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Submitted by
Mike Dold
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Anywhere-Just ride | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Old Town Cyclery | | Strengths: | Looks way cool; the red adjuster knobs look cool and are easy to adjust on the fly. I like the two-finger levers. Nice clamp setup. | | Weaknesses: | None for me, maybe an optional longer lever for some riders. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Tektro CNC levers, Dia Compe | | Bike Setup: | Use these on all my bikes with Avid brakes | | Bottom Line: | These levers rock! I've been sold on the Avid Speed Dial levers ever since I got my first set of Tri-Align brakes
years ago! They look cool and the adjustment knob allows you to adjust the brake modulation from mush to full-lock,
and all points in between! I love the easy adjust-on-the- fly feature. This is the only brake lever I use now, and
whenever I upgrade it is always to this lever.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Popov
a Cross Country Rider
from Leicestershire, England
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | Local Quarry | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | www.supercycles.co.uk | | Strengths: | When i first opened the box I drewled salivia - f'ing nice looking set of levers. I love the 'speed dial' so you can adjust the tension - something i thnk they patented. Oh and they also work damn fine... | | Weaknesses: | None really, except they work best with avid branded v-brakes. | | Similar Products Used: | nasty mushy plastic dia-compe | | Bike Setup: | 3 tube easton aluminium / 7005, rigid alu fork, avid brakes, deore / deore lx mix groupset, mavic, michelin tyres, (10kg complete bike) | | Bottom Line: | Great levers for the cash, i hope to have them on me bike for many more years to come. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bike
a Cross Country Rider
from PA, US
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came on (used) bike | | Strengths: | *The longest levers I've ever seen.
*The speed dial is fun to mess with (not just a gimmick either.)
| | Weaknesses: | *No indicator on the speed dial to tell you how many times it has been turned.
*The lever has a little play up and down in the housing. | | Similar Products Used: | No aftermarket levers | | Bike Setup: | '99 Fisher Big Sur | | Bottom Line: | Very good levers. They look similar to motorcycle levers, very straight and long. The speed dial is a nice addition. It allows you to either make the levers feel mushy and grip hard on the rim, or crisp and grip softer. The only problem with the dial is that there's no way to tell how many times you've turned it in order to set each lever equally. I cut a small notch in each dial to fix this. The levers also have a bit of play in the housing, but I guess it would help keep things intact in a crash. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Bowman
a Weekend Warrior
from Halifax, PA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Hebron Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Light
Dependable
Great Style
Sweet looking
| | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | lx, magura | | Bike Setup: | Kona Muni-Mula, Marzocchi z4 Flylight air, Mavic 221's(red anodized), sram 9.0SL, Cane Creek headset, Xt brakes, Avid 2.0 speed dial levers, etc. | | Bottom Line: | These are greta levers at an affordable price. They're light and great looking, go get a pair. Avid is the shiznit!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron McGraw
a Weekend Warrior
from Titusville Pennsylvania USA
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2001 | | Favoriate Trail: | Oil Creek State Park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | First of all, I am writing about the cantilever compatible version. The levers are light, responsive, have a great feel and are highly adjustable. | | Weaknesses: | "Up and down" motion of the lever itself on the pivot. Slightly annoying. | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro V-brake levers. PowerTools V-brake levers. | | Bike Setup: | 1996 Generic 7005 series aluminum hardtail, with SR 7006 Suspension fork, Scott/Pederson SE brakes, SBI Son-of-a-Strongarm Crank with Avitar inner chainrings and Shimano LX outer. Regina Hollow-link Chain, LX derailleurs (7spd), Grips shift SRT-100 7spd shifters, Suntour-made Shimano spaced 12 x 28 7spd cassette. JD Suspension Stem. SBI GX-26 36 hole rims, DB spokes with alloy nipples and LX hubs. Panaracer DH-Magic Front and Rear specific 2.25 inch tires. | | Bottom Line: | A great set of levers. Light, attractive, and they have a good feel. So far they have demonstrated great durability through a number of ugly crashes. On par or even better than the other levers I have used. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke
a Cross Country Rider
from Knoxville,TN,USA
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | lock4 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Functional, worry free, speed dial | | Weaknesses: | Sloppy pivot | | Similar Products Used: | Most other Avids, shimano XTR | | Bike Setup: | 99 Jamis dragon. A commuter GT. | | Bottom Line: | I use these levers on my commuter and I have to say that they provide an excellent feel for your brakes...and if they dont a couple of quick turns will make them feel great. From rock hard to easy modulation, these can deliver that "just right"feel. Plus, they're cheap.
