TMB Review: SRAM Maven Silver Brakes

I have ridden gravity-oriented brakes like the Mavens on long-travel test bikes. But as my personal preferences trend toward cross-country and trail riding, I’ve never considered putting them on my own bikes.

Until now.

With 150mm of rear travel and a 160mm Fox Float Factory 36 fork, my Gen 2 Specialized Turbo Levo is hardly a massive bike by today’s standards. The previous generation SRAM Code brakes worked fine, if somewhat nebulous and sloppy. However, this e-bike tips the scale at 53 pounds, and I didn’t realize how much harder it is to stop all of that moving mass until I strapped on these Mavens. Where previously it felt like I was trying to stop a Silverado 3500 with Prius brakes, now I seemed to have tractor-trailer stopping power for this one-ton truck.

The Mavens are, quite simply, the most powerful brakes I’ve encountered. According to SRAM, the Mavens produced “nearly 50 percent more power than the Codes” in lab testing. And after a year of riding the two side by side on complimentary bikes, I believe it.

The Mavens have 18.5 and 19mm diameter pistons to the Code’s 15 and 16mm, and the pads look to be about 20 percent bigger. The lever feel between the two brake sets is quite similar: very stiff relative to the competition, with a firm and tactile bite point and lots of room for modulation. The Mavens also have quick and easy tool-free adjustments for reach and stroke. They are also the first SRAM brakes ever to employ mineral oil as opposed to DOT brake fluid. That should mean longer between bleeds, and indeed I haven’t had to bleed the Mavens since set up a year ago.

If there’s one thing I prefer about the Codes, it’s the very industrial, almost Brutalist aesthetics, though the Mavens are similarly good looking, if not quite as sharp. Besides that, I’ll take performance over appearance every day.

Here’s how much power the Mavens provide. I started the test with a 220mm rotor up front and 200mm in back but was so blown away with the performance (overwhelmed, really, as I found myself grabbing too much lever and skidding out, which isn’t a phrase I’ve ever previously uttered in over 30 years of riding) that I switched the 200mm to the front and dropped down to 180mm out back. That’s the same as I was running on the Codes, on a similar size and weight bike, and the disparity between the two was still massive. Sticking with the analogy, let’s say if the Mavens are brakes built for a semi, the new Codes feel like they were pulled off a Ford Ranger.

The price on the Maven Silvers is about 20 percent less than the Code Ultimates. You can get the Mavens in that pricier Ultimate trim, though there’s no real reason (other than looks) to spend the money since both trim levels get the same caliper, forged alloy lever, cartridge pivot bearing, and full adjustability. (The lower-tier, less expensive Maven Bronze gets a stamped alloy lever, bushing main pivot, and fewer adjustments.)

SRAM Maven Silver Brakes Bottom Line: These brakes feel like the definitive choice for maximum stopping force. In my case, that’s to counteract the weight of a heavy e-bike. But they would also be perfect for aggressive gravity racers who need a brake that can handle extreme speeds and loads. They would be overkill for my light trail bikes. But that’s no criticism since that’s not the job for which they were made. Shop SRAM Maven Silver Brakes

SRAM Maven Silver Brakes Bottom Line: These brakes feel like the definitive choice for maximum stopping force. In my case, that’s to counteract the weight of a heavy e-bike. But they would also be perfect for aggressive gravity racers who need a brake that can handle extreme speeds and loads. They would be overkill for my light trail bikes. But that’s no criticism since that’s not the job for which they were made. Shop SRAM Maven Silver Brakes

by Aaron Gulley Aaron has been writing about cycling, travel, and the outdoors and reviewing gear for the likes of Outside, Bicycling, Velonews, and others for over two decades.