Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Why? I'm not being facetious either. I see this all the time with people setting up their levers so that the brakes don't even engage until the lever is pulled half way but I really don't understand the thinking behind it. I've ridden a few bikes with that set up and have always found the braking to be uncomfortably slow and the lever perilously close to bottoming out.
All of my brakes are set so the brake engages immediately and if the lever reaches the halfway point the wheel is locked. That's the problem I was having with the BB7 before I found the proper adjustment method. The brake didn't even engage until half way and the levers were almost at the bar before the bike was stopped.
Originally Posted by
MileHighMark
...although I prefer that all my bikes' brakes not engage until the levers are very close to the handlebars..
I find that odd as well. The standard my LBS uses is when the lever is about 1 inch from the handlebar, then the brake will engage. Too me, as Cyccommute states, this is very close to bottoming out. My brakes are setup so that there is very little movement in the lever before those brakes are on.
My experience differs from Cyccommute with the BB7s. I have no trouble setting them up so my levers engage almost immediately. Now with the BB5s, this is nigh on impossible, and I have to settle for more lever movement. Even with the busines card trick.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Based on my experience, the mechanical discs aren't any easier to set up than cantilevers are. Both involve a fair amount of voodoo but with cantis, at least, you can see what you are doing...
BB5s, I agree with you, like the cantis of the past they are a very frustrating setup.
BB7s, I disagree. BB7s are much more easier for setup than cantis or linear pull. Just my experience. I often find it is usually some little nuance that one guy or gal does that makes a world of difference.