Tandem Cycling - Chattering Avid Mechanical Disc brake

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PDA
antiquepedaler
09-16-09, 04:55 PM
Just put a new Avid BB7 mechanical disc brake on the rear of our road tandem and am using linear pull brake levers. With light to medium pull on the levers, the brakes are smooth and quiet. With real hard pull on the levers the brake chatters and grabs. Am I missing some adjustment?

PMK
09-16-09, 07:32 PM
The bike in the photo looks like a ECDM. For us, on all my tandem and single bikes, I found the Avids need to "break in" the disc and pads.

I would wipe the brakes with a minimum of alcohol, but a wipe of acetone or brakleen will remove any contamination. Several light brake applications with progressively more brake applied usually beds in the pads and rotors. I will say that when wet, the brakes still stop, but have on occasion howled a bit until they heated and dried.

PK