Mountain Biking - Brake levers are loose and worn out

I have a Trek mountin bike that is about 3 years old. It came with Tektro brakes(I have a linear V brake system) and the lever feels worn out and loose. I'd like to replace the levers with some higher quality ones without spending alot of money. I'd like to stay place a limit on what I can spend, so I told myself I would not go over $75.00 for a pair of brake levers. For a pair about $75.00, would the lever's have a nice and tight feel that would stay that way after much use?

Avid Speed Dials. Seriously it's the lever that made me realize there might be different levels of levers, that they aren't all the same. Check them out.

I saw those. They seem pretty cheap. Would the Avid Speed Dials 7 2008 be a significant improvement from the ones that I have?

They'd be an improvement...maybe not a huge one...but good for the price.

Dangerboy Levers

What is pivot slop? And which would have less of it, Avid Speed Dial SL Brake Levers or Shamano LX Brake Levers?

Kcnc.

Slop=play=worn out loose feeling.

I haven't tried the '08 LX levers, but I have some older ones that are the same design- lots of play in the pivot, and no way to adjust it out.

The Avid levers are...somewhat adjustable when it comes to tightening the pivots. I'd go with them...unless it's possible to find some XTR levers on ebay in your price range...

Go with Avids...SD 7's or SL's

hmm... in reviews from 2001-2006 the only complaint was the Avid speed dial SL had vertical play. I am curiouse if that has improved in 08. But I guess it doesn't matter to much if the LX's get that after a period of use.

Unless you go with SD Ultimates you are going to have a little bit of play in pretty much anything you buy. I have Cane Creek Direct Curve, SD 7's and SL's. The SL's are the tightest of the lot (but not by much) and the cane creeks are the loosest. For 26 bucks you can hardly go wrong with SD 7's...

Man, now i am starting to wonder if I should replace my brakes with Avid SL brakes. They go for about $60.00. Would I be better off buying cheap bottom line disc brakes like the Avid BB7 Disc Brake 08' since they are the same price?

Going disc means disc specific wheel build...now you're going to a whole 'nother realm of cost from a simple break lever upgrade :eek:

EDIT: BB7's are actually quite nice...

What is pivot slop? And which would have less of it, Avid Speed Dial SL Brake Levers or Shamano LX Brake Levers?

Shamano will take your brakes to a higher level of consciousness but I prefer the Avids.

hmm... ya, after doing some research my hubs do have an attachment for disk brakes(shimano FH-M475 w/ 6 bolt threads). I saw that the Avid BB7's are $50 a piece while the Shimano XT M576 are only $30 more at $80 a piece(http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16468-115_SHICT7-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Shimano-XT-M765-Disc-Brake-Centerlock-Rear.htm). Would it be worth it to go with the Shimano's since they are Hydraulic?

hmm... ya, after doing some research my hubs do have an attachment for disk brakes(shimano FH-M475 w/ 6 bolt threads). I saw that the Avid BB7's are $50 a piece while the Shimano XT M576 are only $30 more at $80 a piece(http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16468-115_SHICT7-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Shimano-XT-M765-Disc-Brake-Centerlock-Rear.htm). Would it be worth it to go with the Shimano's since they are Hydraulic?

The brakes in the link are center lock, while you say that you have six bolt hubs, which means that they are incompatible.

Oh, and go for the SD7 levers and BB7 brakes, they're great.

But I could use an adapter, right? Would the BB7's still be a better deal even if I could use the Shimano XT M576 with the adapter?

But I could use an adapter, right? Would the BB7's still be a better deal even if I could use the Shimano XT M576 with the adapter?

What do you mean by 'better deal'? What's important to you in a brake?

well, good question. i would like to have my break lever pressurized and have that feeling like car has 'power breaks'. by a better deal, i am wondering if the shamino xt m576 are worth the extra $30.00 more(per a tire)?

I don't think so, but others might disagree. Also BB7s are nowhere near bottom of the line, a set with some matching avid levers should be a nice upgrade for you.

Yeah, can't go wrong with the BB7's.

Man, now i am starting to wonder if I should replace my brakes with Avid SL brakes. They go for about $60.00. Would I be better off buying cheap bottom line disc brakes like the Avid BB7 Disc Brake 08' since they are the same price?


