SRAM Guide Ultimate Brakes

For a while there it felt like we had been sentenced to several more years of bikes with SRAM 1x drivetrains and Shimano brakes. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it just didn’t feel right to have all those clamps elbowing each other in the gut, fighting for bar space. Matchmaker and I-Spec weren’t being put to use as much as any spatial purist would have wanted. We had great brakes and great single ring drivetrains, just not from the same brand (depending on who you asked, of course).

By early 2014 the Avid Trail X0 had been clawing back ground but it was the introduction of the Guide brake that really allowed SRAM to push back against Shimano’s emerging supremacy. After almost a year of them on my main test bike, the Guide RSC had me seeing it the other way, and all of a sudden I didn’t look at a bike with SRAM brakes as a potential liability – I came to prefer it. Power was good, modulation was great, lever feel was crisp and repeatable, and they tolerated it when I didn’t bleed them until the second pad change. Every now and then I got a little pump or fade, but it was only after long descents and it usually corrected itself quickly. There was one exception which I described in my review of them. Bottom line was that I rode them hard for a long time, treated them like shit, and they still worked and felt great.

A year later came the SRAM Guide Ultimate. It had the same master cylinder and lever (albeit with carbon and Ti sprinkled about) but caliper design changes like alloy pistons led to smoother feel and return, while an enlarged pad cavity and new heat sink brought lower operating temperatures due to better heat dispersion and more consistent feel and performance. They also announced the Bleeding Edge bleed ports that made that process easier and faster (and cleaner), and the new two-piece Centerline X Rotor, which saved about 15g per wheel. It was like taking Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and adding Chili Lime – the new version was even better without making me forget what was so great about the original.

The list of changes was long and even though the improvements were incremental, they added up to better claimed performance and lighter weight. Of course, the only thing that didn’t get better was the price: the SRAM Guide Ultimate comes in at $288 US per wheel (plus ~$70 per rotor) or $88 more than the Guide RSC. When you compare to Shimano, they’re basically identical to XTR and XT, respectively, with SRAM’s brakes weighing a handful of grams less per wheel. Have a look here for a more detailed rundown on the differences between the two brakes.

So now we have a great brake in the Guide RSC that changed a lot of opinions about SRAM’s place in the pecking order, and then they went and made it better. Was this just a carbon and Titanium trickle-up or are the Guide Ultimates notably different? I’ve ridden them for 5 months, through two pad changes (and only one bleed), in all kinds of weather, for bike park laps and long, rough 5,000′ descents, and they’ve been damn near perfect. From the long steeps of Whistler’s Creekside to soaking wet descents from Revelstoke’s alpine, to favourite loops on the shore I haven’t detected significant differences in the feel of the Ultimates vs. the RSCs. Like with the RSC, on sustained, steep descents I experienced some front lever fade, but a move up to a 200mm rotor (for certain rides) took care of that problem.

Which one should you buy? If you’re sizing them up at full retail, and $166 (for both wheels) in savings is significant to you, the cheaper Guide RSC is a terrific brake that will not let you down. If you want to save a little weight and will ride or race aggressively, you will appreciate the added consistency and heat-dissipation of the Guide Ultimates. Whether it’s worth the money is your call, but both brakes are best-in-class unless you prefer the on/off feel of Shimano instead.

In less than two years SRAM have rolled out a complete line of excellent trail/all-mountain brakes under the Guide moniker that have re-established a strong alternative to Shimano and restored faith in their ability to make great brakes – once the doubters give them a chance.

The SRAM Guide Ultimate retails for $288 per wheel (w/o a rotor) and weighs 240 grams for a front caliper (including hose, caliper, pads, and lever).

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Are you a SRAM brake fan or do you prefer something else?