
If they are good enough for a World Champion to use, they are definitely good for me! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Freddie Siew
a Cross Country Rider
from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Old K.L-Bentong trail. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Simple to set up, balances/centres nicely, strong and smooth pull and yes, matches the colour of my frame perfectly. | | Weaknesses: | None that I can see. | | Similar Products Used: | "no-name" brand. | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail Bianchi 7400 Mutt, RST Omega T6 forks, Shimano Acera (3x7)system, Acera shifters, Onza bars, headset and post and a really 'cushy' Selle Royal get seat. | | Bottom Line: | Really great stopping power so much so that you really have to remember why it is called the 'Single Digit 7'. Watch out when going round the occasional sandy macadamised corners. Just right "springiness" for instant release and centring. No complaints this time...none at all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ed
a Cross Country Rider
from Ca
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Clementine Loop | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Low maintenance, easy set up, great power and modulation, cheap | | Weaknesses: | None that I've found | | Similar Products Used: | Deore v-brakes | | Bike Setup: | I use them on everything from my FS bike to my cross bike | | Bottom Line: | I've been using the first set I bought for over 5 years, and now have them on every bike I own. I have never once wished for more stopping power or better modulation. With no more maintenance than changing spent brake pads these things continue to to perform flawlessly. And do all of this for a fraction of the cost and weight of disc brakes. If you are wishing for an upgrade in the brake department, you won't be dissapointed with these. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from California
Date Reviewed: July 2, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Great braking power. I was in such doubt about v-brakes being powerful enough to brake with one finger, but I was proven wrong. I'm not saying it locks the front wheel easy as using a pinky like the hydro, but they sure can lock up with a slight pull. Color matches my fork perfectly too :P
Maintenance is very easy. Aligning took only minutes. | | Weaknesses: | Just a tiny bit too heavy? That's... basically it. | | Bike Setup: | K2 ZED 4.0 | | Bottom Line: | Worth every goddamn penny. Powerful v-brakes. I've never tried XTR so I cant give a comparison, but I can say this.. they ROCK!! They work perfectly well with my cheap stock Avid levers. Did I mention they are powerful? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney AUSTRALIA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Just oozes power! You dont experience the power straight away but when you need it it's there for you. | | Weaknesses: | They are not discs? Modulation not too good. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore LX V-brakes, Altus Canti's | | Bike Setup: | Steel Hardtail, Rock Shox Mag 21 fork, Shimano XT drivetrain, Ritchey rims | | Bottom Line: | At first I didnt think much of these brakes when I used my XT levers, just like my old LX v's. But with the SD-7 levers these are immensely powerful. Approaching an intersection a car in front of me suddenly stopped while I accelerated, squeezed the brakes ever so hard and braced for the impact. Stopped on a dime like never before, but the kool stop pads probably had a lot to do with it as well. Get them SO CHEAP!!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan Field
a Weekend Warrior
from Rowville, Vic, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Warbarton Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Great feeling, Stops every time. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Replaced some crap Tektro | | Bike Setup: | Malvern Start EV-27 | | Bottom Line: | I have used these for 12 months and they have been great, would recommend to anyone, who use's v brakes. Nearly as good as some Disk brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jody
a Weekend Warrior
from Shanghai
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | local shop | | Strengths: | Modulation, stopping power, looks | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Replaced Deore stuff w/Aztec pads | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX, Shimano LX Derailleurs, Sun Rhyno Lytes with Shimano XT hubs...bombproof | | Bottom Line: | I "stole" these from the local bike shop for a pittance. They are made here, so why not get them cheap, right? Strong stopping power and good modulation are a must on the roads around here (believe me, with the traffic and potholes, a mountain bike is a neessity). Why spend more? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Omar
a Cross Country Rider
from Penang, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Solid Design, Looks good, Price, Adjustibility, Braking Power | | Weaknesses: | None So Far | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V's | | Bike Setup: | Polygon Quattro with Thompson Seatpost, Avid SD7 V's | | Bottom Line: | I rarely give good reviews but this is a MUST for me to give a good review so here goes. This is so far YET the best brake I got and Im really pleased that I got it cause my old Shimano brakes is nothing compared to this. Ok how to make this convincing for you guys - On my old brakes, I CANNOT cycle on the rain cause it will not brake, instead it will skid but this brake is different, It will brake instead of skidding and this is very good cause just today I went cycling uphill (raining) and then I went downhill(rained become worst) and I still managed to go downhill safely. Its a technical downhill by the way. And I managed to go 5.5km downhill safely using this brakes, on my old brakes I crashed cause the old brake failed me. Anyway if you are thinking of replacing your V's, you cant go wrong with Avid SD7's. It got a spring tension adjustibility which is very nice if you want to make your braking effortless or you can tigthen the screw and feel how much you squeeze to stop. Next Stop Avid BB7's!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Glen
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | allaire, clayton, hartshorne | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | price point | | Strengths: | Great strong stopping power, good modulation, easy to setup and maintain. The price for the stopping power you get is an excellent value. | | Weaknesses: | None that I can see | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro V that came stock | | Bike Setup: | '06 Trek 4300 w/ Judy J3 and now Avid SD7's | | Bottom Line: | These were the first V-Brakes I have installed and adjusted and they were a snap to install. I took my time adjusting them to near perfection and I like the stopping power they provide. The stock Tektro's were good compared to my old bike's center pull canti's, but after reading the reviews on these SD7's, I figured I would upgrade. They are really good and I am happy with the modulation available. I still have my stock levers and they work well with the SD7's.
For the riding I do which doesn't have much wet or muddy conditions, these are the best. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from UK!
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Laindon Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Forgot!! | | Strengths: | Stopping Power is FLAWLESS.
Pads are still fine after about a years worth of hard, all weather use!
Modulation does not get better for V Brakes. | | Weaknesses: | I seem to need to adjust tensions everytime I take my wheels off for some reason? Not too bad, tensioning takes about 30 seconds if you have an allen key on ya. | | Bike Setup: | Muddyfox 7005 frame / LX Dual Control Levers / XT Rear & Front / Marzocchi MX Comp ETA / Truvativ Cro-Mo Cranks | | Bottom Line: | AMAZING. If you can set them up properly, your sorted. Extremely light action and very good modulation, although I couldn't care less about modulation anyway.
