Submitted by
Michael
a Racer
from CT Date Reviewed: November 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Tonys Bikes & Sports, Milford, CT
Strengths:
Work with all types of brake setups, lightweight, durable and just stop whatever ride mounted on great!
Weaknesses:
Can't really find any, had my two sets for a while now. Since 1998?
Similar Products Used:
Avid, Shimano, kool stop, etc.
Bike Setup:
First set is on a Gary Fisher Ziggurat (alum/carb) full SRAM XO, Bontrager wheelset. Other set is on my Team Sugar from a few years ago, still use it all the time.
Bottom Line:
Only broke one of these levers in the past 6-8 years I have been using them. Took a 9-12 foot steep (drop-off/descent section) sideways and sliding at a race in PA a few years ago during a rain storm. Landed on the left side and slammed down, got up a few minutes later when I could breathe normally and finished the race. The lever cracked about a week later. Asked SRAM about buying a set of levers at the next national and they gave me a replacement set in exchange for my damaged set. Great levers, great customer service.
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Submitted by
Cam
a Downhiller
from Sydney, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: July 1, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Strengths:
Very light, strong for plastic, good leverage
Weaknesses:
Way too much flex!
Similar Products Used:
nothing
Bike Setup:
STP1, BB7 disc brake on the front
Bottom Line:
Good for the price, but has to much flex when pulled. Plastic on brake levers just does not work.
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Submitted by
N.B.GAS
a
from LAS VEGAS, NV. Date Reviewed: November 24, 2005
Favorite Trail:
EMPTY ONES
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$24.00
Purchased At:
NASHBAR .com
Strengths:
ADJUSTABILITY...NO LATERAL FLEX...LITE WEIGHT...POWERFUL... PLAY WELL WITH GRIP SHIFTERS...LOOKS...
Weaknesses:
NONE!!!
Similar Products Used:
XTs...LX...DEORE...TEKTRO...PROMAX... SD-7s THAT ARE STILL IN USE!!!
THESE LEVERs ALONG WITH THE ULTIMATEs,FLAKs and KOOL-STOP PADs ARE BEST COMBO!!! THE MODULATION IS AWESOME!!! I LIKE THEM MORE THAN MY SD-7s WHICH ARE FANTASTIC IN THERE OWN RIGHT... THE WEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AVID SD-SL BKs+LRs = 630gms.. AVID ULTIMATE BKs + 9.0 LRs = 490gms...GO THINK!!!!!!! Ive GOT THE BEST IN Vs, WITH AWESOME LEVERS!!! AND THE BRAKING POWER EQUAL TOO HEAVY A$$ DISKs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
........TIME TO GO RIDE FOREST RIDE......................... ..................................PEACE.....................
.......................GET A SET AND SEE 4 YOURSELF.........
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Submitted by
Carlos
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida Date Reviewed: March 7, 2005
I had before the direct curve brakes and threw them away because they flex. Also found the levers flex and will change them. People I have met with experience with these levers recommend me to replace them right away. They are good for recreational riding.
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Submitted by
Andro Galero
a Weekend Warrior
from Butuan City, Philippines Date Reviewed: February 17, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Malalag Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Genuine Cycle
Strengths:
-lightweight (only 154g pair) -improved and more powerful brake performance -i'm the only biker to have sram levers in our club -affordable
took my bike to my favorate trail this morning and my brakes became smoother and more powerful. it also looked better with my sram x.o grip shifters. i'm now planning to change to sram 9.0 brakes... its just hard to find sram products in our country.
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Submitted by
Ryan Woodall
a Racer
from Ocala, FL Date Reviewed: November 26, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Santos
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
Orange Cycle
Strengths:
They have AMAZING power!
Weaknesses:
A bit flexy, but no performance is lost.
Similar Products Used:
XT,XTR,SD-7
Bike Setup:
xt,xtr,avid,sram
Bottom Line:
I raced with these levers 6 years ago(when then first went to there current design) and loved them. I thought i would try something different. Well, I am back with them and this time it's to stay! They are some of the lightest levers out there and yet they have the best power of any I have tried! I would highly recommend them, especially when teamed up with avid Ti brakes.
