Brakes V > Avid Brakes V

A Slice of Retro Chic

Advantages: Well made. Well finished. Excellent durabilty. Quality piece of kit
Disadvantages: Come equipped with Rim Wranglers Brake Pads

A bit of History V-brakes were originally developed by Shimano, and were an improvement on the older centre pull cantilever brakes. By lengthening the arms the amount of force applied to the rim could be increased, so improving braking performance. V-brakes are now being superseded by disc brakes. Disc brakes offer vastly superior wet weather braking performance, and are the brake of choice where extreme performance is required i.e. freeride ...
...7's feature Force Vector Alignment, and stainless hardware. Build quality and finish is excellent. I know because I have some Deore's and Tektro's to compare them against. Durability is good too - paint and fittings have lasted extremely well despite 2 years worth of being sprayed with mud and then hosed down by yours truly. No doubt the stainless hardware is the main factor in the lack of rustiness. It is also possible to strip, grease, and rebuild ...

fred_redwood 26.05.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Avid Single Digit 7 Brake

A welcome brake

Advantages: Stops your bike. Easy to setup.
Disadvantages: Takes a while to bed in. Supplied pads rubbish.

...but you'd be wrong, as Shimano will be eager to prove. Shimano have been doing V-brakes for quite a while now, and the LX really demonstrates that. Whilst I was sorely tempted by a disc brake, I can't really see what all the fuss is about. Yes, if you're into hurtling down hills on your 55lb monster downhill bike then discs are for you, if you're a cross country rider trying to shave a bit off the weight then vees are still you best bet. The brake ...
...unfortunate incident involved the legendary Shimano brake pads, which are generally made out of the same stuff they make soft pencil erasers from. The net result of this is that when you apply enough force to the brake to slow you down in a hurry, you quickly get through half the pad in one go. Still, when a decent set of pads costs you nearly half the cost of the brake, it gives you some idea of the quality of the included pads. Overall, a nice ...

Pritch 12.05.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Shimano Brakeset LX M570