People say that you know something's good when you don’t notice it–that is, whatever it is works so well that it doesn’t distract from the riding experience or bring attention to itself. This wasn’t the case on my first ride testing the Guide RSC brakes in March 2014, when they made themselves known on my very first descent down the Captain Ahab trail in Moab, Utah. No brake since the first time I slapped a pair of discs on a bike in 2001 has made such a massive improvement in braking performance.
Look at a car or motorcycle brake and you’ll notice that the pads sit flush against the rotor. But we cyclists aren’t cool with that–even if the rubbing isn’t actually slowing us down, it sounds like it is. But this causes problems. The more clearance we give to prevent rubbing, the farther the pistons have to advance to contact the rotor for the stopping to start. And there’s only so much room to pull the lever before it hits the handlebar.
To correct this imbalance, we need a mechanical advantage– something that makes the pistons advance a lot with just a twitch of the finger. But if the pads continue to advance that quickly once they start contacting the rotor, you’ll have super-grabby brakes. The Guides have a roller cam that changes leverage rates at different points in the stroke. With this, SRAM has done a superb job of optimizing pad clearance and modulation. Combine this with independent pad contact and reach adjustments, and you’ve got a leader in performance and tuneability.
Power comes on like a ton of feathers–there’s a lot of it, but it’s not harsh. It’s easy to apply just the right amount of power in order to scrub speed without locking the wheel up. This means more traction and control, which means more speed, later braking into corners, and, ultimately, more fun.
The Guides are consistent as well. I’ve never ridden a brake that engaged at the exact same spot every time, but these come damn close. All brakes make noise at some point, and these are no exception. I’ve found that if the pads are bedded-in properly and are contamination-free, the Guides don’t make any more or less noise than average.
SRAM may not have the strongest reputation for its brakes after well-documented issues with its Elixir and hydraulic road models, but we at Bike have tested dozens of bikes equipped with Guide brakes, and my original set is still going strong after a year-and-ahalf of riding. There’s no brake I’d rather grab.
Price 205$ per brake (excluding rotor)
