Avid is an American company which has been making brake components for mountain bikes for more than 20 years and are now world leaders in disc brakes for bicycles. In the early days Avid V-brakes gave better braking modulation than other brands, then they were one of the first companies to produce a cable operated disc brake system which was as good as hydraulic systems but much cheaper. Nowadays their range of hydraulic brake systems covers every mountain biking discipline and budget. The Avid brand is now part of the SRAM Corporation and so manufactures brakes for the SRAM range of groupsets offering better integration with SRAM products via a range of aftermarket handlebar mounts.