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Submitted by
Don Duende
a Cross Country Rider
from Eastern Sierra
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Mammoth Rock Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Hasn't broken after 11+ years. For a while I was breaking levers on a regular basis. Nice finish. Still looks new. Light. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Tektro, Avid | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn s[9six].40, Rock Shox FSX, nuke proof carbon fiber hubs, Mavic 217 rims, Cane Creek AD-10, 8sp gripshifters, WTB Shadow V, Kalloy seatpost, WTB Weirwolf 2.1, Kenda Karma 2.0 rear | | Bottom Line: | Money well spent. One of the few pieces that will change frames. There are lighter levers but much more expensive as well. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Weekend Warrior
from killeen tx
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | dana's peak | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$32.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | good looks, light, powerful, bend "easily" | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | deore,lx,avid sd5,other cheap no names | | Bike Setup: | 04 stumpjumper fsr w/avid mech disc brakes and mag levers | | Bottom Line: | I have broke an lx lever(causing a puncture wound in my hand) and the deore. this gives you no option but to buy another set. the avids are designed to bend rather than break this is safer and gives you a chance bend them back. my sd5's did bend about ten degrees on a rather hard crash not the first one i promise and i rode my bike like that for over a month and then fixed them and put them on my hard tail still working fine the mags have seen their fare share of wrecks too and no problems yet. for those that are bending them all the time try these two things; rotate the levers so they are not pointed straight up and keep the bike on its wheels | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil Guiver
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | All of them! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | $80 CAN | | Strengths: | Light
Adjustable
Strong
Powerful
Looks kool | | Weaknesses: | None so far... | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale F400 Stock except for Easton EA70 Flatbar, Avid Mag Levers, Avid Single Digit 7 Calipers and Michelin Tires. | | Bottom Line: | These are the best levers I have tried... yet the only ones besides those crummy stock levers that came on my bike. Adjustability is a good addition to these levers. Buy them now!
...And they also look insanely kool! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonds, WA
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came with Stumpjumper | | Strengths: | Light, look good, setup really easily, feel better than anything Shimano or SRAM. Simple design. | | Weaknesses: | Bent twice in crashes, now the finish is cracking off because of the bending, and I'm afraid for the magnesium, especially since I'm not sure but I think magnesium gets really weak when it is bare and exposed to water. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid 1.0's, others | | Bike Setup: | '01 Stumpjumper Pro, some tasty stuff | | Bottom Line: | These levers would be perfect if you never crashed. But this is mountain biking, and if you never crash every once in a while, you're not pushing yourself enough. I'm kinda sad to toss them because they worked soo soo well. Oh well, I'm getting the Ultimates now, those will work even better and not break (I work at a shop, and can still barely afford them). | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Oscar
a Cross Country Rider
from Miami, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Good looks, Great feel, Stiff and works great. | | Weaknesses: | These levers bend easy and break. | | Similar Products Used: | Avid 1.9 (these don't brake but don't look as sweet) | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Jekyll | | Bottom Line: | If your an aggressive rider I don't recommend these levers. I've had to bend the levers back to place more then twice and this past week the lever broke off on a fall. Yes they look and feel good but unless you don't plan on falling get something that can with stand a little more punishment. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
aleks
a Cross Country Rider
from brooklyn NY
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Great value, looks too damn cool. Matches perfectly my bike's red/black scheme. | | Weaknesses: | Bends easily but can be straitnd the other way very easily. | | Similar Products Used: | xtr,xt,lx,1.9's | | Bike Setup: | trek 6500frame: uraccos: xt: bonti's and ritchey the rest. | | Bottom Line: | Great functioning levers for the price. Great adjustability. Collects too much dirt with those ports. Still i would get them agian istead of XTR. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
E-Train
a Cross Country Rider
from Ridgefield, CT
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Ninham in Carmel, NY | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | Sweet feel that you come to expect from avid | | Weaknesses: | Might be a little heavy | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bike Setup: | Klein Attitude Comp | | Bottom Line: | I've had good luck with these levers so far. I was able to buy them online cheap, so they didn't cost me much. It seems like there is a real problem with these levers braking, but I've been lucky so far. Overall, there a good pair of levers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Calvin
a Cross Country Rider
from Muskoka, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | typical Avid feel and performance | | Weaknesses: | bends as easy as cooked spagetti | | Similar Products Used: | Avid 1.9
Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | stock FSRxc Pro | | Bottom Line: | I've read the other reviews and I have to agree with the two recurring trends I noticed: levers bend way to easily, and poor customer service.