The only downside is that the pivot is sloppy, but thats no big deal, just aggrivation.
I reccomend these levers to everyone who wants high performance feel, but doesn't have a ton of cash to sling around as they are an excellent bang for the buck.
If you have a bike rack on top of your formula 1 car or a private trail on your yacht, then these levers will feel a little cheap compared to XTR or similar levers , and you should find something that suits you better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brendan
a Downhiller
from Alaska
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2000 | | Favoriate Trail: | MY BACKYARD | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | very sleek design and the speed dial words great! | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | shimano xtr levers | | Bike Setup: | Gary fisher frame, shimano lx 9 speed drivetrain w/ SRAM 9.0 SL rear der. adn half pipe shifters. Rock Shox Sid XC, and some hayes disk brakes, with the new mavic 223 rims, with michelin hot s tires. Very tight bike! | | Bottom Line: | very sweet for the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. A must for every bike. And if u have extra cash, go even higher up the avid latter! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
serge
a Cross-Country Rider
from n. calif
Date Reviewed: October 14, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
speed dial works! can dial in just how you like it. works well with canti's or v's | | Weaknesses: |
so there's a bit o' pivot slop | | Similar Products Used: |
lx&xt v levers | | Bike Setup: |
M2 xtr/xt/avid/ mix, FS-ti, blah blah | | Bottom Line: | These work great from day 1. Tried the xt for a few days when bought the bike and then tried the avid's (initially with xt v's)... needless to say I stuck with the avid levers. I've used them with canti's(xtr,onza & avid) and v's(xt, avid) and they work great with any of em (even canti and v's on same bike). I havn't bothered with trying the v-chip since these work fine w/o it.
You can gripe about the slop in the pivots but it doesn't affect performance so just fogetaboutit. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Peralta
a racer
from Vista, CA USA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Has anybody heard of the new brake lever called Thresher? It's awesome. It has a patented horizontal pivot axis (as opposed to vertical) and is completely ergonomic. I've been vomiting all day since seeing them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nat
a weekend warrior
from WA USA
Date Reviewed: December 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Thses came with my Stumper along with 1D 2.0 brakes. I like the way these levers are shaped. I can use one finger and get great leverage, and then there's the cool speed dial which I can adjust while riding. My only complaint with these levers is that they exhibit a lot of up and down play. My riding pals mostly use Shimano and their levers are tight be they LX, XT, or XTR. This is not a performance issue of course. Maybe a little slop is needed to clear crud for grungy riding? Bottom line: It doesn't have to say Shimano anymore with Avid's stuff. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc
a cross-country rider
from Montreal, Québec
Date Reviewed: August 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had these levers for about 9 month now, and I just love them. The thing I like the most about them is the adujstment knobs, you can decided how hard you have to squeeze to get stopping... and they are not short, I also have some Avid 1.0 and I put them on my old bike, they're not even close to the 2.0 SD, I don't know what's the difference with the L version but I satisfied with the ones I got. The reason I gave it four stars is because of a minor but quite anoying problem, as soon as you start to get speed and of course vibration, they make noise, I tried to tighten the allen screw, but it didn'y help. Except for this it is a great lever | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Walt
a cross-country rider
from Palmer, Alaska U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: July 12, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I purchased the Avid SD 2.0-L's when I upgraded to my brakes to the Shimano XT V-brakes and have been very pleased with their performance. My bike was originally equipped with the Shimano LX V-brakes and the Servo-Wave levers, the original brakes were decent but the levers, well leave alot to be desired, so I'll have to give the Avid SD 2.0-L's a five. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Wenham
a cross-country rider
from West Yorkshire, UK
Date Reviewed: May 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I use the SD 2.0 (not the L version) for the U-brake on the back of my GT, and for a Dia-Compe 737 up front. There is *just* enough pull to use these levers with V-brakes when they're on maximum pull, as long as you don't mind them a bit squishy. More squishy equals more control but closer pad clearance. I can live with it, but may upgrade to 2.0L later. The U-brake works fine with minimum pull, any more and there's not enough control for me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Billie-Joe-Bob
a racer
from Hickville, IA
Date Reviewed: February 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Average, at best, is all I can say about these things. I am not, in the least, impressed. I guess the good thing is they don't cost an arm and a leg, but I tend to think the $50 retail price is a bit much for the quality you get. The tolerances are horrible and approach the atrocious play found in Dia Compe PC7's. The Speed Dial is a nice touch, but a little redundant if you know how to set up canti's the way you want them e.g. mushy, firm, or in between. They're not light, they're not cheap, and they don't stand out in a crowd of mediocre brake levers. Save some money and get a pair of tried and true Dia Compe SS-7's. They have the slop just like the Avid's, but they cost $20 less and are about 60 grams lighter. | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
sid
a cross-country rider
from michigan
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Wow. Just switched to the SD 2.0L's from Shimano LX's. The difference is amazing. I thought that the LX's were just ugly and cheap LOOKING! The Avids require less force (at any setting) and make the LX V's come alive. If you run the complete LX set up, you're doing yourself an injustice by not using these levers. Perhaps XT/XTR would give the same improvement, but these babies are for real! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lee Lau
a racer
from North Vancouver, B.C.
