Finish and modulation

Lack of availability (I never see these anywhere), and no quick release

I put these on my road bike to try something different. I use Shimano, so it is kinda lame there is no quick release. But- it is ok shimano users! Just adjust your cable so it is loose enought that you can turn the cable barrel at the caliper to open the brake a bit and slip your tire out. No big deal. A small inconvenience for having great brakes. Hey- it takes you 45 seconds to remove the wheel. But, you have great brakes for a 3 hr. bike ride. Sounds good to me! The brakes have a great finish on them and adjustments are nice. Brake pads are on par with dura-ace. The first time I pulled the lever while I was doing about 28mph going downhill approaching a turn, my jam dropped. It had great modulation and it felt like my bike now had ABS brakes. Ultegra would have just slowed and then skidded the rear wheel, especcially without working the front brake at the same time. The Mavic is far more powerful, similar to a v-brake for a mt. bike. I do not know if zero gravity would be worth the money after trying these. They perform great.

Similar Products Used:

Dura-ace, Ultegra

light, powerful, reliable, responsive

In terms of looks (black) and function (no quick-release) they mix better with Campagnolo components. This of course is only a weakness if you ride with Shimano.

A great set of brakes. No complaints. As many others have said, these brakes are light, powerful, reliable, and responsive. They cost less than Chorus but work just as well, if not better, than Record. They don't have a quick release, but I don't see this as a problem because I use Campagnolo Ergos.

Similar Products Used:

Chorus and Record brakes, Shimano Dura-ace.

best value for money for all the top-end brakes.

no quick release on brake - bad for Shimano users.

in terms of stopping power and modulation, on par with Record 10, definitely better than Ultegra 9. cheaper than Record 10. looks roughly as sexy as Record 10.

Similar Products Used:

Ultegra 9, Record 10, Zero Gravity SS.

great stopping power, lightweight, and good looking.

None yet.

These brakes are fantastic! They have (perhaps) the best bang for your dollar - functionality, aesthetics, and price. Mavic shines in the brake department as well as their wheelsets. I am heavily muscled and still these Mavics possess great stopping power, sexy looks and quality looks that rival the more popular name brands.

Similar Products Used:

record (dual)

Great stopping power, excellent feel and action, great design, fit and finish is beautiful, uses d/a pads (I put in the very mushy zipp carbons, though they're at least consistantly mushy and never fade on fast descents) Lighter and Cheaper than D/A or Campy.

No QR if you have shimano. Kind of hard to find. Not as light as the new Zero G brakes, but much cheaper.

These are awesome brakes. Actually went from shimano to record with these in mind. They look great, and the action is wonderful, much nicer spring than shimano. Great design, efficient, light and strong. They allow great control with the lever - you always know where the pad is - crisp return. Work fine on 45+mph descents. You have to use Campy, however because of the lack of quick release - which is no problem and actually more pleasing - you never have to look silly when you forget to return the quick release on your shimanos.

Similar Products Used:

Shimano

Powerfull and light

None.

Great brakes. I use Campy Record so the lack of a quick release is not an issue. Stops on a dime, light, great looks, and good price compared to the other top-of-the-line stuff.

Similar Products Used:

Various Shimano

Great Stopping power, great looks;high end! Very smooth, light action.

Absolutely none, the best, lightest dual pivot road brake calipers!

Great calipers. Lighter than D.Ace and Record calipers, twice as nice and with exceptional stopping power. An excellent alternative to the high performance norm; these are even better and look far more expensive than they are!

Similar Products Used:

Shimano Ultegra and Campag Chorus and Record

Cool Looks Light Weight Dual Caliper

Not quite the power of Dura Ace

These look great, are light, and stop ok...just ok. Not great for duals, but better than singles...a nice compromise.

Similar Products Used:

Ultegra, Dura Ace

They're different; not Campy or Shimano, black looks great,
light action and mucho stopping force, lighter than Record or Dura-Ace. $50 less expensive than Record and about $25 less than Dura-Ace per set.

Not sure how you'd use them with Shimano since there is no brake caliper release on the brake itself and you can't release the brake caliper from the shifter like with Campy to remove a wheel.
You may feel like the oddball with Mavic brakes if you worry about that sort of thing.

Really strong brakes with light action at the lever, great looking, lighter than just about anything else out there (Cane Creek single pivots are lighter) and priced about like Chorus brakes. I like them because they are different AND they work great. 4 stars for value because nobody NEEDS $139/set brakes. 5 stars overall, they are cool, light, and they work great!

Similar Products Used:

Shimano 105, Sachs New Success from '97.

Cheap given that its lighter than Campy or Shimano's best.
Build qualilty - the finsish on all parts is excellent, the operation is super-smooth.

None really.
But once you have them you have to get black housing, teflon coated cables, black tyres, black bar tape and a carbon fork. It all adds up.

These look great, they are well made, they are lighter than any other double pivot brake, the (cartridge) pads wear quickly but they give you a better chance of outliving them.

If you ride in a pack on the flat, by all means talk aimlessly about how single pivot brakes are lighter. But if you ride anywhere with hills, pedestrians, motorized vehicles and normal stupidity, get double pivot calipers.

I've read complaints about the lack of a release lever. Get a grip - if you ride enough then your wheels aren't going to be so perfectly trued that this is a problem. Anyway, a momentary tweak of the adjustment barrel is possible even wearing ski gloves. Diddums.

Feel free however to spend more on heavier, boring old dura-ace.

Similar Products Used:

Shimano - various single and double pivot. Brewlight titanium single pivot.