[Closed] mechanical disk brakes performance vs weight

bb7 are the 2nd most powerfull disc you can buy.
the were the 1st till i bought my saints.

They're very good. I would favour the BB-7s over the BB-5s because they use the same pads as the Juicy range and both the pads are adjustable. I've used the BB-7s on my commuter (160 / 140 set up). They are very powerful with good feel and modulation. I'd recommend using full outer cables to keep them smooth.

I don't notice any difference in power between the BB7s and BB5s.
The BB5s do use different pads to the BB7s. They also have a slightly more agricultural look about them and as previously mentioned before have no outboard adjustment. The BB5s [i]look[/i] marginally heavier than the BB7s but you'd need to check that out.

Performance wise, not quite on a par with hydraulics but not far off.
Love all of mine.

I had a BB7 and it's a really good brake. Not quite as nice feeling as a hydraulic, but so much less intimidating to maintain (I have no idea how to maintain my Juicy 5s)..

I could do 1 finger endo's and I'm not exactly light.

bb7's are the best cable's money can buy - but they aren't in the same league as hyrdaulics. i ran bb7's on my trail bike for a while. although fine most of the time, when the terrain got steep and techy, they just didn't have the power. aching fingers and arms. on one trail i had to stop every 2 minutes to rest my hands - it was silly. hydraulics have much more power, and solved the problem straight away. having said that, i'd rather bb7s over cheap'n'nasty hydraulic brakes - if you are going for hydraulics, make sure it's a good set.

They're very good brakes but as others have mentioned the thing with hydros is that you don't expend anything like the same amount of effort for the same or better performance. Mind you saying things like " they're the most powerful brakes you can buy" is plainly daft

bb7 are the 2nd most powerfull disc you can buy.
the were the 1st till i bought my saints.

I don't notice any difference in power between the BB7s and BB5s

Based on those 2 statements, you should try some Maguras. Specifically Gustavs if power is all you crave. 🙂

only problem i have with them is if they're not used in a while and the cables get a bit sticky. if you then just want a dab of brake to control your speed, then want the bike to run on down a techy section, you may be in for a surprise 😯
i'd still be using them now if it wasn't for that. seeing as you can get good hyrdros for the same price though, i wouldn't spec a set from new now, anyway. hydraulics aren't that hard to maintain, and don't need that much fiddling with.

I've got some Gusset Chutes on an Inbred. Can't fault them, the really nice thing is that both pads move (floating caliper) and grab the disc unlike most mechanical brakes which require the disc to bend. I've also got Middleburn cable oilers on full length outers so that helps keep things as they should be.

They take Shimano 525 pads so you should never get stuck.

Stuart

i`ve a cheap old battered hayes cable disk and its easily better then my mates deore hydro.

heavy though, but for a cheap build you cant go wrong.

i found them (bb7) pretty good but the long term problem was rapid pad wear in winter, which gets quite irritatingly expensive. tried many different pads over a few years and never resolved the problem. i think it could be something to do with the caliper not being an open design (maybe holds more muck inside)but thats just a guess. eventually got rid because of this and have found shimano to do a lot better in winter. the bb7's were very good otherwise.

it was actualy a weight thing i was interested in,,

i thought a high end mechanical maybe lighter than the equlivent hydraulic system

If you get some bargain sram 'composite' levers and light hope floating discs/ or cheaper 'gator' discs - you can get the weight of BB7s down to 350gm.

[url= http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64648&hilit=bb7 ]weight weenies is your friend.[/url]