I am replacing the @#@$% Tektro disc brakes on my 8 month old mountain bike. I have settled on the Avid BB7s and have been reading up on them (internet), including looking at them on Ebay. I doubt I will buy them from Ebay as I know little about disc brakes and think that my LBS is a safer bet, I just find Ebay a source of information (confusion)

Anyway, the Ebay listings describe some BB7s that are NOT to be used with V-brake levers. Other state that they are designed for sidepull brakes. Still others state that they are either road or cyclocross or mountain.

So, I'm confused, I thought there was only one type of Avid BB7 caliper and that disc brakes use a V-brake type lever.

Anyone set me straight? Are there differant types of BB7 for differant purposes and they may, or may not, use V-brake levers?

Thanks!
Digger

There is a BB-7 road and a BB-7 mountian. The road is for use with road levers, the mountian is for use with linear pull/v-brake levers. The mountain comes in several rotor sizes and (If I recall right) a couple of different mounts for manitou forks and older Trek frames.

There are Avid BB7 road disc brakes and Avid BB7 MTB disc brakes. If you look at the red and white label on the caliper, it will say ROAD or MTB. I have experimented with using one of the road calipers with V-brake levers and it did not work very well. I have not tried an MTB caliper with a road bike lever.
If you use the appropriate caliper and lever together as recommended by Avid, they work very well indeed.

Ok thanks, that clears it up.

So, I need the MTB version (160mm rotors), but I have to be careful of the type of mounts I get?

Right now I have an RST Gilla fork (soon to go) and if I get mounts for that fork I have to be careful that the next fork I get can work with those mounts? Am I understanding that right? OR do they come with differant mounts depending on the situation?

Digger

Hmmmm, just looking on Ebay again and this post states that these avids are MTB but will NOT work with V-brake levers.
https://cgi.ebay.ca/AVID-DISC-BB7-Bra...QQcmdZViewItem

This is why I am hesitant to buy something I know very little about on Ebay....I'm not sure THEY know.

Digger

Either the seller made a misprint, or he's selling road calipers as MTB BB7s and not quite telling the whole truth. Or maybe he just doesn't know the difference, as you said. For only $10.00 more you can buy the set from Price Point and know what you are actually getting. If you have the MTB version, they will work with V-brake levers.

If you buy it "in the box", you will get the caliper, a rotor/bolts, and the correct adaptor for that size rotor, to fit the standard caliper mount.
Manitou uses a different mount style than just about everyone else. So if you plan to use one of their forks go ahead and get the correct adaptor when you get the brake kit. If you get any one elses fork it shouldn't matter.

Rev. Chuck, I thought the BB7s are designed to mount directly to a Manitou fork ( 74mm post mount ) without any adapter ( assuming you use 6" rotors ) ? And that you need to use an adapter for the more common 51mm mount.

Yep, I think that is it. Manitous insistance on their "personal" mount style annoys me so I try to block it from my memory.

the "manitou" style is actually catching on. marzocchi has a couple forks that use it. i believe it's being called "direct mount" these days. a lot of folks say it's better than the IS mount. all i know is, it's a pain in the butt to have to stock adapters for every brake out there.

still not as big a PITA than the old style hayes version of the direct mount. we still get old fishers and treks floating through our shop with those. actually had a guy with a fisher who we went 'round and 'round with trying to get him to understand that no, that brake isn't made anymore, and no, there aren't adapters for that. fisher actually sent us an adapter that they claimed would work, but alas, no dice. man, that guy was awesome to deal with .

I hope it does not catch on to well. I find it easier to correct(face) for sloppy casting when the screws are perpindicular to the rotor.
We had a guy using an adaptor for his older Trek, it was pretty flimsy.

true, that makes sense. i hadn't thought of that. we hardly ever face disc mounts, even though we have the tool to do it...haven't run into many that have needed it though.

I was just down in the basement looking at my Hardrock and I THINK I see what you mean by adaptors.

It's a U shaped piece that bolts to the fork that in essence takes those 2 bolts holes on the fork, pivots them 90 degrees and causes the caliper to mount with bolts PARALLEL to the rotor.....right?

So from what I understand, Manitou has a direct bolt system (no adaptor) that allows you to bolt the caliper directly to the fork, using bolts parallel to the rotor. Wouldn't that mean you are limited to one size of rotor? Unless, of course, there is yet ANOTHER adaptor to move the caliper away from the fork for a differant size rotor...?

Aiyyyy, I think it's the LBS for me. Yeah, It'll cost more, but the swearing will be kept to a minimum.