Mick & Wil review the new SRAM Maven brakes
Brand new for 2024, the Maven is SRAM’s most powerful disc brake yet. It joins the existing Level and Code brakes as a much heavier duty option that’s designed to provide a whole new level of control. First spotted in prototype form during last year’s World Cup DH race season, the new Maven is also pitched at e-MTB and enduro riders who are looking for more sustained power without having to resort to enormous rotors.
To see just what these new brakes are capable of, we’ve fitted three different sets of Mavens and have been putting them through the wringer over the past few weeks.
An overview of the SRAM Maven brakes
The SRAM Maven is the biggest and most powerful brake to come out of the US-based component manufacturer. Like the Codes the Maven features a four-piston calliper, albeit one that’s been pumped full of steroids.
SRAM has boosted the piston diameter to 18mm and 19.5mm (compared to 15/16mm in the Codes) in order to radically increase power. The phenolic pistons are housed inside a chunkier calliper body, with four big stainless steel bolts hold the two halves together. This not only creates a much stiffer structure, but also one with a lot more thermal mass. SRAM states this is all about getting the calliper to hold temperatures in a more stable manner to provide consistent braking performance.
A lot of time was also spent developing the Maven’s unique piston seals. The goal was to find the right balance of heat tolerance and elasticity to provide the proper amount of rollback, while maintaining an air tight seal even under very hard braking. On the other side of the pistons you’ll find brand new XL brake pads. These have the same height as the current Code pads, but are notably wider to increase friction with the rotor.
Moar power!
The culmination of all those attributes is a whole lot more power. According to SRAM, the new Maven achieves almost 50% more stopping force than the Code, and it manages to achieve that with 32% less effort required at the lever. In theory, this should reduce hand fatigue on long descents.
The lever bodies themselves are unique to the Maven, but the overall shape isn’t hugely different to a Code brake. The master cylinder piston diameter is the same, and both brakes use identical brake hoses and fittings. SRAM states that the Maven’s general braking feel is similar, just with the ability to tap into more power.
Because of this added bite, it’s entirely possible for riders to downsize their rotors. If you’ve been used to running huge 220mm rotors, which can be more susceptible to damage and warping, then you could very well achieve a similar amount of power with the Mavens and 200mm rotors. Also, you don’t necessarily need to go straight to metallic brake pads. To hammer that point home, the Mavens will come fitted with organic brake pads as standard.
SRAM goes mineral
Another big talking point of the new Mavens is their use of mineral oil. These aren’t the first SRAM brakes to use mineral oil, with the DB8s having already established that milestone. However, SRAM has been committed to DOT fluid for a long time so the move to mineral oil for a new high performance brake is still noteworthy.
Because mineral oil doesn’t absorb moisture from the atmosphere, it generally allows you to go longer between bleeds. Whereas SRAM recommends bleeding its DOT fluid brakes every year, that interval can be pushed out to two years with the Maven and DB8 brakes.
When that time comes you’ll need SRAM’s mineral oil bleed kit. It’s much the same as the DOT fluid version, just with specific seals that are compatible with mineral oil. There’s also a new Bleeding Edge fitting just for the Maven calliper, which uses a larger 5mm insert. Along with the colour coding (green for mineral oil, red for DOT fluid), this should ensure that mechanics don’t get the kits confused.
This colour-coding extends to the oil itself, which SRAM has developed in conjunction with Maxima. It’s made explicitly clear that you should only bleed the Mavens with this Maxima-branded mineral oil, since the industry standards aren’t as well established as DOT fluid.
SRAM Maven price & specs
There are three models in the SRAM Maven brake lineup, all of which utilise exactly the same calliper and lever body. The differences mostly come down to adjustability and the lever finish.
The Maven Bronze is equipped with a stamped alloy lever blade and a bushing for its main pivot, whereas the Maven Silver and Ultimate brakes get a forged alloy lever blade and a cartridge pivot bearing for smoother actuation. They also add in pad contact adjustment for fine-tuning the lever throw. From there it’s mostly about aesthetics, with the Ultimate brakes featuring a polished lever body and titanium hardware.
To mark the launch there will also be a limited edition Maven Ultimate Expert brake kit. These brakes get unique red anodised callipers with a jazzy splash finish, and the kit includes four rotors, mounting hardware, organic and sintered brake pads as well as the Pro mineral oil bleed kit. It’s a neat package for testing out different rotor sizes and pad combinations, but stock of these Expert brake kits is extremely limited, so you’ll need to get in quick if you want to snag one.
- SRAM Maven Ultimate Expert Kit – $999 AUD
- SRAM Maven Ultimate – $515 AUD
- SRAM Maven Silver – $455 AUD
- SRAM Maven Bronze – $320 AUD
SRAM Maven weight
With those chunky callipers, the SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes weigh quite a bit more than Codes. Here are our confirmed weights for a complete front brake with the hose trimmed to length;
- SRAM Maven Ultimate – 362g
- SRAM C0de Ultimate – 302g
An extra 60g of mass per end is a fair difference, though it does depend on whether you’re running the same size rotor. If you downsize your rotors with the Maven brakes, there’s every chance that’ll actually cancel out the weight gain;
- SRAM HS2 220mm Rotor – 262g
- SRAM HS2 200mm Rotor – 202g
- SRAM HS2 180mm Rotor – 169g
So if you were running Codes with 220mm rotors, and then you set up the Mavens with 200mm rotors, the weight will work out much the same. In fact, in most cases you may end up directly mounting the calliper to the frame and fork, so you’ll actually end up with a lighter overall weight due to the omission of the adapter.
Setting up
We’ve fitted a set of SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes to Mick’s Ibis HD6 and another to Wil’s Specialized Levo SL. We also have a set of Maven Bronze brakes installed on Jack’s Kavenz VHP16.