When I e-mailed Avid with warranty issues they responded by insulting my intelligence and attributing thoughts and opinions to me that I simply did not express. They were far too defensive and after reading the other reviews I now know why: it seems the problems I have had with the Mag levers is very prevalent. On the plus side, after about five weeks the did eventually send me Ti levers as replacement.
Overall, I like Avid levers but would suggest getting the old 1.9's if you can. The ones I've had on my hardtail for three years now are barely recognizable from the abuse they've taken from crashes, yet they still perform almost as good as they did new. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a Cross Country Rider
from Waldport ,Or 97394
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Oregon Coast Cyclery | | Strengths: | They work great when there not bent or broken.Geat feel but I think that just comes with any Avid lever. | | Weaknesses: | Boke two Damn pair! Not to mention that I've bent them several time just on stupid stuff before they broke. | | Similar Products Used: | XT,XTR | | Bike Setup: | Custom Ogel Ti frame,lots of RaceFace and XTR.No Rapid Fire,thus the Avids. | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy these unless you love to buy stuff and have it break.Not to mention loosing a ride because the damn lever broke in your hand!If I coukd give these things a negative rating,I would.Regular SpeedDials are tuff,but the mags just to soft. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
næstep
a Downhiller
from SF Bay Area, California
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikeworld.com | | Strengths: | Avid Customer Service
Speed Dial modulation adjustment
Nice Feel | | Weaknesses: | Heavier than advertised
Some slop in pivot (problem solved?) | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT
Dia Comp | | Bike Setup: | Avid Mech Disc in front, AR50 in rear | | Bottom Line: | After breaking a Shimano lever in a low-speed endo and going through the frusteration of trying to get a replacement part, I gave up. I turned to Avid for their reputation of strong customer support and replacement parts availability. I wasn't disappointed.
I settled on the Mags more for the asthetics than anything else. Every indication in the mtbr brake forum and here in the reviews shows they are heavier than advertised, so if you're watching weight, don't be surprised. From that standpoint, they are a little overpriced.
The Speed Dial feature is a very useful adjustment to have literally at your fingertips. This allows me to find the right balance of power and modulation with my disc up front and my Arch Rivals in the rear. The Shimano levers I used previously had only 3 settings, and involved removing the brake cable and tweezing out little plastic blocks — not very practical on the trail.
One of my levers was missing a small Ny-lock nut in the Speed Dial adjuster. I wrote to Avid asking for an extra nut, but instead recieved 2 brand new levers in the mail no more than 3 days later.
The new levers solved another "problem" I didn't know I had: the original levers had a little slop in the pivots, the new ones did not. The slop was only noticable when the levers were free. Once I connected the brake cable, there was no slop apparant and no difference in feel between the new and old levers.
