Avid Ultimate L Brake LeversA Long Term Evaluation by Casper |
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Construction
Made from CNC-machined aluminium alloy, with titanium mounting bolts and finished in raw aluminium silver. (Newer brake levers come in a black finish, as in the photo above.) The mounting clamp design allows you to install and remove the levers without removing other controls. The levers pivot on sealed cartridge bearings. They also feature Avid's Speed Dial adjusters mounted on the leading edge of the lever body. These adjusters allow you to fine-tune the feel of the levers: from snappy, with an on-off feel, to softer, with more modulation. The lever bodies have 3 "windows" machined through them, to allow you to see the position of the Speed Dial adjusters. Each lever blade has a return spring. A "bend zone" is incorporated into each lever (like the Shimano) so that a hard, direct impact will likely just bend and not break the levers, allowing you to continue riding to reach your next upgrade. Weight is not especially light at 150 grams, but compares favourably with the Shimano XTR levers, which weigh 165 grams. Minimalist levers such as the Kooka Racha come in at under 100 grams.Performance
They perform as advertised, still smooth after 3 years of abuse and without any looseness or play in them. This is due to the sealed cartridge bearing pivots, which also set apart the Avid Ultimate from all other levers. The Speed Dial adjusters also work well, significantly increasing the leverage as you screw the adjuster in. In fact, they work better than the XTR levers on two counts: first, the adjusters themselves are much easier to use than the Shimano ones, which require strong fingernails and a little patience. Secondly, the cable end holders on the XTR levers will slide on the adjuster rails when you begin to engage the brake, producing a clicking noise before the brake pads start to bite. No such niggles with the Avids.The shape of the lever blades is comfortable for my medium-sized hands. Two-finger braking is not a problem.
Durability appears to be good, as the levers have also survived several crashes — in some cases taking direct impacts — without any ill effects. The trick is not to overtighten the clamps to allow the lever to move on the bar in the event of a crash. Better for the levers to move out of adjustment than to break.
Warts
- Cost. Mucho dinero that would be better spent on your child's tuition fees. No way can you justify paying this for brake levers this expensive when the XTR performs nearly as well for much less. Except, that is, to make a statement on the rarity of the parts adorning your bike and on your foolishness in paying for it.
- Difficult to Rebuild. My old Ritchey Logic levers would develop slop on the pivots after a few weeks, but I would be able to grease the pivot and retighten it very easily. The bearings on the Avids, on the other hand, should last several lifetimes, but will be a hassle to replace if it does go south on you.
- Cable adjusters. Though quite ingeniously designed, the cable adjusters can fall off the bike in transportation if you don't make sure that the brake cable is properly hooked on the cable stop on the brake arms (even if the wheel is not installed). The tension in the cables will ensure that the barrel adjusters stay within the lever body.
Conclusion
There are very little wrong with the Ultimate L levers. So it should be, given how expensive the levers are. These are the best levers money can buy, but aren't a rational purchase when you can get the cold-forged (not machined) version of the Speed Dial or even the Shimano XTR for much less.Links
- Avid website
- User reviews of Avid Ultimate L levers on mtbr.com
