Are they the same bit of kit for both road (CX) and MTB? I have a set of BB7 MTB calipers that I want to put on a CX bike, but keep reading that they might be different. If so, how?

Many thanks hive mind!

The leverage is different because roadie brakes pull a different amount of cable. They’ll “work” but feel odd and you’ll find it hard to get enough power to stop you.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/difference-between-road-and-mtb-versions-of-avid-bb7-brakes

Ace! Thanks Colin…

risk with using mtb brakes on stis is that they don’t pull so much cable and you either set the pads very close to the disc or else maybe not achieving full braking force even when levers pulled right in

(IME anyway – I “fixed” it briefly by fitting inline cable adjusters to take up the slack often but changed to road BB7s pretty soon)

Dia Compe 287V levers will pull sufficient cable for V brakes and BB7’s. Assuming you don’t mind single speed or barend shifters (no bad thing on a CX bike).

+1 good advice there.

I;d choose the levers I wanted, not the other way round…road-pull brakes allow you to use any lever you want.

Its been a long day Al, and I’m a little slow.

road-pull brakes allow you to use any lever you want.

Can you clarify?

Sorry fella…I meant..

“road-lever compatible calipers will work with standard sti, ergo and drop bar brake levers so you don’t have to restrict yourself to those dia compes etc”

if its any help bullheart ive been wondering the same thing, some kind chap has pointed me in the direction of £15 bb5 road calipers pretty cheap

Ringo my man; show me the link, if you would be so kind! 😀

Al – ta!

linky
there you go squire

From what I can see, the front and rear calipers are identical; is that so?

yep just sent you email saying so 🙂

Is there a big difference between BB5 and BB7?

The BB7 lets you tune the position of both pads as they wear. On the BB5 you can only do this with the outer pad.

I’ve got BB5 (road) on my Tripster, running with Tiagra STI. They’re ace (especially for 15 notes). There does seem to be an issue with uneven pad wear (one side goes before the other) but I guess that’s maybe because of how they work. I can find no fault with the BB5 – they stop me (190lbs+), panniers and not the lightest build Tripster on the planet very easily. Dead easy to set up too. Highly recommended.