SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes review

The Maven is SRAM’s first top-end brake to use mineral oil and boasts a claimed 50 per cent more power than the brand's former go-to downhill brake, the Code.

A new caliper design, higher-volume lever and bigger pistons are just a few of the key design elements that have helped SRAM create this monster of a brake.

Having already seen their fair share of success on the downhill World Cup circuit, thanks to the likes of Vali Höll and Amaury Pierron, it’s clear they work. But what are they like for brake-dragging mere mortals like us?

The lever feel of the Maven Ultimate brakes (sold as a pair as part of the Expert kit for £599) is distinctly SRAM-like, but the power is a little more binary and Shimano-esque. This punch remains easy to control when you need to scrub speed carefully rather than come to a complete stop.

There’s been a lot of talk around the resistance when pulling in the lever, which is more noticeable than some. Even so, with the bite on offer for such little effort, your hands remain fresh even on lengthy pad-burning descents.

When set up from new, the Mavens require careful attention, but the switch to mineral oil helps make them more pleasant to work on.

That bump-up in power doesn’t come cheap, though, so are the Mavens worth the cash?

SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes specifications and details

Alongside the cheaper DB8, the Maven is the second brake in the current line-up to use mineral oil instead of SRAM's usual DOT fluid.

While mineral oil is generally a touch pricier than DOT fluid, it not only deals with heat well, but won’t absorb moisture over time. This is something DOT fluid does, reducing its boiling point and requiring a bleed or oil change to keep the brakes working effectively.

That means service intervals should be pretty lengthy. SRAM recommends an oil swap every two years, which is impressive.

The other plus is that mineral fluid is non-corrosive, making it easier to work with.

A word to the wise, though. SRAM says you’ll need to use its recommended Maxima Mineral Brake Oil to ensure you don’t void the warranty.

Of course, I have to mention the massive calipers. These things are seriously chunky, using four titanium body bolts (rather than the usual two) to clamp the two halves of the caliper together in a bid to rid as much flex from the system as possible.

That design change over the other brakes in the line-up means access to the new, larger brake pads is from the underside of the caliper only, due to the extra material bridging over the gap through to the pads at the top. This makes aligning the caliper over the rotor a little trickier than usual during setup, but clearly has benefits on the trail.

Helping to achieve that claimed 50 per cent boost in braking power are the large-diameter pistons. While a SRAM Code uses 15mm and 16mm pistons, the Maven sports 18mm and 19.5mm equivalents.

While the Ultimate Stealth lever doesn’t look all that different from what we’ve seen before, it has a larger volume than the Code, but still uses SRAM's SwingLink cam to help reduce deadband.

The forged aluminium lever blade pivots on a bearing to help keep things smooth, while the adjuster knob on the front allows for easy reach adjustment should you need to make some tweaks. A bite-point adjuster dial enables you to further tweak lever feel.

Impressively, SRAM says there’s 32 per cent less force required at the lever in order to achieve the same braking power as the Code.

The Ultimate Expert brakes tested here come as a limited-edition bundle (SRAM will hopefully do another run of these at a later date).

That means you get both brakes, four HS2 rotors (2x200mm, 1x220mm and 1x180mm), plus multiple sets of pads (2x organic, 2x sintered) and a full bleed kit.

SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes setup

While SRAM fitted my brakes on the Maven launch, leaving me with little in the way of first-hand setup experience, Alex Evans fitted his himself, so I’ll share some of his findings here – along with mine below.

According to Alex, the bleed process is trickier than that of the Code/G2 brakes, simply because more care is needed to ensure all air is purged from the system. It feels as though there’s more ‘resistance’ in the syringes as you purge the brake.

That said, it’s still easier than Shimano’s process.

The instructions provided are helpful (SRAM is good at providing videos and downloadable manuals, which are generally easy and effective to follow). However, setting the pistons is a little fiddly, can take some time and needed to be repeated a number of times to ensure they advanced evenly.

As I mentioned previously, aligning the caliper over the disc, or at least fine-tuning its position by eye once it’s close to where it needs to be, is a little trickier, due to the shape of the Maven caliper.

It’s not as easy to see the rotor through the gap at the back (where, on other brakes, you’d be able to remove the pads) because there’s not much of a gap at all.

Take the time, though (and use a torch), and it’s still possible to achieve the perfect alignment.

Dialling in lever feel is a doddle thanks to the tool-free adjusters.

On SRAM’s advice, I switched from the 220mm rotors I’d been running with Code brakes to 200mm discs to use with the Mavens, due to the rise in power.

SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes performance

SRAM ships the Maven brakes with organic pads as standard. While performance is decent with these in place, it didn't provide the huge jump in power I expected.

It’s still a crisp, hearty jump – think along the lines of a really well-bled set of Code RSCs with 220mm rotors and you’ll get the idea.

Swap these over to the sintered pads and the punch these things deliver when you grab the lever is next-level.

The power and bite on tap is impressive and capable of bringing you to a stop in a split second, assuming you have enough traction between your tyres and the trail.

That matters here. It took me a couple of laps to recalibrate how much force I was putting through my braking fingers, especially when the trails were wet and greasy.

Too much and it’s easy to lock the wheels up momentarily – similarly when manualling along, feathering the rear brake to maintain balance.

Squeeze too hard and the front dive bombs back down into the ground, giving you whiplash in the process. Get acquainted and apply a lighter touch, though, and these issues are quickly a thing of the past.

When it comes to the lever feel, I’ve had no issues with hand fatigue whatsoever, even on longer brake-dragging descents.

The Mavens feel very SRAM-like when you pull the lever, which is no bad thing. I’ve always got on well with the SRAM lever shape and feel, so the Mavens felt instantly recognisable.

Pull the lever and the initial part of the stroke doesn’t feel as light as Shimano or as frictionless as Hope’s V4 brakes.

However, that isn’t really an issue, because due to the power on tap, I never found myself struggling to scrub speed when I needed to, never having to over-exert myself or squeeze frantically to get the pads to bite the rotor.

It’s also worth pointing out that in sections where I found myself using the brakes frequently, I’d pull the the lever in and never fully release it, instead feathering it in and out, which limits the number of times you need to pull through that initial resistance.

The lack of hand pain or fatigue was notable on steep, technical descents that require heavy braking or long fast trails that demand a lot of speed management.

On all of the trails I’ve ridden (including some lengthy ones in Canada), my hands never struggled and I never found myself wanting more power towards the end of the run.

When the pads contact the rotor, the Mavens feel a little more binary than previous SRAM stoppers. There’s an initial, grabby bite, but you can still modulate this to ensure stopping feels very controlled, which is especially important on steep, loose descents where grip is at a premium.

Another important thing to mention here is consistency. There have been no wandering bite points and no fade, even on swelteringly hot days when dragging the brakes down long descents.

In fact, this is where the Mavens shine brighter than most, never wavering in power or feel, whether you're braking for the first turn or slowing down through the last, final steep chute of the trail. They keep working and working well.

SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes bottom line

Overall, the Mavens offer a serious boost to braking power and the results are impressive on the trail. That's not just because of that jump in stopping force, but also the consistent feel from the top to the bottom of the hill.

They’re not the cheapest brakes out there and you’ll need to be careful with setup to get the most out of them, but if you’re looking to increase your stopping power, the feel and performance of the Mavens certainly make them worth considering.