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Avid Arch Rival 50 Brakes
By Jon Sharp
Before the advent of Shimano V-Brakes, how did we ever slow down or stop? I remember
the days when setting up my Cantilevers was an all-day ordeal. That wasn't
the problem, though--stopping was always the problem. After Shimano created
the V-Brake, a host of after-market manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon
with their many variations on this theme. The Avid Arch Rival 50 Brake
is one of the best examples I've seen--even better than Shimano XT V-brakes.
One of the most prominent features of this brake is its well-designed parallel
push mechanism. On most brakes, the brake pad travels in an arc towards
the rim, often hitting the rim at an angle. Aiming the brake pad so it
reaches the rim at an almost parallel angle makes setup difficult. Not
so with the Arch Rival 50s. The pads move straight in toward the rim with
the help of the hinged arch connecting the two brake arms. Alignment of
the brakes is easy, and the pads wear more evenly.
The Arch Rival 50s uses cartridge brake pads similar to Shimano's pads. Although
these seem to wear out faster than standard pads, they can be changed
without the need to completely readjust the brakes. Tension is handled
by two screws--one on each arm--making adjustment easy.
The most outstanding feature of this brake is its stopping ability. Most linear
pull brakes (AKA V-Brakes) are powerful, but nothing prepared me for these.
Even in wet conditions I was able to notice a substantial improvement
over other linear pull brakes I've used. In fact, they also stop better
than some disc brakes I've used. They are also quiet. Even after miles
and miles of riding, the pivots don't chatter at all (even on an extremely
stiff aluminum hardtail) and I haven't noticed any decrease in performance.
Summary: Avid has been making great brakes for a long time and the Arch
Rival 50s are just one more example of how well they make them. These
brakes are incredible stoppers, easy to adjust, and at $54.95 per wheel,
they're a pretty good deal. I recommend these brakes to anyone looking
for a reasonably-priced low-maintenance brake that always slow you down,
rain or shine.
Jon Sharp is a Contributing Editor to GearReview.com
specializing in mountain biking.
For more information contact:
www.avidbike.com
Avid Performance Brakes and Components
2875 W. Oxford Avenue #7
Englewood, Colorado 80110
USA
Phone: 303-762-9353
Fax: 303-762-1133
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