Getting a bit fed up of leaky shimano’s…..Im pondering swapping to cable discs on the shitty bike (used just for town/pub runs and the occassional flat trail).

BB5’s/7’s seem to be the goto, i wondered what peoples experience of them was?

BB5’s PITA to setup.

BB7’s as good as cable brakes get. Very easy to setup and maintain and stop my road/cyclo bike just fine. Can be had from ebay brand new for £40ish for a road set.

Fantastic really

use bb7’s on my cx/ commuter. Done over 7000 km in the last 2 year and only had to adjust the bite point a couple of times cause of cable stretch

Much better than hydraulics on a shitty weather commuter

So good / maintenance-free you may forget to change the pads until the backing plate shoots out of the caliper; true story.

well this is interesting.

I find BB5’s a faff to set up as cable tension is crucial, but performance is generally good.

BB7’s are much better.

I don’t have any experience of drop bar hydraulics, but are BB7’s really better than the latest shimano hydro offering for commuting?

They’re the bollocks, especially with the commpressionless outers that Charlie The Bikemonger sells.

well then, I think you lot have just saved me several hundred quid in my ‘upgrade’ to hydro disks on my cross bike

My CX bike has progressed from BB7’s via TRP HyRd’s to RS685’s.
I won’t be going back any time soon.
The 685’s have truly been fit and forget (apart from the normal pad changes).
The other two required tweaking to some extent in use.

Just got Sram HydroR on my roadie and they rule. But have BB7 or Shim mechanical on my CX bike, which are perfectly fine

IHN – Member

They’re the bollocks, especially with the commpressionless outers that Charlie The Bikemonger sells. You’re just rolling them in glitter, there, IHN.

If the OP’s talking about a flat-bar bike then it would be perverse to inferiorise the brakes by rolling back to a cable disk, when something basic like an SLX is fit and forget for bimbling about on.

Don’t mind the cables on the cross bike as you don’t actually need to stop very often, just decelerate.

BB7s on a flat bar bike are better than the road version primarily because you can use the Avid speed dial levers and so adjust the amount of leverage on the brakes.

So you can run a big gap between the pad and rotor, bigger than Shimano servo-wave allows, but still have decent braking and mud clearance.

With decent cables, rotors and pads they are very good – I changed to XTs and they are not better, just have different characteristics.

Have them on my drop bar commuter. I really procrastinated about upgrading to hydraulic brakes for £200 when I bought it after hearing the horror stories about BB7s constantly needing to be adjusted. But in the end I thought I’d save £200.

So I’ve had it for a years worth of commuting along gravel tow paths and roads. I’ve had to adjust the brakes twice and they’re still on the original set of pads after 3,500 miles.

So in summary I haven’t found them as bad as everyone says although looking back I would have gone for the hydro brakes for the extra money just to get a bit more power.

Got them on two bikes now. I started the same way as you OP – aging Hopes were needing more and more maintenance so I cut my losses and stuck a BB7 on, then another. The bike originally came with BB5s years ago and they were horrible, but cable brakes seem to have improved lots in the meantime.

Edit: wasn’t really clear that I’m really pleased with them, hence roll-out onto another bike.

I find they do need regular adjustment, but it’s a click or two of the adjusters, by hand once every couple of weeks/month. Takes 10 seconds.

If using on a commuter, take them apart and grease them every year so they don’t seize up.

I’ve got a set of bb7 mtb with avid speed dial levers in virtually new condition from a bike I am splitting if you are interested. £55 posted email in profile. Includes mounts and cables.

like others have said pretty much perfect. I have them on my cx commuter and sure the pads occasionally need a tiny adjustment on the external click thing but 20 seconds or a wheel nudge is no hassle for brakes that just keep working.

BB7s on a flat bar bike are better than the road version primarily because you can use the Avid speed dial levers and so adjust the amount of leverage on the brakes. So you can run a big gap between the pad and rotor, bigger than Shimano servo-wave allows, but still have decent braking and mud clearance.

You reliase that ‘speed dial’ levers set at maximum pull end up pulling the same amount of cable as… non speed dial levers, so offer no actual benefit.

Some people may say that hydraulics are less maintenance because you don’t ever have to dial in the pads and you don’t need to change the cables ever.

But I found the BB7 is with flack jackets perfect for commuting type stuff.
More than enough power to lock up the front wheel in any situation and controllable. That is with a heavily loaded bike too, but I was running 200mm disks front and back.

If the OP’s talking about a flat-bar bike then it would be perverse to inferiorise the brakes by rolling back to a cable disk, when something basic like an SLX is fit and forget for bimbling about on.

‘inferiorise’ is not a word.

a mate had a go on my bike, running BB7s, and said ‘took me ages to get my SLXs to feel like that’.

I would have gone for the hydro brakes for the extra money just to get a bit more power.

do your fingers suddenly get more powerful when using hydraulics? 😆

Find BB7’s on my CX bike a bit meh.
Lacking in power compared to even a rim brake in the dry, but somewhat make up for it by not losing any performance in the wet.
Not a disaster, but certainly wouldn’t spend money on new ones.

besides the weight issue i cant see any reason to change from them if your half competent with the spanners they can be made to rival hydraulics.

a bit of preventitive maintainance before fitting , disassembling and applying copperslip to the moving parts means they handle winter commuting and road grim far better than any hydraulic have had the displeasure of working on over the years on anything but a mountain bike.

my only gripe is they are bloody pricy for what they are.

