SRAM Maven Struggles? Here are the Bleed Tips Nobody Is Talking About

How to Get the Most out of your Brakes! 

SRAM’s Maven brakes are among the most powerful on the market, featuring a new mineral oil system and an oversized caliper and brake pad design. However, many riders have reported inconsistent bite points and lever feel. A proper setup and bleed are critical to ensuring these brakes perform at their best. This guide will walk you through some key tips to optimize your Maven brakes—most of which apply to other brake systems as well.

The Importance of a Proper Bleed and Setup

A brake is only as good as its bleed and setup. Many riders overlook critical steps that impact performance and consistency. A particularly crucial step for Mavens is a piston massage, which helps the oversized pistons move smoothly and retract evenly. Since these brakes sit in storage before installation, friction can build up in the piston seals, leading to uneven lever position.

Tools Needed

• Clean workspace

• Rags

• Gloves

• Safety glasses

• Isopropyl alcohol

• SRAM Mineral Oil Bleed Kit

• Maxima Mineral Oil

• Maven Bleed Block

• Maven Pad Spacer

• Two old rotors (Around 4mm in total thickness) 

• 5mm & 2.5 mm hex key

• T25 & T10 Torx 

Step-by-Step Tips

1. Brake Lever Positioning

• Adjust the brake lever to be just below parallel with the ground. This ensures the bleed port is at the highest point, helping air escape during the bleed.

• Set the contact point dial opposite the arrow, all the way out.

• Adjust the lever reach to about 80mm from the bar end, or a few clicks from fully out.

2. Remove Brake Pads & Caliper

• Remove the brake pads and place them far away to avoid contamination.

• Unbolt the caliper from the frame for better accessibility and mobility for the piston massage.

3. Piston Massage

This step is critical for the large pistons in the Maven calipers. It ensures smooth movement and consistent lever feel by decreasing friction in the system, allowing the pistons to advance and retract properly. This is always a good idea for any brake but is especially important for the Mavens.

• Insert two old rotors into the caliper to act as a piston stop. This prevents the pistons from extending too far and spilling brake fluid.

• Squeeze the brake lever a few times until the pistons extend fully against the rotors.

• Use a tire lever to gently push the pistons back into the caliper. Do this carefully and slowly to ensure the other pistons don’t extend further. Work a little at a time.

• Repeat this process several times.

4. Vacuum Bleed 

Instead of just pushing fluid through the system, create a vacuum in the syringe to pull air from the caliper and lever for the best results. 

• Attach two syringes to the lever and caliper.

• Insert a bleed block into the caliper.

• Start by pushing fluid from the lever to the caliper, as air tends to get trapped in the caliper. This also gets rid of dirty fluid that accumulates in the caliper. 

• Use a vacuum technique at the caliper to pull air out.

• Move the caliper to different angles, letting gravity help release trapped air.

• Finish by vacuuming air out of the lever until no bubbles appear. Flick the lever a few times to help dislodge air from the lever. 

• Repeat this process as necessary to get the best results.

5. Align Caliper & Rotor

Even a slightly misaligned caliper can cause poor brake feel, no matter how good your bleed is. Take the time to ensure the pads contact the rotor evenly.

• Push the pistons fully into the caliper and install the brake pads.

• Mount the caliper back onto the bike and align it so the rotor is perfectly centered.

• If the brake pads are hitting the rotor unevenly, adjust the caliper position or use a thin flathead screwdriver to gently push one side of the brake pads into alignment.

6. Pressurize the System with a Rubber Band

• Wrap a rubber band around the brake lever and handlebar to keep the system under pressure for a few hours or overnight.

• This step helps any remaining air bubbles move into the master cylinder, ensuring a firmer lever feel.

Final Thoughts

By following these steps, you can ensure your Maven brakes deliver the power, consistency, and modulation that SRAM intended. Whether you’re tackling bike park laps or rowdy backcountry descents, a well-set brake can make all the difference. Now get out there and ride with confidence!

If you are one strange human that would like to read a transcript of the video above, continue reading below!