Seriously, I can lock-up my front wheel EASY!! Firm grip on the lever, and the front wheels lock-up, there we go, no need for discs... If your brakes can lock a front wheel easy, there seriously is not any need for you to upgrade.
Hydro's are not better, but on par with these brakes, and with hydro's, you have so much maintanence, bleeding ect. You do not have to do ANYTHING with these babies. Just set them up. And I luaghed a year later when I checked the RRP. I AM NOT kidding, we are talking £50 - £60 (around $100) for brakes that have as much stopping power as Hope Mono6Ti's!! And we are talkin A LOT of money for Mono6Ti's.
NO overheating... that you get with discs... so no degrading, and loss of stopping power down steep and lengthy hills. No bleeding, no leaking of hydro's, the simplest adjusting possible for brakes...
With a good set of levers, (my LX Dual's give a lot of power on a light touch), we have a set of brakes which just takes a HUGE poo on Hydro Discs. Simple as that.
One note, I did get a lot of squeeling at first set-up, after about a week of riding, I re-did the pad angles properly, and then they were silent, in all weather. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lachaln
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne
Date Reviewed: March 13, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Very light, VERY EFFECTIVE, very nice stopping | | Weaknesses: | Black tension arm bent, but thats because i think i pushed it in to hard. However I bent it back and its working fine! | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V-Brakes | | Bike Setup: | V Brake, Hardtail | | Bottom Line: | These are the best v-brakes you can get, they work a dream. I am using them with Koolstop pads. To get the most out of these PLEASE get the SD7 or SD5 levers! You will be AMAZED at the modulation and power these things produced. Worth every cent, trust these reviews, they're that good, even better with the levers I installed the other day! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kevin remington
a Weekend Warrior
from brandon,fl
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | alafia | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | price point | | Strengths: | price,stay centered,light weight | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | tektro, promax | | Bike Setup: | 2001 gf marlin,lx drivetrain, bomber fork, avid brakes | | Bottom Line: | These brakes work great. I'm 210 pounds and I've never had a problem stopping with these. If your a big guy and are tired of having cheap brakes (tekro, promax) not being able to stop you fast enough pick up a set of these. You won't be dissapointed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Razorback | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | Light, powerful, durable, cheap | | Weaknesses: | smaller screws strip out REAL easy, be careful | | Similar Products Used: | SD Ti's, ProCrap alloys | | Bike Setup: | GT XC5000, LX/ XT drivetrain, AVID brakes | | Bottom Line: | Love these things. Reasonable weight, excellent stopping power. I have never NOT been able to stop when using these things. Some of the radical drops and off camber stuff we have on out trails down here demand some good brakes. These provide.
Two years, very few adjustments, no problems.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dano
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | local powerlines | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | easy set up, fantastic stopping power, stay in adjustment and the stay centered, and very good in the wet and snow | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | xt, xtr | | Bike Setup: | cannondale rigid, lx m570-g front and rear gold edition derailleurs,sram pg 850 cassette with pc 68 8 speed with sram 2002 centera gripshifters and of course Avid single digit 7 brakes with koolstop dual compound pads and speed dial 7 levers. | | Bottom Line: | Wow these brakes rock. I can't believe how smooth these babies are. They are a dream to set up and stay spot on since the first day. Just follow the directions when setting them up and they will be the bomb. I switched out the stock rw 2 pads for the koolstop dual compound and they make the brakes even better. The SD levers are killer as the speed dial adjustments works awesome. I use it for wet and dry riding to adjust the modulation of the brakes as you can make the levers compensate for the wet weather performance. A very nice feature indeed. They are so superior to the shimano xt and xtr it's not even close. The shimano's are alot more finicky and the parallel push just wears out and makes them sloppy as hell. I really don't think you need to get disc brakes these are so good. I highly recommend especially with the price at pricepoint for the whole package with brakes and levers. I would make sure you get the SD 7 levers with these brakes and you will not regret it believe me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | They stop your bike | | Weaknesses: | none that I have noticed | | Similar Products Used: | certainly not the Forte V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Tandem commuter | | Bottom Line: | I have had two pair of these on two different bikes. I thought that all V-brakes stopped this well until I made the mistake of putting on some cheap Forte brakes from Performance - I can't stop. The Avids are great - they do a far better job stopping two of us on my tandem than the Fortes do just stopping me on my commuter. As soon as I leave this site, I am looking for some more Avids to replace my Fortes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Javier H
a Cross Country Rider
from España
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | XC | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Strengths: | Potencia, durabilidad ,desmontaje total de la maneta para una completa revisión y limpieza. | | Weaknesses: | Ninguno, de momento. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano M600 | | Bike Setup: | merida y sugar | | Bottom Line: | Son los mejores frenos en cuanto a precio, peso y calidad de frenado.Las manetas hacen mucho. Llevo unas single digit 2.0( iguales a las sd7) y con los frenos de shimano(M600) tambien iban muy bien.El compuesto de la pastilla de avid es mejor que el del shimano XT que acabé montando en las M600(antiguo LX).
No tengo ninguna intención de cambiarme a los problemáticos frenos de disco ya que el perfecto ajuste es muy difícil a demas del ruidillo que emiten la mayoría. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
N.B.GAS
a Cross Country Rider
from LAS VEGAS, NV.
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | SOME WEB SITE | | Strengths: | AWESOME STOPPING POWER! JUST AS GOOD AS MY OLD SRAM 9.0s | | Weaknesses: | NOT BLACK | | Similar Products Used: | DEORE M510...XTs...LX...SRAM 9.0s...TecTRO...Promax.... | | Bike Setup: | 05'IBEX FRAME...SRAM DRIVE TRAIN...RACE-FACE EVERYTHING...
CANE CREEK...ALL THE GOOD STUFF...SHIMANO FREE............ | | Bottom Line: | THIS SET OF BRAKES HAS BEEN SO AWESOME THAT I PUT THE SAME OLD SET ON MY NEW BIKE BUILD. EVERYTHING ELSE IS NEW..
PUT A SET OF KOOL-STOP MTB DUAL COMPOUND PADS ON AND IT GETS
EVEN BETTER! AND DONT FORGET THE FLAK-JACKET CABLES.......
TRY A SET YOU'LL BE HAPPIER THEN SNAKE SNOT...............
......LATER.....TIME TO RIDE FOREST RIDE.........PEACE....