Date Reviewed: June 21, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Pluses
- Look good
- Distinguish from the Shimano Pack
- Speed dial mechanism is a great featureMinuses
- Performance degrades in wet conditions when matched with XT V-brakes (but note they are not V-brake compatible)
- Annoying pivot slop
- Minimal spring return (this is largely a matter of rider preference) | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lawrence
a cross-country rider
from several places
Date Reviewed: May 15, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've used a pair of SD 2.0's (the short pull cantilever version) for about a year. The picture above is of speed dial ultimates, by the way, not SD2.0's. The arms are nicely shaped and very comfortable, and long enough to work well with twist shifters. The pivots are ok, not too much slop until you compare them to the Ultimates. Workmanship and finish is ok, not great, but SD2.0's are 1/3 to 1/5 the price of a pair of chichi CNC'ed levers and their forged construction is way sturdy. Price as no object, I give them a 3. Bang for buck they get 5 chilies, rounded too.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thom
a weekend warrior
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: March 24, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I purchased a pair of SD 2.0 last year, as an upgradable option to V-brakes. It says right on the box that they are compatible. I got my XT V's for X-mas and to my surprise they did not work at all. I've read & heard that they are for a soft set up, but I didn't feel comfortable riding like that. However, for you C'dale fans that have/had Force 40 brakes (95 M500), they work incredibly. I ride a Scott Vertigo LSD with V-brakes and my C'dale with the SD 2.0's and the Force 40 brakes and I don't miss a beat switching from bike to bike. (plus, it makes those Force 40's a cinch to set up!) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy Brooks
a cross-country rider
from Fredericksburg. Va
Date Reviewed: March 23, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I've been riding with these for a year now and have not had one minute problem with them yet. These are by far the best lever on the market for under $50. If your on a budget (or just want a good lever, these are for you). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tango Rose
a weekend warrior
from So Cal
Date Reviewed: March 15, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Love them with my canti's - Does anyone know how well the work with V brakes? Have seen a conversion for them called the V chip - just wondering if I can still use the Levers I love (five stars) with a new set of XT V's. Five stars for a cnati application. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike serafin
a downhiller
from orland park, ill
Date Reviewed: March 2, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
I think the avids are very adequate for mid speed downhilling, although the ultimates may be slightly better, for the price the 2.0's are good. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JT
a cross-country rider
from ABQ, NM
Date Reviewed: January 4, 1997 | | Bottom Line: |
Bought cuz they claimed to work with V brakes (didn't like the stubby Shimano V-brake levers)...they worked as long as the adjuster barrel was screwed way out to allow adequate cable pull; either I got crummy, defective levers or I'm seeing some misleading advertising regarding V-brake compatability. (However, I recently got a set of 2.0Ls that work perfectly with V-brakes...but thats a story for another post) For non-V brake applications though, these would be awesome levers!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn Swanson
a racer
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: December 11, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had these levers now for over six months. They are the greatest. At first, I had them with a set of LX canti's and never had to adjust the brakes once! I just fiddled with the speed-dial and everything was spiffy. Then, I bought V-Brakes and ran them with the Avids. Works great! Wouldn't change a thing! If you want a good looking, good working, and inexpensive lever, get these. You won't regret it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David R. Neff
a cross-country rider
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: November 30, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I got these mainly because they were on sale for 27 bucks and because I like the way they look. Now that I have have had them on for a little while, I am also very pleased with how they work. The reach adjustment is more than adequate for my relatively little hands, I like the leverage adjusting dial, and they really feel pretty good. I think they should get four stars instead of three because the price is so right. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Carpenter
a cross-country rider
from Oakland,Ca
Date Reviewed: November 11, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Theses levers are head & shoulders above the STX set they replaced. For the price (~$35) they're hard to beat. The SD 2.0's are very adjustable. The large knurled barrel adjusters are the best I've seen. Of course they also have Avid's leverage adjustmenter. This is THE best upgrade chi-chi for the cost I've found....in fact they're the best period. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jordi Cuervo
a cross-country rider
from Miami
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Decent levers. Came stock on my bike ('96 Stump. M2 FS). They really well with my LX cantis, but I have a feeling that I might have to upgrade when I get V-brakes. The speed dial knob is great. They just make my brakes get a little touchy.
