Avid Speed Dial 7 Brake Lever Review 2011

Avid Speed Dial 7 is the most suggested brake lever to any riders who wants accurate adjustment of modulation on the fly. It is a flexible bike brake lever which helps you to stay controlled on the trail with matching power and modulation. This brake lever works with any brakes and preferably it is used along with Avid BB5, BB7 mechanical disc brake. Normally modulation works best with a brake system that has ‘hard’ or ‘firm’ brake lever. Speed Dail 7 from Avid proves to be firm lever that helps the riders to control the amount of brake power required without locking the wheel. The easy to adjust red color knob in front of the lever gives the ability to change the power required to lock up the wheels and at the same time it does wonders on your modulation adjustment.

Easy Modulation Adjustment

This mountain bike brake lever enables the riders to engage the pad by quick adjustment and Avid has named it ‘Speed Dial’ technology. Speed Dial concept Increase or decrease the feel of braking power both in front and rear and precisely transfer the power to the disc brakes. It is nothing but a tension knob that precisely changes the cable leverage point to give perfect feel of brake power anywhere and anytime without using any tool. This on-the-fly leverage pull adjustable has been used on all Speed Dial series off brake lever models from Avid. It is relatively a light weight and feels more solid than Alivios and Deore LX brake levers. It comes with replaceable lever option and more importantly it is inexpensive. This bike parts does not look stylish as Shimano XT or XTR brake levers but more comfortable than XT.

Light Weight Bike Parts

Avid is selling this Speed Dial 7 brake lever as an after market product. You can readily use along with the old cables without any problem and this lever would be a good replacement bike parts when you upgrade or revamp total braking system or brake lever alone. They truly explore the full potential of any disc brakes have to offers especially Avid disc brakes. Being a light weight is its strength but when brake lever subject to any severe crash then it could easily damage lever body. To overcome this problem Avid has introduced simple ‘Bend Zone’ concept that lets the lever flex when smacked in woods and save the lever body from getting damaged. So next time when you change the lever you no need to change the lever body.

Avid Speed Dial 7 – Grey Color

Avid Speed Dial 7 – Black Color

Durability

Even though this bike brake lever feature ‘Bend Zone’ concept, thin wall body of the lever is not durable enough to cope up with unexpected crash and the lever bends up which could spoil the lever body. Even when you over tighten the screw there is a chance of breaking the lever. But still nobody has ever complained about its durability even though it breaks after contact with trees or crashes. It is totally depend on how you handle the bike when riding through the demanding singletrack. You find them really easy to bend back by hand if it goes off the shape during crash and they are cheap to replace if they break.

Some riders do not like the ‘Bend Zone’ concept even though Avid said that you can bend back the lever after minor crash. Nobody will like to ride with brake handles bend back in place and instead of this Bend Zone concept Avid should have made the lever much stronger. This tunable brake lever improves the stopping power using easy to adjust features and noticeably stiffer than any other lever under its category. It is the most important bike parts of the braking system that comes in a cheap way and the good thing is this lever is compatible with both mechanical disc brakes and V-brake.

Responsive Lever

Almost all the mechanical disc braking system has good stopping power and in order to fully utilize the power it is need to be fixed with more responsive lever. Avid SD 7 lever is designed in such a way that it acts as a better pair for mechanical disc brakes to gives precise response and more control. This mountain bike brake lever has been in the market for many years and it has proved “one finger action” with reach adjustment feature. It is easy to adjust to achieve positive feel that really requires one finger to brake hard. This lever reach adjustment feature works great for winter /thick glove riding. This brake lever feels better than other Shimano levers and works under all condition, whether it is insane downhill or cross country race.

Bottom Line

If you don’t want to spend more money on bike brake lever but wanted really worthy bike parts then you can go for this lever because Avid Speed Dial 7 has its reputation. There are superior Speed Dial models are also available and they meant for those who want to try the next line of advanced disc braking system.

Shop Online Best Selling Avid Speed Dial 7 Brake Lever