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Understanding DirectLink and SwingLink Levers

With infinite options for riding styles, preferences, locations, and terrain steepness, come infinite opinions on how brakes should feel. Some riders want linear power throughout the entire lever pull, while others prefer a more progressive feel that ramps up as the lever moves closer to the bar. You might not even know which you prefer (yet), but we’ll look at what options you have when it comes to brake lever feel.

DirectLink vs SwingLink | Tuning your SwingLink | Which one’s for you?

Defining deadband

First, let’s define “deadband": the distance the brake lever's blade tip travels from fully extended to when the brake pads contact the rotor. Think of it as all the movement in the lever blade from when you begin pulling the lever until you start braking. Many of our brake development decisions focus on refining each brake’s deadband—finding the right balance between creating enough pad-to-rotor clearance for easy setup, but not so much that it requires an excessively long lever pull before the pads engage.


Defining leverage ratio

Now, let's define "leverage ratio." A mechanical leverage ratio translates how much force is applied on the system versus how much you apply into the lever with your finger.

A low leverage ratio makes it harder to move a load, but the load will move farther for the same amount of input. Conversly, a high leverage ratio makes it easier to move a load, but the load won’t move very far.

Now, think of a pair of tongs. If you hold them near the hinge and squeeze, your hand moves only a little, but the tips move a lot—this is low leverage (more movement, less force). If you hold the tongs closer to the tips, your hand has to move much farther to close them, but it takes less force—this is high leverage (more force, less movement).

DirectLink vs SwingLink

There are two ways SRAM levers deliver power within our brake lineup: DirectLink and SwingLink. In our current lineup of brakes, DirectLink is featured in Maven Base, the Motive family, and the DB family. SwingLink can be found in Maven Ultimate, Silver, and Bronze.

SRAM Direct Link Brakes
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DirectLink

DirectLink gives riders a more consistent and predictable feel all the way through the lever pull. Thanks to its linear leverage rate, the force required to actuate the lever is the same at the start of the pull, all the way up to max power. Similar to suspension air spring curves, a linear leverage rate means that the force needed to pull the lever ramps steadily—and therefore push the pads closer to the rotor—all the way through its range of travel. This typically leads to more deadband, which means more space between when you pull the lever until the pads begin contacting the rotor.

Here’s how it works:

When a DirectLink brake lever is pulled, the lever pushes in a rod that's connected directly to the lever piston. The piston pushes the brake fluid through the system, forcing the caliper pistons to push against the brake pads and engage the rotor. This "direct link" to the lever piston causes the brake to feel more linear because as the rod is pushed against the piston, it's doing so at a mostly consistent speed.

Image Showcasing SRAM Swing Link Brakes
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SwingLink

SwingLink offers riders a more progressive, powerful lever feel, with enhanced modulation. The further you pull the lever, the more the power ramps up. This reduces deadband, as the pistons move more quickly up to the contact point when the pads contact the rotor SwingLink brakes have a more progressive change in power, but may require more force to move at the start of travel.

Here’s how it works:

When a SwingLink lever is pulled, a uniquely-designed cam presses against a custom-shaped SwingLink, and together they create a progressive leverage rate that increases throughout the lever pull. Instead of moving the pushrod and lever piston at a more consistent rate throughout travel, it's designed to have a lower leverage rate (which means more pad movement but requires more effort) at the beginning of travel to reduce deadband, increasing the speed that the pads move to contact the rotor. Then, as the pads engage the rotors, it changes to a higher leverage rate (more power and finer control from less caliper piston movement), building more power the more you pull. This translates to more power for similar effort as a DirectLink at this point in travel.

By using a SwingLink, we are able to manipulate the leverage rate curve to give the lever travel a specific feel, all by tweaking different aspects of the cam and SwingLink design.

Tuning your SwingLink

When Maven first launched, the goal was to create as little deadband as possible. Our World-Cup athletes prefer minimal deadband so they can be extremely precise with their braking and ramp into Maven’s impressive power. However, not all riders prefer that highly-progressive lever feel. Our goal is to help you dial in your brakes exactly the way you want, so we’re giving y’all options.

Because SwingLink allows us to manipulate the leverage rate, we’re launching Maven B1 with a new, more linear lever feel. You can buy it complete in a new set of Maven B1 brakes, or you can swap out the SwingLink and lever in your A1 Mavens to adjust the lever feel. How do you know which option is the best for you? Let’s take a look.

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The chart above shows the leverage ratio vs lever travel for Maven A1, B1, and Base, from the lever at rest all the way to full travel when it meets the bar. We've broken it down into three key phases: the bite point, mid-stroke modulation, and maximum braking power.

The bite point phase highlights how each brake responds within the first 20 mm of lever travel. The modulation phase shows how the brake feels as the pads contact the rotor and braking force builds—this is when the majority of braking events happen. The maximum braking phase represents the feel near the end of the stroke, when you’re applying the most power. As you're looking at the chart, remember that low leverage = more movement, less force, and high leverage = more force, less movement.

Which one’s for you?

Maven B1 Cutaway Image showing Gold swinglink

Go for Maven B1 if you like:

 

  • A lighter feel at the beginning of the lever pull, less force to move the lever initially
  • More consistent and predictable feeling throughout the lever’s travel
  • Delivers higher braking power at the end of the stroke
  • More linear power delivery for broader range of ergonomic preferences

Cutaway image of SRAM Maven A1 brake lever showing red swing link

Go for Maven A1 if you like:

 

  • A firmer feel at the beginning of the lever pull, more force required to move the lever initially
  • Delivers higher braking power earlier in the travel, more consistent end-stroke power
  • The lowest possible deadband
  • More pressure against your finger

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Which Mavens do I have?

  • B1’s cam has two notches, and uses a gold SwingLink that is visible just inside your lever body.
  • A1’s cam has one notch, and uses a red SwingLink that is visible just inside your lever body.
  • You have Maven Base if you can't see a red or gold component just inside your lever body.
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Tune your Maven levers with B1

SwingLink Kits are available to swap your Maven Ultimate, Silver, or Bronze A1 brake to a B1. Bronze A1 uses a unique BRZ B1 kit. Maven Base cannot be retrofitted.

SWINGLINK KIT VIEW MANUAL

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