20 FLAMING TURDS...NO 30...40...50 YAH THATS THE TICKET! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chutenyboy
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$95.00 | | Purchased At: | OEM | | Strengths: | light, great modulation | | Weaknesses: | dunno | | Similar Products Used: | assorted shimano | | Bike Setup: | retro steel hardtail | | Bottom Line: | Simply great brakes. Single digit is right. I never use more than one finger each. I've never ridden disks, but I have never had more precisely modulating brakes and they're myuch lighter and cheaper than disk brakes. The little knob on the lever that allows you to adjust the feel, really helps with the modulation. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Genoa City, WI, US
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Design, looks, quick release feature, and stopping power. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD 3, XTR, Tektro, Promax | | Bottom Line: | Best rim brake I've ever used. Got rid of the problematic XTRs for the Avid SD 7s, and have never looked back. Now, my brakes are something I forget all about. They're just there, and they do their job. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fatman
a Cross Country Rider
from Bavaria
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Yes | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | hibike, Germany | | Strengths: | Simple design, that works | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Magura Rim Brakes (10th Anniversary, HS33), XT, XTR, all of them with brake boosters, Hayes Disk (Hydraulic) | | Bike Setup: | Sometimes on my TREK OCLV, sopmtimes on my DeKerf Generation | | Bottom Line: | Simple design, simple set-up, simple maintaince. Aggressive stopping power (best of all tried, see above), but a bit less modulation than the Maguras and the Hayes. MUCH stiffer than Shimanoes. Outperforms Shimanoes at all times. One of the classics. I'll buy a extra set to lay aside ofr the funture. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lim
a
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | silent sports | | Strengths: | These brakes are damn strong, flipped over a couple of times from the power of them. If you want good brakes sd7s are the way to go. | | Weaknesses: | None so far, maybe if they weren't so powerful i wouldn't flip over. :P | | Bike Setup: | I currently run them on my stp2, with avid sd7 levers | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are amazing if you want quick and strong brake power. Easy to set up and endoing with these are real easy. Pedal Kicks are easier since they're such strone brakes. If anyone wants good, strong, fast breaking power the sd7's are the way to go. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave
a Cross Country Rider
from boise idaho
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | price point | | Strengths: | low maintenance,easy to set up,good modulation,best v brakes out there | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | shimano xt | | Bike Setup: | ibex hard tail 04 and fuel 90 (01) | | Bottom Line: | these brakes meet all my expectations,I probably will have disc brakes on my next bike since it seems the industry is phasing out v brakes I am sure the bike shops will love that cause your average person will not perform maintenance on disc brakes.I do not ride in much wet terrain so v brakes are ok for me,arm pump is an issue on long down hill sections thats the only reason for disc,but hey Im not a pussie. after market quality disc brake are really way too expensive for me no thanks not worth it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dennis Romano
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas, NV
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Bunker Creek, UT | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$67.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | I have several bikes, two with hydraulic brakes and the other with XT V brakes. I switched to the SD7 based on my girlfriends SD3's great performance. Shimano brakes were good and at the time the best I had ever had but these Avid SD7's are a huge leap in stopping power. I can not believe how good they modulate. I have the matching SD7 levers and maybe that also adds to the overall performance.
Set up was extremely easy. The spacers come with many choices to dial in the setup. As with any brake system, your skill in setup is directly proportional to the performance of the brakes. The SD7's are easy to setup. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX and XT V brakes. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Stratos hardtail, SRAM Rockets, XT deraileurs, SRAM chain & cassette and XT cranks. | | Bottom Line: | I weighed each component and the calipers were both exactly 180g with associated noodle, boot and bolts. Nice to see something actually at or below advertised weight (186). Set up was extremely easy. Performance is the best I have ever experienced. The look great. For all those out there that are tired of Shimano's dynasty, here is a chance to step up to a better brake.
I purchased mine as a complete set from Price Point Mail Order company with the levers for $67.00. That is a great price and they are worth much more. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Epic Fan
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Excellent value, stiffness, overall quality and performance. | | Weaknesses: | None given that they're V-brakes, not discs. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD-3 | | Bike Setup: | '04 Specialized Epic, stock except for SD-7s, Egg Beater S pedals, bar ends | | Bottom Line: | If for whatever reason you need better performance from your V-brakes and are not considering discs, you will not be disappointed in these brakes. Although they are of the same basic design as the SD-3s, in terms of real world performance they are not even close.
I relied on the reviews posted here to make my decision, and they were right on! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Work great for Vs. Light. Simple. Super durable. Good customer service. Relatively inexpensive. | | Weaknesses: | They don't stop like discs, but hey, that's to be expected so not really a weakness. | | Bottom Line: | I've got these on 2 of my bikes. A set on my lightweight HT and another on my SS. I would not buy any other Vs but Avids. I've been running a set since '99 and they are still running strong.
Sure, they won't stop like discs but they are super light weight and aside from changing an occasional pad they are set and forget and nearly indestructable.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas, Tx
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | nashbar | | Strengths: | No arm flex, they stop you on a dime! Excellent single finger stopping power. They are very light compared to the cheapy tektros I took off. Mine came with the SD3 levers which are really nice. They have two settings for lever travel. | | Weaknesses: | Don't work really well unless paired with an Avid lever. | | Bike Setup: | Giant HT | | Bottom Line: | My friend had them, I rode his bike, then I had to have them. They stop like nothing else I've ridden. I would venture to say they stop as hard as discs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood
Date Reviewed: November 23, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | The freaking awesomest braking power for v-brakes. Its incredible simple & strong, set it and forget it. | | Weaknesses: | absolutely none at all | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano STX brakes, Shimano XT V-brakes, Rock Shox disc brake (crap!), Magura Julie disc | | Bike Setup: | '98 Schwinn Homegrown, XTR r. derailleur, XT front derailleur, Rock Shox Judy XC fork, XT cranks, XT V-brake in rear, Avid 7 up front | | Bottom Line: | The freakin' shiznit. This brake is better than any other brake I have tried, ever! You may find some discs that have more ultimate stopping power, but you will never find any with the same zero-maintainence that these brakes have. The XTs I have on the rear do not compare at all...they don't have the strong braking that the Avid 7s have, they are over engineered, overly-expensive, and don't have that oh-so-smooth feel like the Avids do. Besides, why would you ever need that parallel arm crap on your brakes when there are brakes like the Avid 7s that work so well without them? Besides, the Avids are truly 1 finger braking...if I was cruising fast and hammered the front brake, I could see the handlebars twisting and me going over the top. There is nothing that I wish these brakes had more of. They are incredibly easy to adjust, very low cost, zero maintainence, and perform as well as many disc brake setups. The best part is, I have totally braking confidence and trust with these brakes. Whats not to like? I, like many others, went off the reviews of other people on this site. Believe what you hear about these brakes, they are amazing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith
a Weekend Warrior
from Norman OK
Date Reviewed: November 10, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Quality! Precision adjustments compared to the Tektros, and that's the difference. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro Vbrakes | | Bike Setup: | Giant Canyon Limited (Warp), LX components, LX shifter/brake levers | | Bottom Line: | I went with the Avid's based on these reviews. I was considering one of Shimano's VBrakes, but these are simpler and lighter. They don't have the same technical selling point of the paralellogram hooyah, so I kind of bought the brakes on faith. I wasn't disappointed. Much stronger braking, able to finely adjust the brakes. All good. The Tektros adjustments never seemed to make any difference. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy
a Cross Country Rider
from Hartford, Ct.
