There is a thread on this but it is a year old and I was wondering if anyone had seen anything new come out.
I am building up a disc cross bike and the obvious brake choice was bb7. There are other options, the bb5, shimano and Tektro Lyra but are they any good?
I was thinking of building a disc commuter too so may end up buying 4 sets so saving £15 and end by going with the Tektros makes a real saving.
Are the Tektros up too much?
Each time that this comes up the conclusion seems to be BB7s.
I've got a set of Lyras and I wouldn't get another set. They're a hassle to set up properly the amount of cable pull required seems to be more akin to V-brakes so they need to be severely "preloaded" before they work well. The rotors are very pretty, but have so many large holes in that you get a 'pulsing' effect and a squeal that I could never get rid of. The callipers look good too, just don't perform as well as the uglier Avids!
I've had two sets of BB5s, been very impressed with them both, nice feel, good amount of power and stop a heavily loaded tourer well. I'd get them again if I was on a budget. However, I think next time I'm in the market I'll plump for BB7s simply because they have such a good rep and they look much easier to setup than the BB5s (not that the BB5s are difficult, just a bit more regular adjustment and initial setup than the BB7s).
Never tried Shimano so hopefully someone else can cover them for you.
I've tried some Shimano R505's or something. They were heavy and underpowered. Got BB7's now.
If you're going singlespeed you can always use the MTB versions with the V-brake road brake levers.
I have a set of bb5s and a set of shimano(think they are R505) and the bb5s are far better.
I'm quite tempted to give the TRP Parabox a try on my next bike, has anyone used them?
BB7's use the same pads as the Juicy brakes so are easier to get hold of.
For the sake of maybe £20 get the BB-7s. Far East ebay shops are your friend.
Moved from BB7s to Hope V-Twins.
Lots more money, but more feel and more power - and auto-pad-adjustment.
Their on a Singular Gryphon though so not entirely a road bike.
i have tektro lyras, i wouldnt use them again.
the discs are a really poor design, which leads to fork judder, cured by using a standard shimano rotor.
but even at that they took an age to set up for, at best, average performance.
in fact, so bad that i am considering putting the hayes cable discs off my wifes old kona, if someone can recommend a cable pull adjuster.