 

if you are watching this video you are

0:02

likely familiar with the fact that you

0:04

kind of have to bleed your mountain bike

0:05

brakes every once in a while in order

0:06

for them to keep performing as good as

0:09

they should and you are likely familiar

0:11

with that procedure for your bikes

0:13

respective brakes as well this video in

0:16

particular is about our favorite tips

0:18

and tricks to get the most performance

0:19

out of your stram Maven brakes and while

0:22

we are going to be performing these tips

0:24

and tricks on the stram mavens these

0:26

will likely apply to whatever mountain

0:27

bike break you have on your bike stay

0:31

[Music]

Tools needed

0:36

here's what you'll need to get started

0:38

clean workspace Rags gloves glasses

0:42

isopropyl alcohol stram mineral oil

0:45

bleed kit Maxima mineral oil Maven bleed

0:49

block Maven pad spacer piston massage

0:52

tool or two old rotors equaling 4 mm in

0:56

width 5 mm and 2.5 mm hex and a T25 and

1:00

a T10

1:02

torqux tip number one brake lever

Brake Lever Adjustment

1:05

adjustment move and adjust the brake

1:07

lever so it's close to parallel with the

1:09

ground we want the bleed port to be the

1:11

highest point in the system wind the

1:14

contact Point dial opposite of the arrow

1:16

all the way out wind the lever

1:19

adjustment knob so it is around 80 mm

1:21

from the bar end or a few clicks from

1:23

all the way out tip number two remove

Remove Pads & Caliper

1:26

brake pads and caliper from the bike

1:29

remove remove the caliper from the bike

1:31

for better

1:32

accessibility remove the brake pads and

1:34

place them far away to avoid any

1:36

possible

1:37

contamination tip number three piston

Piston Massage

1:41

massage we need to make sure Pistons are

1:43

moving as freely as possible with the

1:45

Piston massage to do this insert two old

1:48

brake rers or a spacer that is 4 mm in

1:50

width into the caliper and pump the

1:52

lever until the Pistons hit the farthest

1:54

possible point at the two brake rotors

1:57

squeeze the lever hard at this point to

1:59

lube the pist seals internally and

2:01

release any stuck air push the Pistons

2:04

back carefully with a tire lever repeat

2:06

this process a few times this is a good

2:09

tip for any break but especially

2:10

important on these mavens because the

2:12

Pistons are so large here's another

LMNT

2:14

great tip next time you're out for a

2:16

ride bring some element with to you

2:18

these guys have been a sponsor of the

2:19

channel for a while now and that really

2:21

Stokes us out because it is an

2:22

electrolyte supplement that we actually

2:24

like to use it's got stuff like sodium

2:27

potassium and magnesium that replenish

2:29

is the elements in your body when you

2:31

sweat so check it out go to the link in

2:33

the description below that is d r i n

2:36

KLM nt.com /world wide Cyclery use the

2:40

link to place an order and get yourself

2:41

a free sample pack flavors like

2:43

grapefruit salt watermelon salt mango

2:45

chili Citrus salt bunch of tasty salty

2:48

flavors check it out hit the link you

2:49

know what to do back to the action tip

Vacuum Bleed

2:52

number four vacuum bleed when bleeding

2:55

the brake put an emphasis on vacuuming

2:57

air out of the caliper and lever with

2:59

with the syringes with the caliper

3:02

syringe under a vacuum move the caliper

3:04

into different orientations to help

3:06

release trapped air we want the caliper

3:09

to be at the highest point in the system

3:10

for the best results at the brake lever

3:14

flick the lever a few times while in

3:15

bleeding and vacuum air out from the

3:18

lever do this until no more air is

3:20

present and the system is fully bled tip

Alignment

3:23

number five align caliper and

3:26

rotor after the bleed is complete insert

3:28

the brake pads and L the caliper so that

3:30

the rotor is centered in the caliper

3:33

make sure the brake pads are hitting the

3:34

rotor evenly and square this will get

3:37

you the best possible lever

3:38

feel tip number six attach a rubber band

Rubber Band

3:43

attach a rubber band to The Handlebar

3:45

and brake lever for a few hours or

3:47

overnight this pressurizes the system

3:49

and any lingering air will be compressed

3:51

and moved into the master cylinder so

3:54

that just about does it for our tips and

3:56

tricks on beding ceram even brakes but

3:59

surely you guys have some tips and

4:01

tricks up your sleeve that we haven't

4:02

heard of yet so please let us know in

4:04

the comments below your top tips and

4:06

tricks for bleeding breakes wow that's a

4:08

lot of tongue twisters also if you

4:10

enjoyed this video please like And

4:12

subscribe share with a friends who might

4:14

also need to bleed their breaks and

4:16

maybe we'll catch you in the next one

4:17

cheerio