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | case mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint, I think. | | Strengths: | Best brake I've tried. Better than most disc brakes that I've used. Light and strong. | | Weaknesses: | absolutely none. | | Similar Products Used: | SD3s, LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | '01 iDrive, Manitou Six Deluxe, MX-6 bars, LX/XT mix, egg C's, yada yada yada | | Bottom Line: | I'm the mechanic of our group. In this capacity I've done everything from building custom wheels, to doing fram alignments, etc. Whenever a bud says they want/need a new bike build, they invariably want discs because they think they are so much better. Well, I always have them try my bike. Usually, they cannot believe the power and modulation of these (with SD7 levers and XTR cables). I still haven't talked many people out of discs, but they are always having issues with them while I blissfully fix their bikes on the trail, cursing themselves for not listening to me.
Discs are cool and everything, but I still get 1 finger braking with VERY controlled modulation with these. If you maintain your bike properly(after all it IS a machine) you can usually get disc performance out of these with little effort/fiddling.
I don't see any degradation in performance (after a quick jab of the lever) when wet or muddy, either. I'm using Aztek IIs.
These things are keeping my bike light and me away from the disc brakewagon.
5/5 because of funtionality and the $69.99 I paid for brakes and levers.
AJ
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cory
a Weekend Warrior
from peoria, il
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | easy to install, great stopping power | | Weaknesses: | I just installed them a few days ago....I have not yet found any. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio, Shimano XT, some cheap brand off of a Gary Fisher Tass | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F200, RST Omega SL fork, XT cassette, XT hubs, XT shifters, XT rear der, Deore crankset and bb, Deore front der, Mavic rims, Avid SD7 brakes and levers | | Bottom Line: | These brakes have great stopping power. I have been on several bikes with various brands of brakes, including some disc. The SD7 will give them all a run. I would recommend these brakes to anyone who is into MTB. For the price I found these to be the best value around. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fat Man
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldampfing
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | yes | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$49.00 | | Purchased At: | hibike | | Strengths: | Stiff, simple, solid finish. | | Weaknesses: | hitherto none | | Similar Products Used: | Magura HS 33, Shimano XTR 98 (with green zncr cool stop pads (ceramic rims!) brake boosters and nokon trac paels | | Bike Setup: | TREK 9900 OCLV | | Bottom Line: | Much stiffer AND lighter than XTR, good pads, slightly more progression than XTR.
BINGO!! Forget that paralellogram s..t. Highly recommended. At this price a present. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bufflehead
a Cross Country Rider
from State College
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | light weight; excellent stopping power; easy installation and adjustment. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano M-420; Avid SD-3 | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2003 Specialized Rockhopper Comp, except for Ritchey Pro Stem, Avid SD-7 brakes, Cane Creek S-2 headset, and heavier spring in fork. | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are absolutely amazing. The stopping power is incredible, especially when compared to the OEM Shimano M-420's. No parallel push system means less maintenance headaches. More pivot points equals more potential problems. The oversize springs used by Avid really do allow the brake to function correctly with lower spring tension, which allows for better modulation and more feel. If you want an easy to adjust, low maintenance, high power set of brakes, then buy these. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tony p
a Weekend Warrior
from grafton, MA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | vietnam | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | great stopping power - after adjustments are made | | Weaknesses: | have to make adjustments | | Similar Products Used: | SD 3 and SD Ti a lot and anything else you can think of (i'm a mechanic at a shop so i've seen it all) | | Bike Setup: | 01 GT avalanche 2.0 w/ raceface crank and bb, SD 7 R, avid disc front, psylo xc, syncros big box alligator rims | | Bottom Line: | at first, it was mushy. no matter how many times i recalibrated it, it felt like crap. i ended up needing to switch the spacers on the pad pegs. the thick one was on the inside- i put it on the outside to give it a more positive feel and now it works sweet. stopping power is awesome- no mush after that adjustment. depending on your frame set up you might have to do the same to get a better feel. very easy to work on also. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danny
a Weekend Warrior
from Yorkshire, UK.
