SRAM launched the original Maven’s two years ago and they represented the most powerful brakes the brand had ever produced! But, some riders felt that the lever actuation was a little firm, and the modulation of all that ‘power’ was a little hard to control… So SRAM quietly went back to the drawing board and redesigned their Maven’s internals and what they’ve managed to create with these ‘new’ Maven’s is shockingly impressive!
Dubbed ‘Maven B1’ this new brake line-up, comprising of 3 new Maven models, still boast the same ridiculous amount of power however the brakes now feel effortless to control. One of the key pieces of the puzzle was redesigning the Swinglink which drives the lever’s internals, which has now been tuned to be far more progressive, meaning that the harder you pull on the brake lever the more braking power the system produces. What’s really noticeable, and standalone from any other brakes I’ve ever used, is that the amount of power feels unlimited as there’s absolutely none of that ‘on/off’ feeling. It’s crazy how much more control over the bike you feel when your brakes work so well and with such little effort through your hands.
One cool thing to note is that the new Swinglink is backwards compatible, meaning if you have set of existing Maven’s you can buy a tuning kit which replaces the Swinglink inside the lever to give your old levers this new ‘lighter’ and much more progressive power delivery. SRAM are offering tuning kits to suit every model in the existing Maven line-up, and the kits start at $120 from Aussie SRAM dealers.
The cleverly designed Swinglink isn’t the only refinement; Ultimate, Silver and Bronze brakes all receive fresh lever blades and updated finishes. The ‘Ultimates’ now get a carbon lever blade and the Silver and Bronze models feature sweet forged allow blades. And the Silver model (that we tested here) even have a little piece machined out which saves weight. The ‘shape’ of the lever blades also feel exceptionally comfortable to hold as well. ”
Inside those massive Maven calipers you’ll now find two 18mm pistons, compared to the 19.5mm and 18mm pistons found in the old version. These new Maven’s do still use the same massive pads that the original Maven’s used.
The new Maven brakes still use mineral oil, which means less maintenance (longer periods between needing to bleed the brakes, etc) and increased consistency/feel regardless of the weather conditions or how much heat you’re putting into the brakes. Out on the trail, even on a super long rough trail like down at Thredbo, the way you’re brakes feel in the first corner is how they feel down the bottom in the last. Those massive calipers do such a good job with the heat management.
As you’d imagine, the Maven’s are ideal for e-MTB’s and or downhill bikes that can always benefit from having the maximum levels of braking power, that said, you can ‘tune’ the intensity of the Maven’s power by reducing or increasing rotor size, rotor thickness, and also by swapping between pad compounds. Weight wise they come in at 365 grams per end – which is pretty light, especially considering they offer so much power and are ideal for big gravity riding or e-Biking.
Pricing wise the new Maven Ultimates (here in Oz) will set you back $515 per end, whilst the Silver models cost $455 per end, and the Maven Base (which is a carry over/not new model) come in at $320 per end. Australian SRAM dealers have already got stock of the new B1 Maven family so head on down to your LBS to check ‘em out in the flesh today.