SRAM has been busy sorting out its 2025 brake lineup, and there have been some interesting new additions – particularly at the XCO end of things. First up is the the new Motive brakes, which offer full-power braking with only a slight XCO weight penalty.

The Maven’s – already one of the best mountain bike disc brakes around – have been expanded with the Maven Base. SRAM’s DB lineupe has also been shaken up with new DB4 and DB6 options, which cost £75 and £95 respectively.

The introduction of a new lightweight heavy duty brake is certainly interesting, and points towards the ever-increasing technicality of the World Cup tracks (the XCO Paris Olympics course being an exception…) And it will be interesting to see whether riders feel like they need any extra stopping power on these circuits, or whether it’s just more power for the sake of it. Let’s have a look at the new brakes for 2025 from SRAM, or skip to Mick’s review of SRAM’s Motive Ultimate brakes.

The new Motive brakes are lightweight but designed for heavy duty braking

New SRAM brakes need to know:

• New Motive brakes, already seen in testing on some Trek Factory Racing bikes
• Priced at £270 of £585 for the Ultimate Stealth Expert Kit
• SRAM Maven‘s get new Base model, with 18mm pistons
• They’re priced at £180 per end, or £585 for the Expert Box
• Also new DB4 and DB6 brakes, designed to work with the new mechanical Eagle Transmission setups
• Priced at £75 and £95 respectively
• All other brakes are canned, including Code, G2 and Level

Now if only they could do a limited edition run in purple…

Code-like power with XCO weight

The new Motive brakes from SRAM haven’t exactly been hidden so far this year – with images of them on some of Trek Factory Racing team bikes from pre-World Cup season racing emerging earlier this month. But now the cover has been lifted, and we know that they’re designed for XC riders who want a full-power brake but without sacrificing too much weight.

SRAM says the Motive is the “lightest heavy duty brake we’ve ever made,” and there are a few levels for riders to choose from, including Bronze, Silver and Ultimate, which include different rotors and pad compound options.

SRAM Motive brakes use mineral oil, with DOT discarded across the whole SRAM lineup

And another thing worth mentioning about the Motives? They use mineral oil. Huzzah. That’s great because it’s hydrophobic, meaning you won’t have to bleed them as often.

The race-ready Ultimates weigh 264g, which is about 30g more than the Level Ultimate Stealth’s that have been used on the XC World Cup circuit in the past. They’re also priced at £270, which is certainly towards the top-end of pricing for a lightweight brake. Although, still slightly cheaper than the Level Ultimate Stealth’s when they first came out.

There is also the option of the Motive Ultimate Stealth Expert Kit which is £585 for the full setup, and comes with a rather snazzy turquoise caliper.

The Maven Base brakes add a little bit of affordability to the namesake

More four-piston goodness from Maven

The Mavens were an instant hit when they were released last year, and now SRAM is bringing them to the masses, with Maven Base. They use four 18mm pistons and offer easier bolt access than the previous model.

They also use mineral oil (whoop) although it apparently only takes Maxima mineral oil. The big update is that there are more rotor sizes and pad materials to choose from with the Maven Base, so there’s a bit more customisation available.

If, of course, that’s not enough power – then there’s the limited edition Maven Expert Box, which comes with everything riders need to tune their Maven Ultimates.

Don’t mind us, we’re just adding the Expert Box to our Christmas list…

This year,, it comes with a split caliper finish and we really like the teal splatter anodisation. The 18 and 19.5mm pistons claim to offer almost 50% more stopping power than Codes, and to match that power the Box comes with HS2 rotors in 220, 200 and 180mm rotor sizes as well as organic and sintered brake pads for even more choice.

The Maven Base is priced at £180 per end and £585 for the Expert Box – the Maven Ultimate Expert Box only costs £599 so if you’re after a full set, it might be worth just spending the extra £15 for the top-of-the-range option.

The DB4 and DB6 brakes use the same caliper construction as the DB8s

Not Aston Martins, just SRAM’s DB brakes

Two updates to the DB range have been announced for 2025, including the DB6 and DB4.

The DB6 uses Maxima mineral oil with a new lever architecture that focuses on easier adjustment and “ergonomic comfort.” The hose is now parallel to the bar with the left and right specific stealth lever design, which works well in conjunction with the new mechanical Eagle transmission.

And, it shares the same caliper construction with that of the DB8 brakes.

The DB4 is even more of a workhorse option, using the same lever design as the DB6, enabling it to work well with the new Eagle mechanical Transmission groupsets.

And again, it shares the same caliper construction with the SRAM DB8 brakes. The DB6 and DB4 brakes are priced at £95 and £75 respectively.

All the new models for 2025 are set to be available in March 2025 from SRAM retailers.

sram.com