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | www.wiggle.co.uk | | Strengths: | Light wieght. Great stopping power. Easily adjustable. | | Weaknesses: | Looking bad with a few scratches. | | Similar Products Used: | Promax alloy v-brakes, stock original on bike. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6500 (02) all as fitted except spd pedals and Avid SD-7 brakes and levers. | | Bottom Line: | Paid £65.00 (GBP) online for brakes and levers. They looked great when came, but they're not looking as good now they have been used a bit. Shame really. Other than that can't complain, tons of easily adjustable stopping power. Easy to set up and other than a bit of scream under heavy braking first time out haven't made a whim since. Much prefered to disc's as when I tried a mates disc bike found to be too 'on-off' with no inbetween. Soooo much better than the stock crap that came with bike. Trek take note! Fit decent kit as standard! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry Speer
a Weekend Warrior
from Auburn, CA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Hope Valley, CA | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Superior stopping power | | Weaknesses: | Inferior to disc brakes | | Similar Products Used: | Single Digit 5 | | Bike Setup: | Fairly stock Specialized Stumpjumper; good quality deep padding "Serfas" seat, Continental Town and Country tires for more road friendly use, higher rise bars, Single Digit 7 brakes with high quality cables. | | Bottom Line: | This is subjective based on my use. Have two road and two off road with the purchase of this 04 Stumpjumpber hardtail. Do not ride often enough anymore to have tough butt so added soft seat. Stock Single Digit 5 brakes (stock) were almost scarey they stopped so poorly. Sorry I do not remember the cable brand I added with SD 7s but they cost about $28. Not too happy with price for cable but in use they are the best I have used. Single Digit 7 added lots of confidence to stops. Discs are better but for my use I would not pay the price. Braking with one or two fingers only requires light pressure. Generally I believe all rim REAR brakes are cable quality dependent. Also found brake cable loops at handlebars too long. New ones were installed shorter with straight feed each end and no binding at max turns. The SD 7 rear will stop the bike alone; the old SD 5 would not in any reasonable distance. Just look how many people recommend the 7's here. Overall ratings tend to drop with more reviews but notice not with these brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J
a Weekend Warrior
from syracuse, ny
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | any | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | easy to set-up and adjust; powerful | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | avid single digit, shimano stx(?) | | Bike Setup: | giant nrs3 | | Bottom Line: | great brakes. much better stopping power than stock single digits, and easier to adjust. i can lock the brakes at anytime, and the modulation is great. i swear there is more braking power with less force applied at the levers.
i debated whether to get these or mechanical discs. since i don't have disc hubs, i got these and saved some money. so far they are strong enough for all trails i ride, unless they are really muddy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Bely
a
from Krivoy Rog, Ukraine
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ | | Strengths: | Excellent power and modulation, good weight, nice design. As good as v-brake only can be. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | GF Sugar, Marathon S, XT/XTR | | Bottom Line: | Superb brake at very reasonable price. In addition, it brakes really well in wet and muddy conditions. I recommend it to anyone who decided to stick to v-brakes. And don't forget to use it with SD7 levers and good brake cables (e.g., Flak Jacket). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Powerful Braking, looks great, easy to adjust, and maintains adjustment for long periods of time. | | Weaknesses: | None that I can think of | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro, Deore XT, Promax | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Kona Blast - Avid SD7 Brakes and Levers | | Bottom Line: | A great set of brakes which provides powerful braking. Maintainence on these has been minimal so far, only needing adjustments a handful of times (most of those adjustments have probably been a cause of me denting/bending my rim...)
As compared to the XT's... There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference between the 2 in terms of functionality. The Parallel Push linkage doesn't seem to serve much purpose in my opinion.
The only problem I've had with them, is the springs rusting a little. That is probably a cause of me doing some commuting during the winter with salted roads though.
Worth every dollar! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vic
a Cross Country Rider
from Moscow, Russia
Date Reviewed: April 13, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Strengths: | Looks good, tweakable, strong and stylish... What else? Ah, yeah, they stop you when needed. | | Weaknesses: | Might be stupid washer configuration game during setup?.. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektros, Deore, XT, LX | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche frame loaded with lots of tweaks. Currently Magura brakes. | | Bottom Line: | 'Twas more than a year ago when I used these. My bike was equipped with cheap Tektros and I've decided to go for something better. Thus I've got Avids. You know, all these V-brakes look same. Logic says they should function the same way. Amazingly, logic fails with Single Digits.
First set 'em up with higher spring tension. This made a pretty good catapult. After some tweaks I've made them work the way I need. Damn thing is truly comparable with the discs. Modulation rocks, stopping power... just beware of it. Of course, I spent almost a day to tweak them. Of course, lost some damn washers (Avid should probably do something with this, swapping 7 washers in different combinations sucks). But they worked perfectly after.
Probably, the only defeat is the factory pads. Just let them wear out and change to something different, that's OK. Possibly, ultimate V-brakes, though 'Ultimate' is the designation for other model. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ned
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Strong, nearly maintenance free, relatively inexpensive, easy to adjust, and they look good too. | | Weaknesses: | none that I know of | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, Shimano LX, Shimano DX cantilevers, and others | | Bike Setup: | Amp b4 carbon w/Fox fork, XTR shifters and derailleurs, King headset | | Bottom Line: | I haven't used a better brakeset than these; they totally blow away XT's, and they're cheaper too. I just bought another set for my new bike. The only better stopper would be a disc. I've had the adjusting screws on XT's fall out, strip, you name it. With these, even after a year or two, everything still works like new, and rarely needs adjusting. Look at the other reviews; when your present brakeset wears out or falls apart, get these and you won't be sorry. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lars
a Cross Country Rider
from AZ
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Almost endo'd at slow speed first time I hit 'em on trail! Yeow! Stiff, reposive, easy to adjust and stay adjusted... | | Weaknesses: | None yet! | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bike Setup: | C'dale F???? hardtail w/ thudbuster, Marzocci MX Pro ETA, SRAM x.9 stuff, etc... | | Bottom Line: | Very nice improvement over old Shimanos. My hands don't ache after my looong daily downhill.
Paired with SpeedDial 7 levers AND KoolStop Eagle II pads. No squeeking! Can't see how Ti would be worth TWICE as much. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Darran
a Cross Country Rider
from Syndey, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo.com | | Strengths: | looks awesome; easy to use; easy to install; good stopping power; nice smooth action that can be adjusted | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore v-brakes, Avid Single Digit-3 | | Bike Setup: | 01 GT Avalanche 2 | | Bottom Line: | awesome v-brakes, work great, good stopping power, can get good deals on them online | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rolando
a Racer
from San Antonio, TX USA
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Strengths: | Light, stiff, strong! | | Weaknesses: | set up takes a bit a tweaking | | Similar Products Used: | XT V-Brakes, XTR-V Brakes | | Bike Setup: | Orbea, SID WC, Sram X.O Group, XTR levers, easton carbon bar, Thompson Seat Post, Rolf Dolomites, and Mavic 517 with XTR hubs. | | Bottom Line: | I got the single digit 7's to replace my XT brakes. I had noticed a ton of flex in my XT's and thought my seat-stays were flexy. Boy was I wrong. It was the XT brakes. These Avids, are incredable! I almost went over the bars because I was used to smashing the brake lever with a XT's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
elray
a Cross Country Rider
from the midwest
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | possibly the best-working brake on the market | | Weaknesses: | absolutely none | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, Dia-comp | | Bike Setup: | XTR-equipped Giant XTC SE1 | | Bottom Line: | Without a doubt the best rim brake on the market for its price. If you buy these brake you'll never have a single problem and they stop on a dime. No chirps or squeals, no white-knuckled stops. Today I grabbed a fist-full of front brake and endoed - in the rain. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Lakewood (Denver) Co.
