Submitted by
rooster
a Racer
from boulder, co Date Reviewed: May 18, 2002
Favorite Trail:
not telling
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
stock on gary fisher
Strengths:
they work for at least 1 year
Weaknesses:
there is a collar where the spring tension is that houses the adjuster screw for pad clearance. cracked clean off. so far three of them are cracked. bike unusable until replaced.
Similar Products Used:
avid 1.0, old diacomp brakes
Bike Setup:
gary fisher supercaliber
Bottom Line:
This review is for the Avid Mags. What's the deal? You spend lots of cash for bike parts that last less than two years. Add a freakin gram or two and make something last a little more time. A $2000 plus bike and the parts are crap. Throw me a bone here people.
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:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Pricepoint.com
Strengths:
Work well, easy to adjust.
Weaknesses:
Overpriced, deceptively marketed.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano STX, XT brakes.
Bike Setup:
GT hardtail with assorted components.
Bottom Line:
The Avid Arch Rival Mags look indentical to Avid's Arch Rival V-brake. It has that tech-y looking arch that centers the pads on the rim -- easy to adjust, and stops well. That said, no one should ever buy the Mag series brake, unless you get a hell of a deal. My pair of brakes cost me $120, and I spent another $65 for the Speed Dial Mag levers (see my dissatisified lever review). I was cool with that because they were supposed to work great and _weigh very little_. Well, the Arch Rival Mag caliper+pads spec at 179g, but they actually weigh 209g -- 60 g difference for the front and rear brakes combined! The regular non-Mag Arch Rival's spec at 198g per caliper, and you can get them with Speed Dial 7 levers from SuperGo for $90. Stay the hell away from Avid's light weight line (now renamed Ti, instead of Mag) ... they just change the color, lie about the weight, and charge you 2X.
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Submitted by
BVBR
a Racer
from Ocomukowonowaukesha, WI Date Reviewed: March 2, 2001
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$69.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
Its not Shimano
Weaknesses:
Its not Shimano
Similar Products Used:
XT, XTR, Avid SD 2.0
Bike Setup:
SC Superlight
Bottom Line:
I'm kind of disappointed so far. The brake arms have a little play in them. The cable binder bolt interferes with the spring (I bent the last 5mm of spring to get it to clear the cable clamp area). The bolts that come with it are way too long & way too heavy. And I can see this arch easily clogging with leaves and mud. This is unacceptable for a high performance V-brake system. The actual brake power is on par with other parallel push V brake designs. The weight is identical to my XTR's.
I should've bought another set of XTR's. My XTR's are rock solid, smooth as butter, and have real bearings in them to keep them that way. The XTR's are also cheaper!
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Submitted by
Dickson
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo, CA USA Date Reviewed: February 7, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Eldridge Grade, Mt. Tamp
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
Cambria Bicycle Outfitter
Strengths:
Light, brain-dead simple to set up, pads hit the rims in parallel fashion (sort of like XTR v-brakes).
Weaknesses:
Clamping bolt angled down instead of flat against the brake arm, which interferes slightly with the spring.
Specialized S-works FSR, with XTR shifter/brake levers combination.
Bottom Line:
No one can probably tell difference in function (or weight) compare to Arch Rival 50 , but the weight conscious would love the 20 grams savings per set. Got them on sale at CBO to replace old LX V Brakes. Did not become sloppy over time like earlier generation XTR V brakes.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
shane fadely
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntington, WV Date Reviewed: September 12, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Tea Berry
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Ridge Rider Mt. Bikes
Strengths:
Super light, good modulation, ease of adjustment, pretty copper color, cheap at wholesale cost, better than my '96 XT V-brakes!
Weaknesses:
Easily bendable magnesium levers, Rr. stock pads (Kool-Stop) pads squealed, lose power in mud and wet, am having a hard time keeping the action smooth (I even lube and clean my cables every ride).
Similar Products Used:
XT-v brakes and XTR
Bike Setup:
doesn't matter
Bottom Line:
I actually own the Mags not the Arch Mags. I posted the review in this one because there was no text for the Mags. Also, Avid never produced the Arch Mags in 2000. Good brakes overall, but I've felt the new XTR V's and they are awful good. The new XT discs my friend had are also really sweet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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