Avid's customer service shouldn't be overlooked. It impresseed me enough that I eventually purchased their mechanical disc brake, and just recently their Arch Rival side-pull brakes. They've since sent me new-compound pads for the discs, and a tighter noodle for the AR50s, free of charge. I don't think I'd see this level of customer support from Shimano or SRAM. That definitely adds to the value of their product.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
uglyvern
a Cross Country Rider
from SF
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$65.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | Works well, reach and modulation adjustments. | | Weaknesses: | Overpriced and deceptively marketed. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano STX, XT levers. | | Bike Setup: | GT hardtail frame with assorted components | | Bottom Line: | Avid's speed dial Mags were marketed on the Avid web site as the thing to get "when every gram counts." Well, that's a load of crap. These levers work fine for me, but they cost a lot. For the price, you are supposed to get a lightweight component. The pair of levers specs at 142g, but when you put them on a gram balance, you find out they actually weigh 174.3g -- that's the spec weight for the much cheaper Speed Dial 7's. Avid doesn't sell the Mag series anymore, now they have the Ti series, which looks the same as the Mag stuff, and supposedly specs to a similarly light weight. They're probably lying about those, too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kelly Paasch
a Cross Country Rider
from Utah
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | ben lomand | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | light, cool looking | | Weaknesses: | weaker than anything I've ever seen, bad costumer service | | Similar Products Used: | XT, XTR, LX, AVID 20, Avid 10, REAL | | Bike Setup: | 2001 rockett | | Bottom Line: | Got the levers on my new 2001 rockett stage 1. Out of the box the right lever was straight but had hos stretch marks. I didn't think to big of a deal of it. I went on two off road rides and like five street rides and after one crash on the stairs the left lever just broke off. And the right lever bent, not because it hit something but because of the pressure from my hand on it. For the record, I also have never broke a lever before. So I called avid about a warrenty and the guy was nice and said he would send me a new set if I sent the old ones back (I work at a shop) and so now its been over three weeks and NOTHING has arrived from avid. I am very disapointed with there customer service also and will never get a speed dial mag lever set again, because they are so increadibly weak. Not only did the levers suck but the customer service either flat out lied or is to unorganized to do their job. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Troy
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Cool bronze colour and groovy cutouts. | | Weaknesses: | The lever arms are SOFT and bend very easily. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT, XTR | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, Avid Mag brakes, Avid Mag levers, XT/XTR, Manitou Mars C, Spox Spinnergy Wheels | | Bottom Line: | I bent the left lever arm on my first ride.
I am a small rider in my mid 30's and I enjoy cross-country riding. I leave the gnarly downhill stuff to the younger crowd. But, like most cross-country riders I do occasionaly wipeout. On my first ride I went over the bars at about 5Km/H. Quite graceful actually, and I landed in a soft pile of brush. My bike was perfectly fine except for the bent lever.
In another similar mishap a few months later I bent the right lever.
The levers are VERY easy to bend back to their original shape, owing to the absolute softness of the material used in their construction (I think it's some kind of jello with a mild hardening agent). However, I don't know how many times I can rebend the levers before they snap. Also, the bending forces the brake hoods apart resulting in a very sloppy and loose brake lever.
I recommend that everyone avoid these levers like the plague until the arm material can be improved. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Malcolm Marrs
a Downhiller
from Glasgow
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Amazing performance
Adjustable!
Great feel! | | Weaknesses: | Um............ still thinking........ | | Similar Products Used: | Maguras | | Bottom Line: | BUY THESE NOW. Great colour and looks too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Woonsocket, RI
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tower Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Strong braking, Good modulation, Good feel, Super adjustable, Light weight | | Weaknesses: | Bend way too easy | | Similar Products Used: | Avid SD1.9, Shimano | | Bike Setup: | FSRxc Pro | | Bottom Line: | I've been using Avid brakes for almost 3 years and have always been impressed with their braking systems and these are no exception. They work great but bend way too easy. I had a pretty soft crash and bent both levers pretty good. And for the record I have never bent a lever in 4 years of mountain biking. I heard that Avid has a great crash replacement policy so no big deal right? Wrong! One phone call and two emails later they have not even responded to me. Their website promises they will answer all emails. They obviously don't(It's been over 3 weeks). When I called I was told that their customer service rep was at lunch and was promised that if I left a message on his voice mail he would get back to me as soon as possible. I've been waiting 2 weeks on that one. I will try calling one more time and if this isn't taken care of I will never buy another Avid product again. Overall I can't reccommend these levers. 5 chillies for performance minus 2 for bending too easy, minus 3 for piss poor customer service. I'd give them a zero if I could. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alfonso
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | bikeworld.com | | Strengths: | Mag = MAGnificent modulation control and on the fly tuning capability; strong; feather light; easy setup and no maintenance | | Weaknesses: | that metallic orange coat is ugly as sin | | Similar Products Used: | Tektro, LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Superlight, full custom build | | Bottom Line: | Marvellous things. I have them mated to SRAM ESP 9.0 brakes on both front and rear... what an awesome combination. Took me an aweful long time to find this magical pair, but I'm glad I persisted as I didn't have to compromise on my dream bike after all. I've never used a more adjustable, ergonomic lever... ever: equally comfortable in two-finger or one-finger squeeze regardless of terrain or speed. No feedback from rims, pads or calipers whatsoever. Modulation control is naturally consistent and intuitive. Beatifully engineered to stand up to high-impact hits without a crack.