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Submitted by
carlos
a Racer
from brazil Date Reviewed: January 22, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
light, cheap,very confortable,easy adjustments,looks great with xo shifters, powerfull.
Weaknesses:
flexy
Similar Products Used:
xtr,xt,lx
Bike Setup:
avid sdti brakes, sram xo shifters and rear derailleur, king hubs and headset, sid wc spz m2 frame.
Bottom Line:
well, im used to ride xtr levers for the past seven years and i tought they were great levers.... the minute i mounted the sram 9.0 i forgot about xtr. my brakes are much more powerfull than avid mechanical disks now. i was really shocked by the difference in brake power from the xtr levers. just one finger is all i need now.
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Submitted by
spanky75
a Weekend Warrior
from hialeah Date Reviewed: January 22, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
cambria
Strengths:
Stiff, great look, smooth,. Great price compare to other similar products in the market.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Shimano xt 750
Bike Setup:
s-works dual suspension sram drive terrain.
Bottom Line:
Sram makes great products. These brake levers cost less than the shimanos and avids fell just as good.
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Submitted by
weather expert
a Cross Country Rider
from iowa Date Reviewed: September 6, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
cambria
Strengths:
GREAT feel. smooth. infinitely adjustable. gripshift compatible. dig the looks.
the reason for me to buy these levers is simple enough--they are essentially the only levers that work well with twist shifters. other brake levers are a tad short for twist shifters. you can still use two fingers to stop, but not all of us like holding onto the twisting shifters when we brake. these sram levers are just long enough to give you the option to brake without your hands on shifters.
these are excellent levers. unlike avids, these sram levers give a smoothed out, modulated feel. the blades are very comfortable to grab and my fingers have never once slipped. the levers are also infinitely adjustable--even though i didn't use it much, it is possibly a great feature for others.
the levers use small gauge hex bolts to affix to handlebars. at first it feels strange but i suppose it's to avoid overtorquing the bolts (remember the lever body is grilon).
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Submitted by
Loehr Young
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, GA. USA Date Reviewed: June 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$45.00
Strengths:
Light weight, great feel, easy to modulate with just one finger (for my hands anyway), look way cool!
I actually have 3 mountain bikes that all have these levers on them. I have been riding one set since about 99' and have had not one single problem. They do flex like the other guys are saying but to me it makes them easier to modulate. I have them on one bike with XT V brakes, one with Avid mag, and my new one has the 9.0 brakes to match and all work great.
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Submitted by
nick guiod
a Downhiller
from Walpole Date Reviewed: June 6, 2003
Favorite Trail:
bow ridge
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
QBP
Strengths:
look good
Weaknesses:
flexy as sh*t.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
..iNSTiGATOR..
Bottom Line:
I got them at cost.
They flex, i ride skatepark/trials and they flex too much. get these if you only ride xc.
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Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston MA Date Reviewed: November 25, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
EBAY!
Strengths:
Light, mostly rust-proof, fully adjustable, very responsive.
Weaknesses:
none yet
Bike Setup:
Leader LD-515 hardtail (if you're not familiar w/it, go to leaderbike.com), Judy XLC shocks (1999 only), Avid MAG-V brakes, Rapid-fire 7-speed shifters.
Bottom Line:
For what I paid-BIG score. Hunt on EBAY! They're as effective and light as anything else.
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Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CO, USA Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Free Gift
Strengths:
Feels good with plenty of room for adjustment, great modulation and are also light weight.
Weaknesses:
A little bulky in appearance, not feel, bolts are odd sized.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Alivio, Deore, LX, Avid 1.0
Bike Setup:
Hardtail, Deore-LX-XT-XTR mix, Psylo SL w/remote lockout, egg beaters, SRAM 9.0 levers, Rock Shox Seat Post.
Bottom Line:
These levers just feel good with great modulation in a very light weight package, probably not best for DH, but for XC and general fun, they do better than most for the price. Stopping power is strong, but with alittle flex as others have mentioned, but also nice and quiet without the clicking sounds. I Looked at XTR, but they don't seem to be worth the cost for what you get, Avids kick ass and I foresee a pair of SD-7's in my near future. Don't usually care for SRAM, but their 9.0 levers are real and I'm very happy with them for now.
