On a Shimano brake I noticed a fraying cable at the brake end of it, where the cable bends sharply, does anybody know if Road BB7s have a similar quirk?

I’ve reacently learnt about somebody having to keep a close eye on thier budget Shimano cable discs, and change the cables regularly to avoid cable faliure while commuting to and from work.

Am asking because i’m thinking of buying some road BB7s if I see any going cheap secondhand, to use for an eventual project.

Ta muchly,

Tim

No such probs on my BB7s after 6 years.

Is that the road version, or is it not relevent because they’re very similar?

those 30 quid deore hydros still going on crc?

Not hydro brakes, cable brakes. Will try and find a picture of the model.

No such probs on my BB7s after 6 years.

+1

mine are the road ones, no idea if there’s a difference.

there is a difference between the road and mtb ones,
the arm that the cable pulls will be shorter on the road version than the mtb version which will be optimised for a v brake lever.
using an mtb version with road sti would result in lots of power, but little control with a mushy feel.
using the road version with an mtb lever (v brake) would result in a very satisfying solid feel but very little in the way of real power.
sorry thats a bit OT.

No probs, there doesn’t look to be much (any?) difference in how the cable routes, which is what I had in mind.

Ta for the info all, helpfully informative!

I’m aware of that difference martymac, but does it relate to the OP’s query?

I’m not sure if it was clear which difference you were aware off (or not) Al. 🙂

not really tbh cynical.

TBH my opinion of cable discs is pretty low anyway, but BB7 have pretty much been the standard over the years, and there’s a reason for that like any product that stands the test of time.

Like other bike parts, look after it and it’ll be fine, don’t and it won’t

Just had a look at my BB7 road callipers and there are no sharp turns on the cable. No signs of wear so far. They’re really good. Get some.

No sharp turns on either the road or mtb verson

But i also have br 456 i think – basic belowdeore level brakes

No sharp corners there either – unless its the shoulder the cable clamps ove hes talking about . Over torque that an youll pinch and weaken the cable

No wear on my road bb7s but after 6 months of use I need new inner and outer because the cable is gerting stuck in the outer from all the winter gack. The little seal on the end of where the cable threads through failed quite quickly and I can’t find spares anywhere. Will have to put a sealed ferrule on next time

It’s funny, it seems to be where the cable curves around the ’round bit’ on the disc brake which moves when the cable is pulled via the brake lever, I saw the cable on a stranger’s bike fraying around that curve a few years ago, and went and told the reception staff of the place it was locked up incase they had an accident on thier way home, and i’ve just read about somebody having to keep an eye on thier cables due the cables fraying at the same point.

It’s not a sharp turn, but it seems like enough to cause the cables to fray over time, going just on anecdotal evidence.

I’ve noticed no Avid BB brakes have a similar curve in the cable at the brake end, which seems like it could be interesting when people havn’t had cables fraying over a number of years of using them.

I have noticed when servicing friends bikes that Shimano cable discs are tough on cables. Avid brakes seem much kinder to cables.