Customer Reviews

Avid BB7 MTB Mechanical Bicycle Disc Brake (160mm, Graphite, Front or Rear)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I upgraded to these brakes from BB5s and the improvement is amazing. For those looking at both, the 20 or so extra dollars per brake gets you:

- Slightly less weight (20-30g) per brake
- Finger-click adjustments for both pads (the BB5s only support finger-click adjustment for the inner pad)
- And the big difference: Larger, more-effective pads

Most agree that the hardest part of installing mechanical disc brakes is getting them "dialed in" so that the pads and rotor are aligned. The BB7s make this process simple, allowing me to get perfect alignment on both front and back on my first attempt.

Thanks to the pad adjustments on both sides, its easy to adjust these brakes perfectly and get the type of modulation you are looking for. I have cheap (but nice) Avid FR-5 levers and have successfully tweaked them to start light-engagement after a quarter inch of pull, with zero rotor scrape when they are not engaged.

As for the power, it took me a few hard stops to "bed in" the pads (I also had some screeching during the bed in). After that, the brakes settled into silent powerhouses with a huge modulation curve and enough power to easily lock both wheels if I grab them with any kind of force.

I was looking at hydros for a while but am very happy I went with these. Top-end Hydros still claim the crown for extreme circumstances but these brakes are just as effective for practically any application; boasting a much nicer price and easier maintenance.

August 2010 Update:

I've had these for 10 months now and 2000+ miles. They have now been through a Pacific Northwest winter with nearly daily rain.

These brakes are awesome, they still stop the bike as confidently as when they were new and have required no maintenance. Every couple of months I just click each adjustment dial one tick and that is it!

I installed these as an upgrade on my wife's bike. She was on Hayes Sole hydraulic brakes that were an incredible hassle to keep functioning properly between the need to shim and the constant resetting of the inside pad distance.

These BB7's went on super easy and with their alignment method were properly aligned the first time. Adjustment with the two knurled knobs is very easy and by adjusting the distance between the outer and inner pads (outer is closer), setting modulation is very straightforward and effective. Once set, you never need tools again!

Short street test rides show great modulation and power.

Will submit a ride report after a few weeks (of my wife's comments and my tweaking). Thus far, really nice brakes.

I have these brakes on two of my mountain bikes now and I love them! For a mechanical brake these have to be one of the best. They are extremely easy to install and adjust fairly easily when necessary. The stopping power is very good... it won't be as strong as hydraulic but it's better than most rim brakes.

Very high quality, great value, easy install and smooth operation!

this mechanical disc brake design is good, the CPS was a good concept that makes it easy to install and adjust. no add on spacer needed.
i'm using also hydraulic disc brake(shimano xtr)and when you're out there in the trail, unfortunate bad fall & brake fluids leaks, this
situation is so alarming that's why i thought of using mechanical disc brake to my other MTB and found Avid BB7 fixs my trail riding dilemma.

I attached these to a "different" bike- a 3 wheeled recumbent - & they work so much better (& safer!) than the "originals" that I ask "WHY!"

This is my first bicycle disk break. I've very happy with the quality, adjustability, and power. The break works great!

First let me say they work really good, but mine squeak when I try to come to a complete stop or pull to hard on the levers which I find annoying. They were installed properly the rotors and pads were not touched. Took my bike to the local bike shop had them inspected. Was told everything was fine to try cleaning the rotors with rubbing alcohol and that some disc brakes will do that. Guess I purchased the brand that squeak.

i just bought these brakes on Sunday which was 3 days ago and they work really really well and i would seriously recommend these brakes for every one basically there bad ass brakes for anyone any age

Para mi el Avid BB7 es el mejor freno del mundo. En mi caso yo escogi los frenos BB7 con disco de 160 mm, sin embargo, a pesar de no ser un experto en el crosscountry he tenido que bajar enormes colinas y estos frenos prestan lo mejor de si sin mayor esfuerzo. Tiene una potencia de frenada excepcional e incluso muchos hablan que hasta mejores que algunos frenos hidraulicos. No he podido comprobar eso, pero algo si te digo Avid BB7 frenan una barbaridad en comparacion a los frenos V, son como el dia y la noche, ya que la diferencia es enorme sobre todo si practicas MTB bajo condiciones extrema de lluvia y lodo. Es muy facil de ajustar, viene con instrucciones en español, trae los tornillos e incluso una pequeña llave L que tiene en uno de sus extremo una llave Allen y en su otro extremo el sistema Torx lo cual permite que una vez recibido el producto pueda instalarlo. Lo unico que no incluye son los cables y si son necesarios comprarlo si en el pasado usabas frenos V porque los antiguos cables se te quedan corto en el tiro y hay que reemplazarlos por cables mas largo para que lleguen al calisper.