3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cable Goodness; Fully Adjustable & Up to Par with Good Hydros, January 29, 2011
This review is from: Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake (Misc.)
I've been using Avid mechanical disc brakes since nearly the day they were first sold. I checked back, and see I posted my original review on MTBR back in November 2000, and I've been riding them consistently since.
The Avid Mechs have gone through two redesigns in that time, and have gotten a few grams heavier and are now made of a 2-piece bolt-together construction, but I've used all three iterations and they're non-distinguishable in setup or operation.
There is often a "cable vs. hydraulic" debate on mountain biking forums, and my answer is this: Avid's mechs are a heavier than the lightest hydraulic units (by a hundred grams or so), and require a bit more attention to set up and maintain (most hydros are self-adjusting and feature few setup options), but in turn you get fully tunable and reliable brake that can be fixed on the trail and doesn't rely on hydro fluid, bleeding or anything outer than basic wrenching to keep working drag-free.
That's not to knock hydraulic brakes, as there are shining stars and dogs in that category. But it boils down to what you want to maintain at your house and in the field.
Avid Mechs:
+ Offer multiple adjustments: Levers adjust modulation, ala Avid's "Speed Dial" and Shimano's "Servo Wave" adjustents. Offer "bite point" adjustment via the inboard pad knob (tool-less on-trail adjustment). Provide for additional modulation / reach adjustment via the outboard pad knob. Spring / lever resistance adjustment via the return spring set screw adjustment in the caliper body.
+ Easy to center without shims by Avid's "CPS" system consisting of concave/convex washers between the caliper body and the disc brake mount.
+ Anti-rub due to the manually adjustable pad adjustment knobs.
+ Very simple maintenance and on-the-trail cable replacement; no bleeding.
The downsides are:
- No auto adjustment: you must manually adjust for pad wear by dialing the pad adjustment knobs in every few hours of riding (depending, of course, on how much braking you've been doing).
- The fact that there are so many adjustments, these are not a "install and forget" brake -- you must make yourself aware of all the different parameters the Avid mechs are capable of, and know how to tune them. They can be as "on/off" or "modulated" as you want them (especially with the various rotor sizes available), but they are not at all like most hydro units which offer zero or few adjustments and behave only as the designers intended them.
- A bit of extra weight compared to the lighter hydro offerings.
I've run Avid BBDB's / BB7's with everything from 160mm rotors on my wife's bike, to 203185 on my cargo bike, to 220mm rotors on my mountain tandem. Rotor compatibility is good, even with off-brand rotor/adapter sizes from Rohloff, Hayes, Hope and Formula. The calipers are the same, front or rear, the only difference being the adapter they're mounted to. These current "Graphite" editions mount directly to post-mount forks to fit 160mm rotors.
Install is literally a 10 minute affair once you've got a handle on what needs to be done. Mine are all run with full length cable housing and I'd challenge anyone to a "lever squeeze test" to detect the difference between a well-setup Avid cable brake versus their choice of hydraulic.
Again, this isn't to imply that these are better brakes than your choice of hydro units, but simply an equivalent option that doesn't involve hydraulic fluid and that gives an unmatched wealth of adjustment and tuning opportunities. Highly recommended, especially to the mechanically inclined.
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