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: June 24, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
Strong. Powerful. Decent modulation. Adjustability. Good feel.
Weaknesses:
Bolts are odd sizes, hard to find replacments. Bodies are pretty flexy, but this contributes to durability and good feel. Bulky.
Shore hardtail, Avid discs, cro-mo cranks, big wheelset.
Bottom Line:
Good lever. Strong, I've smashed mine many times and not had a problem.
Kinda cheap looking though, bulky too.
I like them, but when I get money I'm probably switching to Avid levers, as they have the same feel minus the flexiness and bulk.
XC riders use these, but I REALLY test them. I use them with the best cable discs money can buy. I can stop every time, and believe me, you need good stoppers riding here.
Not a bad product, would prefer a little less flex, and a little less bulk. These things are BIG.
I paid $40 cdn new for mine, that's about $25 US, so they get a 5 for value. For the stuff I don't like they get a 4, otherwise they're pretty decent.
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Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Oswego OR Date Reviewed: May 30, 2002
Favorite Trail:
BLM service roads
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Lakeside
Strengths:
Lightweight composite. look's as good as it works.
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
shimano, advid, suntour.
Bike Setup:
Trek 4500 sram 9.0 drive, Marzocchi ERX,
Bottom Line:
wow these levers, work realy good (boy howdy) went down a hill by the house and my computer was a saying 48mph. getting close to the stop at the bottom, I hit the breaks with the same force as I did with my old levers damn near almost went flying. I wasent ready for the sudden breaking force.(personal note, easy now) WOW! These are great, dics like stoping for a fraction of the cost. lock up can be achived with a one finger pull. got to get some of these for the wife.
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Submitted by
Giantxc
a Cross Country Rider
from Washington, DC Date Reviewed: May 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Light, inexpensive, good lookin
Weaknesses:
Flex hurts overall braking power
Similar Products Used:
Avid SD-5, Tech-lites (Kooka clone), LX
Bike Setup:
2000 Voodoo Bizango, initially set up with Sram 9.0 levers and a Avid SD-7 up front and and SD-Mag in the rear
Bottom Line:
I heard these were flexy before buying them, but figured they're light, inexpensive and I really like Sram products so I gave them a shot. I always noticed the flex, but it rarely bothered me - until this weekend. After some sloppy steep downhills in WV, I was terrified by how weak my brakes seemed. So I ran to the local shop and picked up a set of Avid SD-5 levers and put them on that day. With the speed dial set on its weakest setting they had more power. The Srams are now sitting in my parts box.
Bottomline, if you want power go with Avids. If your looking to save some weight and don't mind losing some power, these are a good deal.
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Plantation, Florida Date Reviewed: December 16, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Markham
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$29.00
Purchased At:
Wheeler Dealer
Strengths:
Extremely light and strong
Weaknesses:
composite material makes them seam bulky
Similar Products Used:
Shimano and Avid
Bike Setup:
'01 SuperV500 with XTR parallel push V brakes
Bottom Line:
These levers are great for the price, they even forced me to put a break booster on my rear swingarm as I was flexing the frame. I can't see the need for anymore stopping power than these levers can provide.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Denton, tx, usa Date Reviewed: October 23, 2001
Favorite Trail:
rowlett creek; rowlett, tx
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Bicycles Plus
Strengths:
Very strong braking, Exceptional Modulation, Lightweight, Multiple wipe-outs with no signs of damage or even wear and tear to date. Oh yeah, don't they look cool?!?!?!
Weaknesses:
You get to listen to people say "So... how do like those Plastic Levers? ha ha ha..." again, and again, and again, and again.....and again.
Similar Products Used:
all types of brake levers from: Shimano, Avid, Pro-Max, and Paul
Bike Setup:
Trek STP 200: XTR cassette, XTR shifters, SRAM 9.0 Levers, Time ATAC pedals, and a little blue "cha-ching!"
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy stopping power, modulation, weight, and a price that beats XTR everytime, you just may like these. If not, and you will ride nothing but shimano, ever, you should probably just save yourself some money another way and stop riding.
$
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