Review of Avid BB7 MTB Mechanical Bicycle Disc Brake (185mm, Graphite, Front or Rear)

Avid BB7 MTB Mechanical Bicycle Disc Brake (185mm, Graphite, Front or Rear)
By: Avid Average Rating: 5.0 Total Reviews: 9
More Information

Best brakes you can buy for the $

On: 2010-03-16

Best brakes you can buy for the money hands down!!! Super easy to install, VERY easy to calibrate, great stopping power. I got the 203mm on my Diamondback XTS. They look sick and stop me on a dime. Get these, dont waste youre money on hydro!

satisfied with this replacement part.

On: 2009-11-20

The Avid BB7 MTB Mechanical Bicycle Disc Brake (160mm, Graphite,
Rear) is a bit pricey, when you think of it, and the simplicity
of the design and manufacturing process. At the same time, since
these are niche-items, for niche-market mountain bikes, the low
sales volume and modest sales revenue can only be made up by
higher prices per item.

The ease of installation is represented by the the fact that
its a 10 to 15 min job, at most, to install this brake, and
remove the pre-existing disk brake. In my particular case, I
have a Fuji Nevada MTB bike, from some years ago, with Pro-Max
disk breakes.

The Promax coil just deteriorated beyond usefulness, after 1
rough winter going to work and back, in anywhere between -30 to
-5 Celsius temperatures, often with 1 to 2 feet high of freshly
packed snow, or ice for 30 minutes travel, in each direction, 5
times per week, for 5 months at least.

The Promax wire rusted out as well as the sheath protecting it.

Therefore, I had to replace the sheath, and the wire with a stainless
one. The real key, was this product.

This item, Avid BB7 MTB disk brake is a great, working
replacement. Its ruggedness has yet to be tested in hard weather
conditions, however. It seems to be robust, with the exception
of 2 plastic adjusting rings which may or may not hold up in the
aforementioned cold.

There are unneeded accessories, such as screws, and oversized
mounting disk, for example, in the package.

Overall, satisfied with this replacement part.

UNBELIEVEABLE Braking Power!

On: 2009-10-29

I had brakes before? The V brakes on my Trek were HORRIBLE compared to this!
I was a bit leary since they seem so reasonably priced compared to hydraulics but I cant be happier.
There was a video on Youtube that also helped with the install and it couldnt be easier!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Wow

On: 2009-10-06

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.

Great Brake

On: 2009-07-09

After a long struggle and finally realizing my pointless hatred for disc brakes (I am still a lover of Vs)I cracked when I had to replace a front wheel. I got a killer deal on an XT hub with disc and jumped on board for a front disc. These BB7s get great reviews so I tried it out. I had some initial trouble with a weak allen bolt (stripped before 20 pounds of torque!) but other than that easy install and after one ride around the block, pretty quiet (not as quiet as my Vs) and very nice. More modulation here and I can lock them up with very little effort. I still have my V on the back and well see how long that lasts. Great brake and kinda wish I wouldve seen the light a little earlier.

Great mechanical setup

On: 2009-05-01

I "downgraded" to mechanicals and am really happy with these. Well made and super easy to install.

AVID brakes are as good as they say!!!!!

On: 2009-02-28

I have had Avid cantilever brakes and switched to the disk brakes. WOW, I realize why all bike now come with disc brakes. If you are doing an upgrade on your bike and switching to BB7 brakes you will find it easy to do. BB7 are the mechanical brakes and AVID Juicy are the hydrolic. Much more pricey. The BB7 is smooth running and Im sure youll like it. I have hayes disc brakes on one of my other bikes and the BB7 works just as great. This brake is great for the price.

Enjoy the ride and keep the round side down.

Excellent product for the price!

On: 2009-02-20

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 wont be as strong as hydraulic but its better than most rim brakes.

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

Los mejores frenos del mundo!!!

On: 2008-12-03

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 espaÃ±ol, trae los tornillos e incluso una pequeÃ±a 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.