Avid BB7 Road Disc Brakes 2012

I bought these brakes for my commuter bike and they've performed well. They're easy to set up and adjust, and as long as you keep the pads and rotors clean, they don't squeal. The only reason I won't give them 5 stars is because they require an inline barrel adjuster to get the lever throw just right. Why can't Avid add a barrel adjuster? If you're using Gore fully sealed cables, it sucks to have to break up the housing to put in a barrel adjuster.

Pros: Easy to set up and adjust. Great feel with Gore cables.

Cons: No barrel adjuster!

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: February 10, 2013
Reviewed by: Erik, WI

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Typical avid BB7 greatness

Used this on my cross/winter trainer bike for sierra road/fireroad rides, and it works great. Typical BB7 modulation and power, just on drops. Can't complain, way better than canti's, and don't have to worry about mud clearance.

Pros: Clearance, peace of mind on descents, easy to adjust, power and modulation

Cons: none when compared to other brake systems for road/cross disc

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: August 05, 2012
Reviewed by: Owen R., California

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Good Brakes

I have had plenty of hydraulic disc brakes on a few different bikes, but these were my first set of mechanicals (and Avids). I got them for my PNW commuter bike to help me stop safely in the rain with a loaded down bike. As far as the stopping, they are amazing. They work great at bringing my bike to a stop in any weather, on any slope, with any amount of weight. My only gripes with these brakes are that I found it surprisingly difficult to get them dialed in with no pad rubbing and that they make a ton of terrible noise. It has taken me a year, but I have just now gotten them to stop squeaking and stop rubbing (and I tried everything to reduce the noise). It could be user error, but for the best mechanical disc breaks around, I would expect setup and operation to be a bit better and definitely for them to make less noise.


Pros: Great Stopping Power and worth the extra weight


Cons: Trouble setting them up and they make a ton of noise. Inboard adjustment knob is hard to turn by hand with the wheel on.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: January 18, 2012
Reviewed by: Porter F., Oregon

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Perfect for winter commuting

When I decided on a new winter commuter here in the PNW, I went with a cyclocross frame that allowed disc brakes. Currently Avid makes the best road mechanical disc brakes, so I decided on the BB7s. So far they have been incredible for my dialy commute in all conditions. A worthy upgrade for the added weight for around town commuting where quick and responsive braking is required.

Pros: Simple maintanence and adjustment on the go, powerful, opens up space for fenders, compatible with STI systems found on most road bikes

Cons: A little noisy, have to clean the rotors often

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: December 18, 2011
Reviewed by: Travis S., John's Landing

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Best road disc brake out there

I bought this to replace an older BB7 (~2004 model). This brake works better than my old one. The spring rate on the return has been increased which helps deal with the less than ideal cable routing I have going on. Adjustment is easy and fairly straight forward. The inner knob is a bit hard to turn. I liked the inboard adjustment knob on my old one better. These have plenty of stopping power for loaded commuter or touring bike.

Pros: Low maintenance. Lots of braking power. Immunity to fowl weather

Cons: Adjustment knobs could use a little bit of work to make them easier to adjust.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: December 14, 2011
Reviewed by: Brent D., Oregon

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BB7s and you can't go wrong

I really like these brakes. They are simple and priced well. They work great for my monster cross application where I've got road leavers and disks. The stopping is very good with my 225lbs. I ride these hard on an off road. I would recommend using a 185mm rotor up front if possible. Great product that stops well and is easy to maintain and adjust.

Pros: Stops well, easy to work on, lots of parts and options for customization.

Cons: Stock pads are ok, I like EBC though.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 25, 2011
Reviewed by: Ty, SoCal

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Great all around brake

I use this brake on my commuter bike. It works great in year-round weather including rain, ice and snow.

Pros: consistent breaking. Durable.

Cons: Squeaks a bit especially when wet.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: May 06, 2011
Reviewed by: Peter, St. Louis

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The only way to go...

If you want to run discs with drop bars, this is your best choice. You can use the MTB version with long-pull levers (or pulleys), but these require less cable pull (and work better with the more-popular road levers).

Use with compressionless housing and slick inner wires for the best performance.

Pros: Easy setup
Reliable
Compatible with most drop levers

Cons: Somewhat heavy
Stock pads can be noisy

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: April 30, 2011
Reviewed by: Mark C., Colorado

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Have these brakes on my Salsa Fargo. Excellent stoppers! Ordered some for my wife's bike. Great modulation and very easy to setup.

Pros: Good stopping power, ease of setup.

Cons: Can squeal a bit.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: March 30, 2011
Reviewed by: Josh K.

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Wow!

I basically built up a bike around these brakes and couldn't be happier.

I've been riding mountain/commuter bikes exclusively for some time and I've grown accustomed to using disc brakes, albeit lower quality units than these. I like the wet weather performance, easy adjustment and maintenance, predicability, no wear on expensive rims, etc. When I decided to get a new road bike I only had one set criteria: disc brakes.

Now that it's finally all together I know I made the right choice. The feel and power of the BB7's exceeds the Shimano mechanical discs on my other bikes by a good margin. I found them easy to install and they should be easy to maintain.

Pros: With good cables, a set-it-and-forget-it pair of powerful brakes.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: December 28, 2010
Reviewed by: Alex, Salem, OR

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