If you're in the market for these levers, I highly recommend getting the gray ones, cuz those orange levers... damn. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nate
a
from Redding
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$59.00 | | Purchased At: | Jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | Looks
Weight
Ease of installation
Speed Dial
POWERFUL!
| | Weaknesses: | hmmm...that they weren't installed on my bike in the first place | | Similar Products Used: | no-name levers, LX, Avid 2.0's | | Bike Setup: | Fisher....XT f & R derailleurs Avid mags...XT sun Sub 4 wheel, XMO o2 fork...etc... | | Bottom Line: | These will increase your confidence braking while lessening the weight of your bike. These levers are sweet...the ease of installation was well...easy....and the speed-dial feature is one of the best brake innovations ever! The Colors are awesome...and the modulation is great! GET THESE LEVERS! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from New York
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | bikeworld.com | | Strengths: | GREAT looks, very light, bend before breaking, speed dial, great adjustability, very responsive. | | Weaknesses: | The price was ok but im a penny pincher. | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM 5.0 Grilon composite brake levers | | Bike Setup: | SRAM Brakes (really Bad) and shiny new avid brake levers. | | Bottom Line: | If you want everything to be great with your levers these are them. Forget Shimano ,SRAM or any other companies outhere. AVID all the way.
Final thought: Great Levers: Avid should be commended for these. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Bolt
a Cross Country Rider
from Inverness Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Matalan | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Bonty Bikes | | Strengths: | Looks
Modulation
Power
The list is endless! | | Weaknesses: | Maybe the lever is a tiny, insignificanyly squisy! | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio levers- Crap!
Maguras- Far too squisy! | | Bike Setup: | Gt Tempest (2000)
Avid Mag brakes and levers
XT Shifters
X-lite stem plug- very cool! | | Bottom Line: | Amazing looks, red adjustable knob is great for on the go modulation! Lovely lever feel and is very light although maybe a little pricey | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James Parman
a Racer
from Fond du Lac
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | weight, bend zone, modulation, looks, speed dial, strength, | | Weaknesses: | blah | | Similar Products Used: | avid sd 1.9l, crappy ass shimano sis | | Bike Setup: | grrr baby! yeah! schwinn homegrown | | Bottom Line: | i've used the 1.9s for some time now, and only steped up to the mags because i've bent the levers too many times and just didn't want to pay the very reasonable $10 replacement cost. bought these brakes, pretty much cause they look cool, they are avids, and i am a firm beleiver in their brake technology, and they are a solid set of levers. modulation is great, gives you an awesome choice, and with that choice comes a great deal of control... every trail faster with more controlled braking. decend with confidence, and stop on a dime.. avid is awesome... I beleive without a doubt that these brakes are equal to or far superior to any other brake on the market at any price range. five slaughtered shimano levers all day! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve C
a Weekend Warrior
from San Jacinto, CA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | So far..."Simpson Park" | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | LOOKS...LOOKS...LOOKS...the copper and black is killer. The speed dial feature is super, you can adjust the modulation perfectly. | | Weaknesses: | Nothing comes to mind. | | Similar Products Used: | Ovation (Marin's house brand), XT's | | Bike Setup: | 2k Marin Nail Trail, XT Drive Train, Avid's levers w/ XTR brakes. | | Bottom Line: | I saw them and had to have em'. The copper and black goes nicely with the orange and black in my bike. I have the speed dial feature set to full. I have all the stopping power I could want with 1 maybe 2 fingers on really steep stuff. Not the lightest, but they are light 142 grams (according to Avid). Nice Lever, It's got the looks and functionality you need and the price was good, 70 something at Cambriabike.com | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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