Do you use the Avid Speed Dial Levers with your BB7s? If so does the speed dial thing actually work to adjust modulation and does it ever get close to a hydraulic brake?

I’m currently using my BB7 with a Shimano V-brake lever and the wheel locks up easily with 1 finger but it’s very on-off and you have to be quite careful to avoid skidding all the time. I really like the brake but I’d prefer better modulation as apart from that, the brake is much better than both the Juicy 5s and Formula K18 I have!

I use the speed dial to adjust the feel. The rear brake can feel a little softer due to cable stretch. I adjust the speed dial to get a softer feel up front to match the rear.
Never had an issue with a lack of power. More than enough even compared to hydraulics.
After using cantis & then V brakes since back in the day, I like the feel of cable brakes.

Cultivate the hands of a lover and not of a gorilla?

😉

I’m using Shimano XT levers with a servowave-ish mechanism on them. Actually more modulation than the Elixirs they replaced, feel lovely (so long as I clean the cables every three or four rides it seems, might need to look at getting a better sealed system than I do…).

The levers were one of the reasons I bought the brakes, such nice levers it seemed a shame not to use them. The mechanism is a bit simpelr than speed dial, instead of the threaded speed dial rod, its just a slot that the cable carrier can slide up and down, by removing little plastic spacers (the equivalent of screwing in the speed dial) you can allow the carrier to slide closer to the handlebars when you pull the level, giving you softer lever feel and more modulation.

Thanks for the replies. From what I can tell it sounds like some kind of leverage adjust (whether it’s speed dial or that servo thing) is worthwhile. I think I may buy a set of levers and a front BB7 to give them a go on my main bike for a while, see if I like them for downhill 🙂

I have the expensive speed dial ultimate levers and have the leverage set so I have a large gap between the pad and rotors (for mud clearance) but can also use one fingered braking.

I also use the fully sealed gore rideon cables which seem strong and don’t stretch, and with the bearings in the levers the brakes are very smooth – hydro like smoothness.

I have G2 rotors instead of the roundagon rotors they used to ship with BB7s, and I use organic pads as they don’t seem to squeal as much as the sintered when wet – and they don’t seem to wear badly either, possibly because of the larger pad/rotor gap.

I have just put some SS kevlar pads on the front but they do seem to make a very slight squealing with every braking.

Had Hayes HFX-9 and Avid Juicy Ultimates and much prefer the BB7s.

_tom_ – Member
Do you use the Avid Speed Dial Levers with your BB7s? If so does the speed dial thing actually work to adjust modulation and does it ever get close to a hydraulic brake?

The levers and callipers are good, but where you can improve things and get close to the feel of a hydraulic is by improving the outer cable casing. Almost every casing compresses to some extent, and this is where you lose braking capability.

If you have a cable that suffers from a lot of compression you end up having to adjust the callipers so the pads are close to the disk and so are more likely end up with scrape and rub.

Good outer cable casings are worth paying for. I like Jagwire and Avid Flak Jacket. Nokon is recommended by some, but the price will make your eyes water.

What I do is to use aluminium tube instead of cable outer, and this gives a much firmer brake. Obviously there is still a need for cable outer for the bits where it has to be flexible, but these are short lengths.

The aluminium tube is dirt cheap from B&Q, and I use it with a teflon liner.

This pic probably tells you all you need to know.

epicyclo just swore at you fitted a full length flakjacket rear cable run on a kinesis pro6 yesterday as thats what its designed for and i was pretty sure standard cable outer would be crap – but yr solution is so much better

wrong thread oops

Epicyclo, VERY interesting concept!

OP – SD7’s for me, good but the modulation knob isnt as effective as Avid would have you believe IME.

I get quite a bit of squealing with my BB7s. Would a better rotor than the stock ones that came with them improve things?

I’ve always used Avid FR-5 levers which are a cheap version of the SD-7 without any adjustment. I normally use standard Shimano brake cables as well so nothing special there.

I’ve never had any problems with modulation or lock-up on any of my bikes using BB7s and I would say these brakes are almost as good at the Hope Tech X2s that I have on my Orange.

I do take trouble to set up the calipers so the pads are parallel to the disc and even between the two so maybe this is something you need to look at if you don’t already.

stock pads are sintered I think – squealed more for me.

better rotors might help – mine still squeal for about 3 uses after they get water on.

I use mucoff disc brake cleaner after every ride and brake a few times as it dies so it cleans the pads as well.

Ashima semi-metal pads on Elixir rotors works for me, far less noisy than the stock pads, good braking performance. Can’t really comment on wear yet.

even between the two

I thought you were meant to have them a bit closer to the side that doesn’t move, or is it the other way round? Anyway I don’t have a problem with the stopping/locking power, it’s just I find them quite sensitive compared to my hydraulic brakes and very easy to lock. I do like the “direct” feel that you get with cable discs, feels really nice.

Rotor wise mine’s a 160mm Avid G2, never tried the stock ones so can’t comment on performance.

BB7s

XT ‘V’ Brake levers

203mm Rotors

Jagwire Cables

Light weight Hardtail.

Brakes are either off or arghhhhhhhh endoooooooo

Never worry about fade or lack of bite though 🙂

My new bike by fantasticmrmatt, on Flickr

haha I’ve got enough bite with 160mm rotors, 203 would be madness. Even when I was 18 stone I could do 1 finger endos with the BB7 on the front.

Bin the standard rotor, tis crap. I use the sd7’s too and I think that they do help a lot with modulation. My BB7’s feel better than my other juicy 5’s too… always used Goodridge outer cable for the cable, much better than ‘standard’.

I run 160 front and 140 rear rotors, gear Inner cable in standard brake outer with cheap discobrakes pads and SD7 levers. I sometimes think I need a 180/160 rotor combo but not enough to do anything about it