My MTBs still have hope brakes on as shimano jsut didnt last and seemed to be disposable – couldnt cope with heat. – certainly not the fit and forget that people on here like to claim.

my hopes just work.

Fifeandy, surprised at that comment about them being a bit meh; I’ve a set of BB7s on a tandem with 200mm rotors and frequently use single finger, front only braking on steep hills. They’ve never faded yet, even with a touring load of kit on a trailer as well. As anyone who saw us on the 3Pistes sportive last year will know, we work that bike quite enthusiastically, so I’m going to recommend them to the OP.
Agree that a once-yearly strip and clean/grease is worthwhile, especially as they’re so reliable that you’ll probably ignore them for most of the rest of the year.
Much more reliable overall in my experience than any Shimano hydraulics, which will leak.
Make sure you get the right ones, matching MTB levers to MTB calipers and road with road. The leverage ratios are quite different and are not cross-compatible.

I’ve some TRP spyke I’ve just taken off my new to me fat bike, if your interested, pads are good and condition is good to. They’ll only end up in the spares box. Let me know. (Email in profile)

The main issue with BB7s is rubbish cables / poor install – a decent, compressionless outer makes them less mushy. Bike companies will install the cheapest they can buy.

You’re just rolling them in glitter, there, IHN.

If the OP’s talking about a flat-bar bike then it would be perverse to inferiorise the brakes by rolling back to a cable disk

I’m really not. I ran them for years after getting sick of pi$$ing around with Hope Mono Minis. A couple of years ago I gave in to the hype that hydro brakes were now basically perfect and dropped a couple of hundred quid on a set of XTs.

I should have saved the money, the XTs were no better than the BB7s stopping wise, and cutting the cables to size and bleeding was still a complete faff. Feel-wise, I preferred the BB7s, so I de-inferiorised my bike by flogging the XTs to a mate and went back to BB7s.

The main issue with BB7s is rubbish cables / poor install – a decent, compressionless outer makes them less mushy.

This. Well set up, they’re brilliant (and, bar tweaking the pad adjusters every couple of months, maintenance free).

Del – Member

a mate had a go on my bike, running BB7s, and said ‘took me ages to get my SLXs to feel like that’.

If thats Joe it’s because using his foot on the rear tyre would be better than his brakes!!

You reliase that ‘speed dial’ levers set at maximum pull end up pulling the same amount of cable as… non speed dial levers, so offer no actual benefit.

not so sure about that, but anyway the ultimate SD levers I had/have offer other benefits, like being very smooth.

Interesting mix of views here 🙂

Thanks to all who responded….Im pondering more, it may need to be assisted by cider.

Certainly BB7 work and are more than capable, just require more maintenance than a cheap set of Shimano (IME).

I have them on a commuter/hack but get tired of fighting with the inside adjuster to get some semblance of braking after going thorough a muddy patch. They would be working fine for ages but going offroad over winter and getting dunked in mud meant they would soon have way too much lever travel and hence no power, being covered in mud and not really washed meant the inner adjuster was near impossible to turn without taking the wheel out or fighting to get at it with a torx on a multi tool.

Built up another commuter with SLX, worked fine regardless of condition, and that was washed even less than the hack as it had an Alfine.

I think they make sense on road where salt can kill hydraulics, but for offroad I dont think they are more reliable than hydraulics.

work very well but agree with above you can’t always adjust by hand the wheelie thing jams up….can only assume some people don’t brake much as i found had to regularly adjust

just put some cheap as chips hydro’ clarks on my flat bar shopper/gym bike no cred and great value

About three months in and I like mine.

Set up as per Park Tools site, bedded in easily and don’t squeal.
Lots of power.
Not quite as much modulation as hydros, managed to lock the back up a few times until I got used to it.

Cables are Shimano BC9000, no idea if they’re any good.

Using the MTB version with Tektro RL520’s.
Plenty of lever travel but more than enough power.

Very hilly round here, done about 400 dampish miles, probably 30 of those off road and have had to adjust the pads twice.

Well impressed, tbh.
Might stick a set on the MTB.

If you’re buying in I wouldn’t bother with BB7’s, I’d go straight to Spyres. They’re lighter, easier to set up just so, less finicky about cable outer and just a bit less industrial.

I had BB7 road on one bike and Spyres on another for direct comparison and preferred the feel of Spyres. Ultimately the braking was very similar but the Spyres gave me the low travel/firm lever I like immediately without any faffing. I recently changed the BB7’s to Spyres and they took 5 mins per end to be precisely how I like them with no rub and no messing.

Get em off eVilbay from Taiwan or BNIB from non believers.

I have to agree that initial installation is key to cable disc brakes.

I have BB5 road brakes on my trek crossrip, as supplied from the shop. the back one has always been spongy and lacking in power. So I removed the cross-top levers (hated them anyway) and replaced with inline cable adjusters, and stuck a new set of pads in the back (the worst offender), and upped the spring tension on the arm (2.5mm grub screw) and they’re feeling so much better. Snappy at the lever, firm feel and better power (though the new rear pads are not even bedded in yet).

I think having a bit of the black plastic from the cable outer stuck beneath the end-cap in the cross top lever probably didn’t help (acting like a rubber sponge)… Never trust a shop/factory to do a job well that you can do yourself….

note this is using the factory supplied (budget) full length, internally routed outer for the back brake, so no fancy cables.