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Buffalo Creek area | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$69.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Price, looks, adjustability, pad shape and strength, and most of all performance!
| | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Tecktro crap. | | Bike Setup: | (On order from Specialized) 04 Stumpjumper w/Fox rl fork. | | Bottom Line: | I bought the whole Avid brake set from Pricepoint for $69.99. I put them on my current bike and really improved the performance! When my Stumpjumper arrives I'll swap the 3's on the bike for my 7's and be in like Flynn. In Colorado when it rains the soil is too clay like and gums up so no-one rides. Discs or not! I could have gone for a disc braked bike but went for light weight and performance instead. The great performance of the Digit 7's played a great deal in my decision to go with the Stumpjumper and
regular v styled breaks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Frenky
a Weekend Warrior
from Zagreb, Croatia
Date Reviewed: September 30, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Rog-Joma, Croatia | | Strengths: | Excellent stopping power, very very light, easy to set up | | Weaknesses: | None apparent yet | | Similar Products Used: | LX and XT V-brakes | | Bike Setup: | Wheeler Eagle 40, Deore/XT, Avid SD 7 brakes/levers, Manitou Axel Elite fork | | Bottom Line: | I decided to buy this brakes after reading these reviews below and after my disappointment in the XTs, and I don`t regret it. When going downhill with them for the first time I couldn`t believe their stopping power, they are amazing. These brakes are strong yet lightweight, and are a true one-finger stop. With them I finally came to realise what a good braking is all about, and they are way more powerful than the XTs (2003). Although looking slightly fragile in comparison don`t be fooled, they`re more than strong. They don`t have all the parallel zig-zag, but you don`t really need it. If you are looking for a best brake quality product, look no further. Just buy these, you won`t regret it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Orlando, FL USA
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Ceasars Creek | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | light, very easy to install, stops great | | Weaknesses: | The pads that come with the brakes wear quickly... but work well | | Similar Products Used: | just the standard linear pull brakes that came on my bike | | Bike Setup: | Specialized hardtail with front suspension and Avid brakes | | Bottom Line: | Just the other day, some guy looked at my Avid 7's and starting telling me how much linear-pull brakes suck and he would never use them after getting discs... I couldn't argue with him because I hadn't used them in wet or muddy conditions yet... well, he obviously is not familiar with Avid brakes.
I was impressed with them out of the box and today I used them for the first time on an off-road trail at Beans Bike Park in New Philadelphia, OH... lots of hills and mud. I have honestly not felt so in control of my bike coming down a hill with mud caked everywhere. The last time I rode this trail was on a full-suspension bike with Hayes hydroulic disc brakes... maybe a professional rider on much more difficult trails would NEED the discs over the Avid 7's, but I don't and would recommend them to anyone looking for excellent brakes for under $100... and these cost half of that. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a
from PA
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Ease of use.
Light.
Effective.
Inexpensive. | | Weaknesses: | Of course, when wet, they don't stop like disks. | | Bottom Line: | I use these brakes on my SS for XC riding here in PA.
I had previously had a set on my HT for a few years. A few years back I went to a FS with disks and all the bells and whistles. I got tired of working on the FS bike and the finicky disks. Since reverting back to Vs on a SS I've recaptured so much of the simple joy of riding that I had lost in my efforts to conquere "bigger and better" trails on "bigger and better" bikes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Milos Postic
a Cross Country Rider
from Zagreb Croatia
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Medvednica | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | A good and generous friend... | | Strengths: | This brake is great! It has the stoping power of a lowend disc, it is lightweight, simple. It'l work well in any condition, it only needs to be set up well, requires minimum maintenance, even when new is not expensive, wery user frendly, will not dissapoint. | | Weaknesses: | Couldont think of any major ones realy | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano V brakes of all sorts, Avid SD3, Avid SD10... | | Bike Setup: | Kona Cinder cone, Bomber EXR 100mm, Very little original parts on the bike. | | Bottom Line: | If you are looking for V brakes, and dont want titanium or CNC alu finish, and woun't buy Shimano, these are the way to go. And don't buy them if you ride DH, XC riders will love them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bart
a Cross Country Rider
from Nashville, Tn
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Too many to list | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria | | Strengths: | Sick Stopping Power. Very, very light for the price. Shoot, forget the price, they're just plain light! | | Weaknesses: | None apparent yet. | | Similar Products Used: | DX Cantis, XT Cantis | | Bike Setup: | 92 Stumpy, Completely rigid. DX gruppo. Specialized BX23 rims, Flite saddle, Hyperlight bar. Yada, yada... | | Bottom Line: | Recently pulled out the old (92) Stump and decided to slowly build it up as a superlight rigid XC/Urban assault vehicle.
The brakes were the first purchase. This is my first time with V-brakes as most of my gear could be considered old-school. I decided to try them as a replacement for the DX Cantis (any of you old enough to remember DX stuff?), which are heavy as lead, impossible to keep tuned, and so old that they rattled like a maracca player on acid.
I have heard alot of folks complain about the lack of modulation in V-brakes and was a bit nervous about trying them, but the price and weight were right so I said, "what the hey?" So far, so incredible. You CAN set these brakes to achieve modulation without sacraficing much if any total power. Thank God for that, too, because they nearly faceplanted me on my first test ride.
I haven't yet been on a good mud ride with them, so I don't know what the reduction in clearance will do, but I'll let you know. So far, I'm thrilled with these brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from CO
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | bunch | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | stopping power, weight, price, looks, adjustability | | Weaknesses: | water | | Similar Products Used: | SD10, shimano XT/R | | Bike Setup: | Haro A2 frame, Turbine LP cranks, SRX bb, XTR F/R der, cass., hubs, XT shifters/brake levers, Titec Appendages, Marzocchi Comp ETA, 517 rims | | Bottom Line: | These things have an amazing stopping ability. I've never used the ultimates, and the SD Ti is the exact same thing with a few screws being Ti rather than not, but these seem like the benchmark for rim brake performance. They only suck when the going gets wet, but if you keep it in mind and take it easy in the rain, it isn't much of a problem. I've always felt secure in my stopping ability once I put these on my bike. Great brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Indiana
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Pick anything and I'll ride! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | They stop your bike. | | Weaknesses: | ????? | | Similar Products Used: | Entry level Avid's (SD1?, SD3?) | | Bike Setup: | Two wheels, a handlebar, some cranks and pedals, couple other things. . . | | Bottom Line: | These brakes are GREAT! This is a follow up post now that I've got half my racing season behind me. Been through all kinds of conditions, and these things never fail to work.