It’s great to see the new hose routing profile compared to the Code Stealth brakes, which see the hose angled in slightly towards the bar. In some cases we’ve experienced noise and vibration with the Stealth brakes as the hose has been able to tap the bar surface while bouncing down the trail. That’s not the case with the Mavens, which feature a straighter hose path.
We quite like the new calliper mounting hardware, which is designed to run four short bolts instead of two long ones. This surely makes for a stiffer and sturdier mount, though SRAM states it was mostly about getting rid of the CPS washers and providing better alignment to reduce rubbing.
On the note of installation, some frames that are tight on clearance may have issues accommodating the huge Maven callipers. In the case of Jack’s Kavenz, the rear calliper actually contacts the seatstay tube. It’s not a problem as the pad alignment is spot-on and there’s no movement in this area.
Providing you have the necessary clearance, it’s recommended to start with the smallest rotors that your frame and fork will take. From there each 20mm increase in diameter will provide a 14% boost in power.
Aside from feel and preference, SRAM suggests keeping an eye on rotor discolouration. Ideally you want the spires to go a slight brown or bronze colour from general use. If the spires of the rotor end up going purple or a rainbow colour, the brakes are running too hot and you’ll want to upsize. If you’re not getting any colour on the spires of the rotor, chances are you’re not getting enough heat into the brakes and you should look at downsizing if possible.
As mentioned earlier the Mavens come standard with organic brake pads. These are ideally suited to drier conditions, where they provide quieter performance and a strong initial bite feel. If you ride in wet conditions you’ll want to consider fitting sintered brake pads for improved durability. Sintered pads are typically noisier, but they’re also more resistant to sustained heat.
Bleeding the Mavens
The bleed procedure with the Mavens is exactly the same as it is with existing SRAM brakes, except for the use of mineral oil and the associated bleed kit. As usual, SRAM has some great resources with guiding you through the process, including an excellent YouTube video.
All three of us found it pretty straightforward using the Bleeding Edge tool and the dual syringe system. However, despite performing a thorough bleed that had each lever feeling rock-solid in the workshop, some wandering bite point crept in during the first ride, indicating that we hadn’t quite removed all of the air bubbles.
After consulting with one of SRAM’s technicians at the Cannonball festival in Thredbo, Mick’s attention was drawn to the correct torque setting for the lever hose compression nut. This needs to be tightened to 8Nm, which is often higher than what most people reach without the aid of a torque wrench. If you’re under that threshold, there’s every chance you won’t have achieved a properly airtight seal, which can cause issues with braking performance and air ingress.
Along with a secondary lever bleed, which involved cycling the pad contact adjust dial a few times, the last few pesky air bubbles were removed and the brakes were ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
On the trail with the new SRAM Maven brakes
After bedding in the brake pads it was immediately clear just how much more stopping force the SRAM Maven brakes can produce. You can seriously drop the anchor with these things!
The lever ergonomics are much the same as the Codes, which meant that it took us no time at all to get used to them. The hooked lever blade provides a comfortable perch for your index finger, and you get a really nice modulation zone that allows you to feather the brakes with plenty of control.
Pull the lever a bit further and the power ramps up progressively. Stoppies are easy to perform, though never unexpectedly. And despite fearing we’d be accidentally locking up the rear wheel through every tight corner, those concerns proved to be unfounded. To us it felt like we had similar levels of power to a modern Magura four-piston brake, albeit with quite a bit more modulation and greater pad clearance.
The easiest way to describe the Mavens is that they just feel like more powerful Codes. However, with the stock organic pads fitted, they are noticeably quieter than the metallic pads we’d typically pair with Code brakes. There’s none of the usual warbling sound, and there’s less vibration and feedback through the lever blades too. We’re yet to try metallic pads with the Mavens, but we’ll wait until the wetness of winter as we’re quite enjoying the quietness of the organic pads at the moment.
Any downsides so far?
As mentioned above, it did take a couple of bleeds to get the SRAM Maven brakes totally dialled in. However, even then we still encountered some mild inconsistencies with the bite point. This contrasted with our experience of the Codes, which have historically been rock-solid when it comes to lever throw and pad engagement.
We’ll point out here that the Mavens are nowhere near as bad as some of the Shimano brakes we’ve used in the past, which were plagued by a wandering bite point issue that could cause moments of absolute terror on the trail. The sensation is far more subtle with the Mavens, and for many riders it will be a non-issue.
Indeed Jack is yet to notice any inconsistencies with the Maven Bronze brakes he’s testing, and it soon faded into the back of Mick’s mind during a jam-packed week of gravity riding at Thredbo for the Cannonball MTB festival. With a network of trails that are known for being long, punishing and relentlessly fast, the new brakes did a stellar job of reducing hand and arm fatigue, which is something that Mick tends to be quite sensitive to. Switching between another bike fitted with Codes, the benefits of the Mavens increased power was noticeable and appreciated.
Flow’s Early Verdict
The SRAM Maven is an insanely powerful brake that ups the ante over the existing Code. With big pistons and even bigger callipers, the Maven offers a clear advantage in terms of brute stopping force, while still offering a familiar lever feel with excellent modulation. We like that this opens up the option of downsizing to a smaller rotor, which are typically less prone to being bent and damaged.
We don’t expect to see the Codes disappear anytime soon, though we do see them becoming more commonplace on trail bikes. For enduro racing and e-MTB use, the Mavens are surely going to be the more popular option.
It’s still early days in regards to testing, and long-term durability is yet to be determined. That said, all three of our testers have been impressed so far and we look forward to banking more time on the Mighty Mavens.
