SRAM’s new mineral-oil equipped Maven brakes are its most powerful yet

The Maven offers 50 per cent more power than its closest counterpart, the SRAM Code

By Robin Weaver

Published: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 15:00 PM

The new SRAM Maven is the brand’s most powerful disc brake ever made, designed for downhill, enduro and eMTB riders and racers.

Thanks in part to the entirely new caliper and larger-volume lever, the Maven is said to produce a whopping 50 per cent more power than the Code, SRAM’s current downhill-oriented offering.

It’s also the first high-end mountain bike disc brake from the brand to use mineral oil (also used in SRAM’s cheaper DB8 model), suggesting it may now be the last we see of DOT oil in new braking systems from SRAM.

Five things you need to know about the new SRAM Maven brakes

  • Claimed to be 50 per cent more powerful than Codes
  • Use mineral oil
  • New pad design (available in organic or sintered)
  • Available in four different models. Prices range from £200 / $185 (single Bronze-level brake) to £599 / $599 (pair of Ultimate-level brakes with the Expert extras kit)
  • Longer service intervals compared to DOT fluid counterparts

SRAM Maven brake details and specifications

Mick Kirkman / SRAM

The new Maven brake uses the familiar Stealth lever (designed to keep the hoses closer to the handlebar for a cleaner finish), but with an increased volume.

What’s not so familiar is the all-new caliper, though.

More bolts, bigger pads and more power

SRAM Ult Expert cal Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Ult Ex caliper
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

The Maven’s caliper is chunky. Seriously chunky. Look closely and you’ll spot four, rather than two, body bolts fixing the two caliper halves together.

These are made from titanium in the case of the Ultimate Expert and Ultimate brakes, and stainless steel for the Silver and Bronze versions.

This is to reduce flex through the caliper body when the pads are clamping onto the disc rotor. In turn, by reducing flex, SRAM was able to reduce power loss.

To boost bite further, SRAM opted for four large-diameter pistons. Inside the Maven calipers, you’ll find a pair of 19.5mm and another pair of 18mm pistons (all of which are made from phenolic plastic).

That’s a significant jump from the 15mm and 16mm equivalents found in the Code brake.

SRAM Ult Expert cal Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Top of caliper
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

According to SRAM, the Maven offers a 50 per cent boost in power over the Code brake.

Or, to look at it in another way, the Maven requires 32 per cent less force at the lever to achieve the same braking power as the Code.

On top of that, these new, large calipers are said to be designed to better manage the extreme temperatures they’re likely to encounter.

Being able to handle these fluctuations and spikes in temperature should help the Mavens perform consistently, when on the longest runs under heavy braking.

Greater consistency is said to also come from the new, heat-resistant proprietary seals. These, SRAM claims, are better at maintaining an air-tight seal under hard braking, where high brake temperatures are reached.

You can no longer access the pads from the top of the caliper, due to the placement of the two central body bolts.

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Pad comparison
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

That means, should you want to swap your pads, you’ll need to do so from the underside of the caliper.

The pads in question here – dubbed ‘Maven XL’ – are new, too, and considerably bigger than you’d find in the Code brakes.

They’re available in sintered or organic (which come fitted as standard) options and use the same compounds and materials as found on the Code pads.

Maven has the minerals

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Pro mineral oil bleed kit
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

Like the DB8, SRAM’s lower-end four-piston brake launched in 2022, the new Maven uses mineral oil.

Yes, that’s right, it looks as if SRAM is moving slowly away from DOT fluid.

Why the change? Well, SRAM says its co-developed Maxima Mineral Brake Oil, which has been designed to work with the new seals found inside the Maven, offers the best performance possible, even outdoing DOT equivalents.

Our brake fluid buyer’s guide gives great insights into the pros and cons of mineral versus DOT oil.

In short, although DOT fluid is impressive at dealing with heat, its boiling point will reduce as the fluid absorbs moisture over time, meaning regular maintenance (a yearly bleed and oil change) is necessary to keep brakes feeling sharp. DOT oil might be cheaper, but it’s corrosive and not the nicest to work with.