When they get wet they obviously don't work as well, but I've still never been concerned about getting my bike stopped when necessary. That is the only time, however, where I wish I had disc brakes.
Overall, these have about 90% of the power associated with disc systems, weigh a good deal less, are less complex, and didn't require me to buy a new wheelset.
If you need top-quality rim brakes, these are the way to go. They are almost identical to the Avid Ultimates, except they are forged rather than CNC'd. But they cost a LOT less. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Lenz
a Cross Country Rider
from Saarbruecken, Germany
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Weight, brake power, long lasting | | Weaknesses: | could be still lighther (will change to SD Mag with custom titan hardware, i' a freak, i guess ;-) | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore, Deore XT, SRAM 9.0 SL | | Bike Setup: | Simplon Gravity (Carbon Hardtail), RS SID, XTR group except brakes, Hügi240.... | | Bottom Line: | A great break, even in Germany!! Was easy to install, easy to adjust, keeps the center position better than other brakes (wich move the center after each usage). After about 2000 miles, i can't still feel or see some kind of reduces power or precision. Because they are so good, i will try now the SD Mag with Titan screws. If it works in the same way but still lighter, it will be the perfect brake for XC | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kUHAr hr
a Cross Country Rider
from Zagreb, Croatia
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$95.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | -design
-adjustability
-strength | | Weaknesses: | -had to order longer allen pins (from my local hardware store) | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro crap, SD3wDeore levers | | Bike Setup: | RAD, Avid, Raceface, Lx ... | | Bottom Line: | These brakes rock! I used them for trials (with ritchey extreme pads) and now i use them for XC with stock wrangler2 pads. They are simply the best i've tried (better feeling than parallelXT), the levers are extra nice (i ride all day and nothing, gotta get new grips though).
Dunno what else to say -these are an EXCELLENT upgrade from your regular brakes (Vtype).
I've tried many brakes so far and these are REALLY the best Vbrakes there are and about the levers -> they feel better than ALL else (even Marta & Deore hydro). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkeley
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$51.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay.com | | Strengths: | -great stopping power!
-modulation
-no squeal
-good wet braking | | Weaknesses: | -not exactly 1-finger braking power
-causes my steel frame to flex b/c they're so powerful... may or may not be a weakness. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano v-brakes | | Bottom Line: | these brakes rock!! i used have a horrible problem with brake squeal, but once i put these, no matter what condition, they stop without a peep. they deliver great power and feel. these brakes also handle wet weather really well, only a slight loss in braking power, but not significant. highly recommended product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Trond Sollihaug
a Cross Country Rider
from Stjördal, Norway
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Great stopping power, don't need much adjusting. Looks. The price. | | Weaknesses: | Can't see any. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, XT, Tektro, Promax-crap. | | Bike Setup: | Full XT ( excluding the brakes of course), Shimano WH-M535 Wheels. Jagwire teflon cables. | | Bottom Line: | The best product I have on my bike. I've used them in all kind of conditions and temparatures and have never had any trouble. If I upgrade v-brakes on another bike someday, I will definately go for Avids. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft. Wayne, IN
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Looks good, lightweight, "quality" feel | | Weaknesses: | Still looking. . . | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD1's came stock w/ Shimano LX levers | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 - slowly upgrading components over time. Have full XT setup now. | | Bottom Line: | Old Avid's w/ the LX levers SUCKED. I don't know if it was the lever or the brake (or both) that made things so bad, but there were times I couldn't lock the tires on a downhill slope.
End of last season I swapped 'em out for the SD7 brakes and levers. Now I need to learn how to stop my bike again because these almost threw me over the bars my first ride with them in place! Not a complaint though - it feels great to have a brake that you know will stop you, and the levers are unreal. Very comfortable, very light action - you can truly stop w/ one finger; two if you're panicked.
I thought about going to discs, but by the time I upgraded my hubs and wheels, as well as bought the brakes and levers, I was spending over $600.00. These were under $100 and they suit me fine. Very pleased - THANK YOU AVID!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | incredible stopping power, quiet braking. adjustable lever pull to set modulation to your liking. looks the business. | | Weaknesses: | none as of yet. | | Similar Products Used: | crappy-assed pro-max junk that came on the bike. | | Bike Setup: | stock specialized sirrus elite (2002 model, kinda like a road-bike with a flat bar). added wtb seat and an avid 7 series brake system. | | Bottom Line: | as that this is my commuter bike, good brakes are an absolute must in san francisco. i can't imagine needing anymore braking power than this system gives! i can get the bike to ride the front tire with a strong one finger squeeze. i'm sure disc brakes will outperform these in damp/muddy conditions, but in the dry these will be all anyone could need. 5 smokin' hot chillies! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shane
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay (front and rear) | | Strengths: | Very responsive braking action. Very little fade. | | Weaknesses: | None noted yet | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD3 | | Bike Setup: | '02 Trek Fuel 90 | | Bottom Line: | The fuel came with SD3s, but they seemed to fade and never seemed to be effective in heavy braking situations. The SD7s perform much better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thom
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, Ga. USA
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Chicopee, AG Center, Bull Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Store | | Strengths: | Solid feel to it
Light
Fast response
Grips great
Doesn't squel when wet | | Weaknesses: | None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Promax | | Bike Setup: | 03' Trek 6700. Stock except for some components: EC70 Carbon Flat bar, Selle Italia SLR Saddle, XT front and Rear Derailer. Avid 7 brakes, Hutchinson Python Air light. | | Bottom Line: | When I bought my bike, I was convinced that adding upgraded components was a sham. Thought it didn't make any difference. It does. I've have been slowly upgrading components, not because I want to be cool, but because I want to live. Trek stocks their 6700 bikes with promax. They suck. I was tired of doing Sonny Bono every weekend because I couldn't stop. I would grip the lever harder and harder to no avail. Result, I became a tree hugger. I go to MTBR every day and research the reviews for some products, and have a lot of respect for the people who review these products. 1st of all, Avid brake installation is a snapp. 2nd, I can now stop on a dime with one to two finger leveridge without any problems. As a matter of fact, I did my 1st ride in the drizzle/mud. Not once did it squeak or lose control. I was able to apply the right pressure and get out of any situation that came my way. For this, I give Avid 5 Chili's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from Reston, VA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Trail 401 - Crested Butte | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Very good modulation and feel. Stopping power is VERY good and dependable in any conditions. Easy adjustment. | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XTR V-Brakes, Cane Creek Direct Curve 5 | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Hammer w/Marzocci Z2 Atom Sport, all XT, Mavic X221 wheels, etc, etc... | | Bottom Line: | I love these brakes. I do alot of XC riding and have found these brakes to be great in every situation. They are also light and look great. I'd recommend these brakes to anyone who doesn't want to spend the cash on disc brakes but wants similar performance. This is as close as you can get. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Delfo Corti
a Weekend Warrior
from Legnago
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Soave Bike | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | with bike setup | | Strengths: | Powerful
No squeal
| | Weaknesses: | Not so powerful with wet conditions | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore | | Bike Setup: | Kona Mokomoko, Marzocchi fork, XT derailer, Race Face and LX other stuff, FOX rear Shok | | Bottom Line: | I like to go down and feel the breeze of speed on steep slopes, though I'm not a downhiller: I never felt scared with this product.
