Tuesday, 25 March 2014

SRAM Guide RSC brakes - First ride review

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Robust, consistent, powerful and lightweight were the four criteria SRAM’s brake engineers were searching for when they began the development of the Guide brake two years ago.


The process began by taking a hard look at the competition and making note of what worked and what didn’t. The result of this competitive analysis is a new brake platform that appears to have shed the most common issues associated with past SRAM/Avid brakes, while maintaining robust braking power and improving lever feel and overall adjustability. We spent a few days test riding in Utah, and came away impressed.



  • Highs: Excellent modulation, easy to fine-tune lever feel

  • Lows: Slight weight gain over the brake system it replaces


SRAM's new centerline rotor was designed to run cooler and quieter than previous sram/avid rotor designs: sram's new centerline rotor was designed to run cooler and quieter than previous sram/avid rotor designs


Related: Complete breakdown of the three new Guide brake systems


On the trail


“Dancing around the edge of lock-up,” is how James Alberts, SRAM’s mountain bike brake product manager, described the Guide’s performance. We found it to be an apt description.


Our proving grounds in Moab, Utah, provided a range of terrain that offered drastically different levels of traction. Within a 10-meter section of trail, surface often changes from grippy sandstone, to sand over rock, to sand. In such conditions the ability to deftly adjust braking power without losing traction is paramount.


Over three days of testing we were always able to find the sweet spot between locking up the brakes and providing just enough power to slow our roll while maintaining traction and were never left wanting for power.


BikeRadar spent three days riding the new brakes in moab, utah. we came away impressed with the brake's consistency and modulation :


We found the Guide brakes modulation better than any of the company’s previous brakes we’ve ridden


Under hard braking the Guides feel quite similar to the X0 Trail brakes they will soon replace, though it’s their ability to deliver subtle amounts of braking power that make them stand out.


The modulation of the Guide brakes is markedly better than any of the company’s previous brakes we’ve ridden. The range between feathering the brake and locking up the wheels has been markedly increased. The result is predictable, controlled braking performance that allows riders to scrub the bare minimum amount of speed needed to maintain traction.


Ergonomics, too, are improved. The independent reach and contact point adjustments made it incredibly easy to dial in our preferred amount of throw and find our ideal lever position.


The icing on the cake was the sound of silence: the Centerline rotors appear to have silenced the warbling or "turkey gobble" sounds that has plagued past generations of SRAM and Avid brakes. Our test brakes were equipped with sintered metallic pads that stayed quite despite the dusty desert conditions.


Component manufacturer sram has just launched guide, a new brake platform designed with an eye towards adjustability and improved modulation. the guide lever offers independent reach and contact point adjustments, and uses a cam system, dubbed swinglink, that provides a progressive leverage curve for improved modulation: component manufacturer sram has just launched guide, a new brake platform designed with an eye towards adjustability and improved modulation. the guide lever offers independent reach and contact point adjustments, and uses a cam system, dubbed swinglink, that provides a progressive leverage curve for improved modulation


Verdict


The Guide RSC offers the user plenty of power and mountains of modulation. While the Guide RSC brakes deliver in terms of improving modulation and ergonomics, many readers are likely just as interested in how they will hold up over the long-haul. While we can’t weigh in with any conclusions yet, we’re hopeful that the new master cylinder design will prove less finicky than its predecessors.


We look forward to putting the Guide brakes through a full test to report back on long-term durability.






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