Avid BB7s... What's the real deal on these?

[gohloum]

Well, I discovered a crack in my vintage 26er bike frame.  A buddy can send me his old frame, but there are no rim brake mounts, so I'd have to convert to disk (for the back anyway).  I have seen really mixed reviews on these BB7s about the inter-webs... Some say great, others say they can't make them work right.  Anyone have any experience with these? 

This being an older bike, I don't want to dump a bunch of money into it, just keep it going for a few more months until I have the cash to start building a new Chiner 29er (he heh... that rhymes)... Since I already have Deore XT 8 speed combo shifter with brake lever (not separable), a mechanical disk is my only real option.  Otherwise I'm going to have to start spending a bunch of money into a bike that's not worth the cost.

I'm in Florida, so I'm not dealing with big descents, but lots of mud and water.  I don't really have to worry about cooking them on long descents, just an occasional bridge.  They need to be able to have same to better braking power as the old V brake.  It comes in real handy when I unknowingly encounter the occasional Moccasin, gator, or other somewhat deadly/dangerous wild life out in the bush... 

[Sitar_Ned]

I used to have bb7s on my old Cannondale and really liked them.. plenty of stopping power and I literally never had to adjust them even once. I now have Shimano hydros and while I do prefer the feel of them over the Avids, it's not a huge difference. if I had a bike with the Avids on it, I probably wouldn't worry about upgrading them. For the price, I think you'd be really happy with them.

[Carbon_Dude]

Nothing wrong with a mechanical disc brake.  The Avid BB7's are a good brake for less money than a hydraulic brake.  If that's the best option for you, go ahead and get them installed.  You will find they are 1000% better than an old rim brake.

[stockae92]

I had mechanical disc brake for a short while back in the days, and now have XT disc.

Its no doubt that XT feels better in every way, except for when you need to bleed the system. But mechanical disc brake worked at least as good as V-brakes, if not slightly better.

Get a good pair of brake lever and low friction cable

[JohnSpeed]

The bb7s will blow away v brakes in terms of performance

[cmh]

Another vote for BB7s. I've run them in the road and MTB version and had zero complaints. Easy to set up.

Only problem I had was an endurance race in a downpour, brake pads would wear through in a lap, and BB7s don't auto-adjust like hydros. Had to stop and adjust at the caliper to get any braking. Of course, avoid the insanity of a mudfest endurance race and you'll never have that problem.

Beyond that, I highly endorse the BB7s.

[SPKelly]

Registered just to weigh in on this.  I run Avid BB7's from 2008 on my Redline Monocog. 

InstallationLow friction cable/housing is important.  Make sure you use bypass cutters to snip everything to length and grind the cut flat.  Use a small nail to open the cable end back up, often times the anti friction material can close over the hole when you cut the housing.  All these steps are important to get the best response at the lever.

Rotor Set UpWhen setting up the caliper, tighten the caliper mounting bolts to your adapters to the point that the caliper can be easily shifted side to side but not up and down.  Back both dials on the caliper all the way out.  Now tighten each dial 10 turns, then tighten each one 4 more turns, then tighten each 2 more turns.  What you are trying to do is get equal engagement of the caliper on the rotor.  Do this until the wheel will not rotate.  Now tighten down your caliper mounting bolts to spec.  Back the pad adjustment dials off by an equal number of clicks until you get the feel you want with no rotor rub.  Because my bike uses sliding dropouts I have to do this procedure anytime I change out my wheels, cogs, or adjust the dropouts to tow my kids trailer.  This procedure always works for me and I can do it in 4 minutes or less.  Make sure to adjust your levers to adjust your engagement point.

Performance I'm 6'1 and around 225lbs so technically a clyde.  I run 180mm rotors as a result.  The BB7 brakes work well for midwest riding and around town dirt road action but they don't do much for me in real all mountain situations.  They fade easily and fatigue my forearms on extended downhills.  A few years back in Arizona they faded to the point that I almost lost control and about launched off a 50 foot cliff.  I bought some brand new Shimano XT brakes with Ice Tech rotors the next day.  Those brakes stay on my All Mountain bike where they belong and I love them.  The BB7 brakes are good in most situations but not all, at least for me. 

When I bought the Redline Monocog it came with a set of Avid BB5 brakes and levers, I immediately swapped in the BB7 and levers I already had.  The difference is that a BB5 can only adjust the outboard pad while the BB7 can adjust inboard and outboard.  I still have the BB5 brakes and levers, might even have the 160mm rotors.  Let me know if you'd like them, I will sell them to you real cheap just to clear out space in the parts bin. 

Hope this info helps.  I'm new to the Chinertown boards and look forward to learning more.  Hoping to build up a HT 29+ bike sometime before next spring.

[Carbon_Dude]

Welcome SPKelly!  Thanks for adding your feedback.