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The best move I made this year was swapping the SRAM Level brakes that came with my bike for a set of the US brand’s Maven Ultimate gravity anchors.
After 30+ years of riding mountain bikes, during which time I’ve used stoppers from Hayes, Hope, Magura, Shimano and many more, this was the first time I genuinely felt as though I could stop on a dime.
Their power and performance have been one of the highlights of 2025 for me – and the brakes deserve their place in Gear of the Year.
- Read more: SRAM Maven Ultimate brakes review
More power, more control
When my Norco Fluid VLT long-term bike arrived, I had only one major bugbear – the brakes.
SRAM’s lightweight Level Ultimate Stealth model offers perfectly acceptable performance for cross-country and light trail use, but it’s out of place on an eMTB, even an ‘SL’ one. As soon as I hit anything remotely fast or steep, I found myself hauling on the levers as hard as I could to slow down.
Replacing the Levels with a set of the US brand’s Maven Ultimate Stealth gravity anchors, released in 2024, was a revelation. Suddenly, I didn’t have to think so hard about my braking points, because with a gentle tug of the levers, I could scrub off all the speed I wanted to near-instantly. Hand fatigue and arm pump were no longer issues, and I could focus on enjoying the ride.
Despite having huge power, the brakes don’t feel too grabby or lacking in modulation. The ergonomics of the stubby alloy levers are good too, and the tool-free reach and bite-point adjustment of the Ultimate model is handy to have.
Now, the Maven Ultimates aren’t cheap, at £320 / $330 / €360 per end (without rotors), but SRAM offers more affordable Maven (sometimes listed as ‘Maven Base’), Maven Bronze and Maven Silver models, starting from £180 / $189 / €200. These pack similar power, but offer fewer adjustments and use cheaper hardware.
I haven’t tried bleeding my brakes yet, and because they use mineral oil instead of DOT fluid, I’ll need to invest in a new bleed kit.
I also don’t consider them particularly pretty, especially with my set’s stock black and silver-coloured caliper, rather than the limited-edition ‘red splash’ version pictured here.
But who cares when they’re this powerful and controllable?
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