Looking at CX bikes as a possible cycle to work purchase. Would want disc brakes as cant go back to canti brakes as saw the back of them when I got rid of my Raleigh Lizard 20 years ago.

Anyway, I used Avid mechanical discs on my MTB many years ago, and whilst they were powerful they were a bit annoying in that they tended to rub/rattle a fair bit. Are the road versions any different, and are there any tips to keep them running quiet?

My bb5 road have been great so far – powerful and no disc rub at all.

Use this method for bb5 set up – works perfectly.

http://www.ecovelo.info/2011/04/15/a-foolproof-method-for-adjusting-avid-bb5-disc-brakes/

Rattle . Not possible unless you had them loose.

The road BB brakes are identical to the mtb ones apart from the leverage ratio – I’ve not struggled with rubbing or rattling on mine

I’ve got BB7 roads on my commuter, and it can be difficult to get them close enough to the disc that the lever doesn’t bottom out, but not so close that they don’t rub. I’d imagine that the BB5s would be even more fiddly.

It probably depends on which levers you’ve got. The new STIs pull more cable so might be less fiddly.

My experience is problems with BB7s can usually be traced back to the cables, particularly the outer. If this compresses too much it can be difficult to get sufficient clearance at the pads because all your lever pull is being wasted squashing the outer.

Solution, don’t save pennies by buying cheap outer cable (although some of the expensive ones can have too much compression too).

I use solid runs of aluminium tubing for outer where possible (cheap). Nokon is recommended by some but is expensive.