SRAM Code RSC Disc Brake Review

On gravity runs, braking is usually the last thing on our minds. Usually. Sometimes–think managing speed on loose sections or approaching big lines with a touch of discretion–it’s the first thing on our minds. In those situations, everyone from recreationalists to the professional circuit have long relied on SRAM’s Code brakes. With the new Code RSC Disc Brake, SRAM updates the old favorite with cleaner lines and some of the technology that made the brand’s Guide and Level brakes such a hit for riders across single crown disciplines. The result is the brand’s superlative gravity brake, and it sheds a cool 100g of claimed weight from its predecessor without losing any of the power. Compared to those Guide brakes, the Code’s pistons are larger (15 and 16mm vs the Guide’s 14 and 16mm) and it features 30% more volume in the reservoir. The result is more stopping power that stays honest for longer during heavy use–SRAM even goes so far as to credit the new Code with 15% more power than the older model. If you’re used to more trail-oriented brakes, the increased stopping power is alarming at first, but it’s impossible to argue against it when it’s still on-point long after other brakes would have begun to fade. The key to the new Code model lies between the lever and piston, where a cam alters the amount of force as the lever is pulled deeper and the calipers engage the rotor. The result is that, when you first touch the lever, the caliper jumps to the rotor; however, after biting, the cam modulates the force being applied, helping to prevent lock-ups and, well, enabling the kind of modulation we need on loamy courses or while lightly scrubbing speed. The Code also features the same heat-dissipating technology that’s general across SRAM’s brake line–most notably the stainless steel Heat Shields and the improved heat management of SRAM’s DOT 5. 1 hydraulic fluid. SRAM claims that the latest generation of DOT resists boiling for three times longer than its predecessor..