Mineral oil also deals with heat well but won’t absorb water, which helps to keep the brakes feeling consistent for longer. It’s non-corrosive, making it easier to work with, but can be a little bit pricier.

SRAM says the Maven brake should only need a full bleed and oil change every two years, which is impressive and no doubt a real plus for brands with large demo fleets.

The launch literature supplied by SRAM states using any oil other than the Maxima Mineral Brake Oil will void the warranty of the brake, so please be careful when it comes to carrying out maintenance.

Let there be leverage

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes - lever
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

While the levers look similar to the latest SRAM Stealth offering, their volume has been upped for the Maven brake. Although we don’t know the exact percentage increase, we have asked SRAM.

The Stealth design helps to put the brake hoses closer to the bar for a cleaner look, made even cleaner if paired with SRAM’s wireless gearing and dropper post.

As you’d expect, there’s tool-free reach adjust on all four brake models (Ultimate Expert, Ultimate, Silver and Bronze). The pricier of the three also gets a pad contact point adjustment dial.

The lever blade itself is made from forged aluminium (though the cheapest Bronze model features a stamped aluminium alternative) and unique to the Maven lever.

There’s no carbon option and SRAM says you can’t fit a Code carbon lever in place, despite their similarities.

All Maven models feature SRAM’s SwingLink technology – a cam inside the lever designed to reduce lever deadband – which has been tailored specifically for the Maven and all of its power.

The three more expensive models use a bearing at the lever, while the Bronze version gets a slightly cheaper bushing instead.

Parts make prizes

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

There are two brackets available to fit the Maven, depending on rotor size (though of course you can clamp directly to your fork or frame if the post-mount size works).

While these may not look any different from what’s currently on the market, SRAM says these new brackets are beefed up, adding more material to deal with the increased braking forces, keeping it more stable and maintaining stiffness when you’re hauling on the anchors.

While the 20P-1 mount covers 160 and 180mm rotors, the 20P-2 takes care of 200 and 220mm discs.

SRAM says a 20mm jump in rotor size equates to a 14 per cent boost in braking power.

If you want to ensure you get absolutely everything you need, there’s a Maven Ultimate Expert kit available.

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

Not only does this include the new brakes, but also two sets of organic and two sets of sintered Maven XL pads, four HS2 rotors (1x220mm, 2x200mm and 1x180mm), two brake-mounting brackets, two MMX clamps, a Pro mineral oil bleed kit and a swanky rotor travel bag.

The Ultimate Experts also get a limited-edition ‘Red Splash’ finish, just in case you want to look a little flashier than your mates.

One thing worth mentioning about the bleed kit is that the Mavens use a new 5mm Bleeding Edge fitment. This is unique to the Maven and designed to prevent any accidental use with DOT fluid kits.

Oh, and the bleed process is no different from other SRAM brakes, it just requires the use of a mineral oil bleed kit.

Range overview

SRAM Maven Ultimate Stealth Expert kit

SRAM Ult Expert cal Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Ult Expert cal
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

SRAM Maven Ultimate Stealth

SRAM Ult Expert cal Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Ult cal
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

SRAM Maven Silver Stealth

SRAM Ult Expert cal Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Silver cal
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

SRAM Maven Bronze Stealth

SRAM Maven brakes for mountain bikes - Bronze cal
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

Ride impressions

Male rider testing the SRAM Maven brakes
Mick Kirkman / SRAM

Having only spent a very short amount of time on the Mavens, I’ll keep my ride impressions brief and save all the details for a full review.

I swapped the 220mm HS2 rotors (front and rear) and Code Ultimate Stealth brakes to 200mm rotors and the Maven Ultimate Stealth brakes.

On the trail, despite the drop in rotor size, the Maven felt more powerful and punchy than the already impressive Code stoppers.

Lever action, feel and modulation are almost identical, though.

The additional bite takes a little getting used to, simply because these things can slow you down so quickly with a relatively light squeeze of the lever. That means on longer, steeper trails, your hands feel fresher.

I’ll leave it there for now and follow up with a full review in the coming months.