Tandem Cycling - BB7 Road Or inline travel agent
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ibis_ti
08-26-09, 03:52 PM
Our tandem came with a BB7 Mtn caliper in back (Chorus levers). It's really hard to get the caliper dialed in such that the lever doesn't bottom out and the rotor doesn't drag. It's also a little squishy.
Since I could get a whole BB7 Road brake kit for about $45 or a travel agent for about $20, would it be better just to get the road version of the brake? I'm assuming I can just bolt the caliper to the existing adapter and it would work with the 203mm rotor even though the road version is 160mm only.
Or would getting the inline travel agent be good enough?
Thanks.
uspspro
08-26-09, 04:18 PM
You just need the road caliper... the bracket/rotor you have will work fine.
Go with the road version over the travel agent IMO.
Make sure the caliper is lined up with disc correctly, check the spacing and both the front and rear of the caliper. Don,t assume that what you see in back is the same as what is happening at the front of the caliper. If the caliper and disc are out of alignment you may not be getting full contact on one or both brake pads. I just went through this on my Avid BB7 Road dont know how Mtn vs Road plays into the formula.Somehow the alignment of the caliper got meesed up and braking power went to unacceptable levels. My biggest clue was brake pads that were not worn evenly, previuos brake pads had worn evenly at which time brakes worked fine
joe@vwvortex
08-26-09, 07:08 PM
I run the OLD style BB7 road caliper (2003/04) and a travel agent with my Record levers. I also use the stainless steel braided brake housing that Specialized sells. Its allows for great modulation and short lever travel. I tried it with and without the travel agent and I preferred it with. The newer BB7 calipers appear to have better spring tension as well as a shorter arm travel so YMMV.
http://www.rastta.com/images/drivetrain.jpg
ibis_ti
10-18-09, 09:51 PM
Just a quick update: I ordered a road BB7 and it made a big difference. The lever doesn't bottom out and no rotor drag. The engagement also feels a lot more firm. I don't see a need to add the travel agent with the road bb7.
Switched out the Santana Winzip to the mtn BB7 this weekend and wow what a difference! I did keep the travel agent. I now have brakes that I am happy with.
So, just what is the difference between the mtn and road BB7?
Chris_W
10-19-09, 08:24 AM
So, just what is the difference between the mtn and road BB7?
Cable pull is the difference. Your levers need to be matched (mtn BB7 = same as V-brake / linear-brake pull), or you need a travel agent. There's lots of info all over this forum about it if you want to know more.