Originally Posted by
digger
Agreed.
I would shy away from the BB5s, the setup is a little frustrating with only one adjustable pad. The BB7s, although a little more expensive (not alot) have far better adjustablity with both pads having the ability to be dialed in.
Another reason to get the BB7s over the BB5s (if you're going disc): the BB7s use the larger, rectangular pad from the Juicy lineup, not the skimpy little round BB5 pad. And you have metal and organic pad options.
I find discs much better in the winter, they do not ice up (never for me anyway) like a rim brake would.
Under these conditions, ice-up can be a serious concern if you need to make a sudden stop:
If you have an ice-up problem, you probably know it already
Yes, the discs can squeal, especially when wet and this can be alleviated quite a bit by using organic or resin pads.
I've found no clear pattern on that one. If a customer has squeal issues, they're more likely to have organic pads than metal (Shimano organics are particularly prone to "the moans"), but it can go either way. I've also encountered a few customers whose bikes hit a vibration harmonic when braking, and the only solution is to change rotor sizes. Personally, I literally threw out my first disc brake because I couldn't get it to stop squealing and it was, frankly, embarrassing to ride in traffic like that. "What's he honking for?!"