Overall, I'm satisfied until I get v-brakes. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenley Fritts
a downhiller
from San Jose, CA
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I found these levers to be adequate with my XT V-Brakes. I like the fact that adjustment can be done on the fly with the gnurled screws. These levers feel good and I can stop with 1 or 2 fingers. For the price, and the color choice I say they are a good value. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Peck
a racer
from Boulder CO USA
Date Reviewed: July 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Due to repetitive motion stress syndrom I have been forced to search for new brake levers. The Avid is one of six I was able to try after last weekends race. (Races are a great place to ask to try new stuff.) I like the Avids feel the best. One set was matched with V-brakes, I thought me fillings would fly out of my mouth it was such a strong combination. The other to a set of LX cantis, levers felt good there too. Alas, for me the problem remains, the Avids were too far from the bar, even with reach adjusted as close as they got, and each squeez sent severe pain through my wrist. Currently I have DiaComp PC-7s on my bike, the reach is the closest I've found but I'd like it closer.
All in all though the Avids had the best feel between,Kooka Rachas,Real(same as Avids really)Shimano XT'96,Pc-7s,and Tekro. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
E. David K.
a weekend warrior
from NY, NY
Date Reviewed: July 4, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
I was tring to save some bucks getting these and i got what i paid for. Think these were a step up from my Shimano 95 LX units, they weren't. The 2.0 units are poor quality product lots of slop. The alum adjusters/lock nut are terribly maded; The levers have some up and down play; i'm sorry i didn't get the Ultras. Oh i'm still recommending them for the speed dials (well maded, of steel?), so cool to play with, and the price $39-55, but its the cheapest part on my new $1800 bike :-(
Well i might be asking too much, so i'm giveing them an acceptable 3 stars. Just understand these are not high-end products. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hirby Eiui
a weekend warrior
from Boise, ID
Date Reviewed: June 24, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
Bought the brake levers when I upgraded to v-brakes. They dont modulate as well
as Shimano's v-brake levers but get the job done fine. Aren't as light as the
Real's I put on the Wife's Trek 820 with v-brakes but she needed the weight
savings more! Seem to be decently made with nice finish and nice laser etched
logo. Leverage adjuster is handy and easy with the spin of a little knob. For
the price (~$38), I'm quite satisfied. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg Miramontes
a
from weekend warrior
Date Reviewed: June 18, 1996 | | Bottom Line: |
The SD 2.0 is a new for '96 lever from Avid. It the little brother of Avid's
Ultimate lever. The Ultimate has ti parts and is made in the US. The SD 2.0
is made in Taiwan and has steel parts. I have been riding the 2.0 for about
3 months and I am pleased with their performance. They are definatley a step
up from my old DiaCompe PC 7's (I broke them when I endoed!). The Speed Dial
is a definite plus. It allows you to adjust on the fly, easily. The only
quirk that is in its way for 5 stars is its weight (200 grams) and a little
bit of pivot slop. Maybe I'm being a little picky. The 2.0's retail are
around $55 and come in an array of colors. They are great for budget
upgraders like me. | | Overall Rating: |
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