Going disc means disc specific wheel build...now you're going to a whole 'nother realm of cost from a simple break lever upgrade :eek:

EDIT: BB7's are actually quite nice...

Like the man says...BB7's are sweet! I have a set I've been running for 1-1/2 years, and a buddy has a set that's 3 years old; both still work perfectly. So the "cheap bottom line disc[B]" description is way off. FYI, BB7's are the [B]top of the line when it comes to mechanical discs.

You want cheap bottom line discs, get a set of Promax's off a Wal-Mart bike.

Now, as to your original question....

Get the SD's, or like someone else said, XTR's used somewhere (good luck).

Oh, and go for the SD7 levers and BB7 brakes, they're great.

+1 for the Avid Speed Dials and the BB7's. You will notice a significant improvement. The little red knob on the lever allows you to adjust the modulation some which is beautiful...make sure to read the instructions and play around with it to see what sort of feel you like.

Mechanical disc brakes also have the benefit of being easier to maintain for those of us who are ...um...less mechanically inclined.

Mechanical disc brakes also have the benefit of being easier to maintain for those of us who are ...um...less mechanically inclined.

Not necessarily true. I've had some Hayes Nines (hydraulic) going on three years. Maintenance: zero. There are many here who share this kind of opinion. It is a silly fallacy that hydros are fraught with maintenance woes, lines snag on trees, fluid blows, etc..

You can always go the dirtbag cheapie route and shim the levers, if possible with what you have.

Get some disc caliper shims from your local shop, pop the lever pins/pivots out, and shime a bit, then pop everything back in.

Has worked for me with many different brake levers in the past.

man, i'm going to splurge and get the Shimano XT M765(http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16468-115_SHICT7-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Shimano-XT-M765-Disc-Brake-Centerlock-Rear.htm). It said it includes an adapter, is this the adapter that will make the brake fit my FH-M475 6 -bolt hub fit the brake?

FYI, XT rotors warp very easy in my exp., so if you fall alot (or do stupid stuff), go with something else. I have a bike with Centerlock rotors and have sense replaced them with six bolt ones using an adapter.

man, i'm going to splurge and get the Shimano XT M765(http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16468-115_SHICT7-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Shimano-XT-M765-Disc-Brake-Centerlock-Rear.htm). It said it includes an adapter, is this the adapter that will make the brake fit my FH-M475 6 -bolt hub fit the brake?

No. You need a different adapter for the rotor. And you should really listen to the good advice you've been given. When just about everyone on a thread agrees on the same answer there is a very good reason for that. You've been warned.

Here's a stupid question: are the brakes adjusted properly? Depending on where the "slop" comes from you may be able to simply adjust it out for free.

It sounds like he"s been talking about the slop in the actual brake lever...caused by the plastic bushings in the pivot wearing out.

The answer to the adapter question is there on the page. =/

The adapter it comes with is for the caliper mount, not the rotor.

ya, your right. i'm probably going to go with the avid's bb7. do i need to have the avid 'full metal jacket' housing to optimize the quality of the bb7's?

ya, your right. i'm probably going to go with the avid's bb7. do i need to have the avid 'full metal jacket' housing to optimize the quality of the bb7's?

No, any old housing will do.

The so called "compressionless" housing does make a noticable difference, though.

i saw a good deal on ebay and i couldn't pass it up:

Here's the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-XT-BR-M765-Disc-Brake-a-set_W0QQitemZ110267415276QQihZ001QQcategoryZ27949QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I'm going to buy the rotors to fit my hubs for $30.00(both).
Was this a good deal?
Also,

I asked and everything is pre-assembled. Do I still need these?:
adapter mounting bolts w/washers
Brake pad spacer
Spacer for bleeding
caliper mounting bolts w/washers
Stop Ring
I asked and the kit does not come with these. I hope I didn't mess up. If I need these where can I buy them?

That's not that great of a deal IMO. I'd say stick with BB7 that are easyer to adjust, stop better, are cheaper, and come with rotors at no extra cost. I just installed some avid FR-5 levers ($13 on price point) and they have almost no noticeable slop while riding. If you are used to riding with levers with alot of slop, you prolly dont need top of the line ones. My point is this: you dont need top of the line levers if you are used to crappy ones.