Maybe disks are better in wet muddy conditions. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | THEY DO NOT SQUEAL!!!
light
nice-looking.
(They also are the best V's I've ever used)
| | Weaknesses: | They don't scare off bears. ;-) | | Similar Products Used: | XT-V / Magura HS33 / XTR-V / | | Bike Setup: | FS | | Bottom Line: | I rode around with my squealing XT-brakes for years,
tried toeing them in and used ceramic rims but they
just kept squealing. I nearly bought HS-33s which
arguably are the best (if not the lightest) rim brakes
in the world but then I went for the SD-7s because I
could keep my integrated Shimano-shifters this way.
With the Avid Speed Dial levers the brakes probably
perform even better although that is hard to imagine.
Oh yeah: they are dead easy to maintain as well.
THEY ARE JUST BRILLIANT! Buy them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Benjuice Manjuice
a
from Bristol UK
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | TRAILEN AUF DEM ALLES TRAILEN | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | BIKE | | Strengths: | They are very easily adjusted and offer fairly good modulation and power (unless they're full of leave and mud) | | Weaknesses: | They are V's | | Similar Products Used: | Promax brakes (hmm dont bother)
Avid SD3's (ok for n00bers) | | Bike Setup: | Pennyfarthing FR 2002 Extremo! | | Bottom Line: | They are very cost effective brakes which are easily adjusted and can be setup in a jiffy compared to teh sd3's which are for lamos.
: )
I had some SD3s which bust up big time when I kissed a tree in Coed Y Brenin. I decided not to replace but to upgrade to the 7's which was very worth while! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wade Lundquist
a Weekend Warrior
from Long Beach, CA USA
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Whiting Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint | | Strengths: | Cool color. Strong braking power. Light weight
| | Weaknesses: | None that I have encountered. | | Similar Products Used: | Promax, Tektro, and Shimano | | Bike Setup: | Nothing to brag about. Alivio components. Avid brakes. Rock Shox Judy TT fork. Panaracer Fire XP Pro tires | | Bottom Line: | These brakes rule. I had some money burning a hole in my pocket, so I decided to upgrade my brakes from the stock Tektro brakes to the Avid Single Digit 7's. My first impression after taking my bike off the back of my truck and riding down the trail was, "Holy S&#*!!" What a difference between the Avid's and my old brakes. These things stop you like you just ran into a wall. I used to walk down a few hills because they were so steep, and my bike would just slide down the hill. Now with the Avids, I just point the bike downhill, apply a finger or two on the brakes and creep slowly down the hill. I have so much confidence in my ability to stop my bike at any time now. New brakes can definetly improve your riding just by inspiring confidence in your ability. Check these babies out, and make sure you check out PricePoint. They have a smokin deal on the set. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kc Swan
a Weekend Warrior
from Glastonbury,CT,US
Date Reviewed: October 18, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint i think | | Strengths: | just about everything, excellent stopping power way better than my crap non name stocks lightweight very ergonomic very adjustible easy installation | | Weaknesses: | none at all except while i was riding a lil while ago in the rain i lost control on some leaves on a large rock goin about 20 i lost gontrol and took a nasty wipeout, it bent my front(left) lever on that litttle bend zone area i bent it back and it has been workin fine )my old levers would have like shattered) | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR | | Bike Setup: | 2001 trek 6000 all XT marzzocchi z1 freeride easton ea 70 azonic love seat ect ect | | Bottom Line: | these brakes are well worth the little money that i paid for them they have kepr my wheels on the ground on my way through some very VERY hard trails, and as i went down killington these brakes excelled and i had way more power during my braking than ever they hav also kept me from flippin over some 6 footers that i have inched up to, so i guess the bottom line is that these are by far the best v brakes you can buy for the money and that they are very comfortable and they are very VERY powerful | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Weekend Warrior
from Essex, VT
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Strong, Light | | Weaknesses: | not free??? | | Similar Products Used: | generic brake & lever combo | | Bike Setup: | 99 Fisher Kaitai with quite a few upgrades | | Bottom Line: | Based on the review, Supergo has sold a ton of these...and for good reason. My Fisher came stock with a generic combo which worked fine. I didn't think the Avids would work THAT much better. Man, was I wrong. I'm having a problem of locking the back wheel up too much! I need to play with the speed dial setting and just get used to how much pressure the levers need. Great product at a great price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Coral Gables, Fl
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | just got here haven't found one yet | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | $65 for front/rear brakes/levers/cables/hardware. Increadable stopping power. I can't believe that one V brake can be so much better than another!!! | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX-V | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche / RS Psylo XC / Shimano XT | | Bottom Line: | I wanted to stick with Shimano when my LX-Vs wore out (4 yrs). I bought the XT brake and they stuck out so far that my heel would catch it (yes I changed the spacers). I ended up getting the whole Avid replacement set, MAN, AM I GLAD I DID. What a difference!!! These are in a whole different league. Who needs discs on a cross country bike....not now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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