Originally Posted by
AndreyT
If your purpose is to get it "as close as possible to actually dragging", as stated by ItsJustMe, then you are doing it wrong. There's no way to get the pads "as close as possible to actually dragging" without pre-tensioning the arm. If you are not pre-tensioning the arm, it means that you are leaving a rather generous amount of "dead" travel for your pads. As I said above, BB7 can and will work adequately without pre-tensioning, but dialing-out that "dead zone" makes a world of a difference in brake feel and responsiveness.
I'm not sure I understand. I'm happy to talk about it and perhaps I misunderstood what ItsJustMe stated. If memory serves this is what I did..and do.
I'll take it from when caliper is first installed.
To align caliper, insert new pads and tighten pads down onto rotor with rotor centered in the caliper. I think Avid states about 1/3 outboard and 2/3 inboard. I find this does not work well.
Tighten caliper bolts
Tighten pinch bolt on cable
Prestretch your cable by pulling on it a few times, use a rag to protect your hand
Readjust cable in the pinch bolt.
Back off the pads until the rotor is free.
At this point, and this is what I understood from ItsJustMe;
Pull and release the lever a few times, spin wheel
Adjust each pad until you here it start to rub the rotor, back off each until rubbing stops.
Pull and release lever, spin and check. May rub slightly, may not.
Adjust the pad, or pads in until rubbing starts, back off and recheck lever. You may have to put up with some slight rotor rubbing.
The success of that last step will depend on the trueness of the rotor.
Some cable slack MAY, I say MAY, be need to be removed by turning the barrel adjuster usually after 1 or 2 rides when cable stretches a little more. Or you can readjust teh cable in the pinch bolt. I find that a 1/4 turn just about does it.
If I missed a step, or perhaps I am unable to adequetly describe it, therefore I apologize.
All I can say is that the brake lever moves very little, perhaps 1/8 to 1/4 of the distance to the handlebar using this methodology. But not the 3/4 of the distance for a 1 inch clearance from the bar, before the brake engages, like the LBS sets them up.