Avid BB7 Road disc brakes and STI levers - Experience?
 

Putting a new build together with disc brakes and road components. Anyone out there have experience with BB7 Road disc brakes and Shimano STI levers? These brakes are supposed to have been designed to work with road levers, but I have always heard that road levers won't let you use all of the stopping power of the brakes.

Also, I'm not completely decided on levers. I have Ultegra STIs on my current ride, but thinking about bar-end shifters and some undetermined brake levers on drop bars for this build. Also could go with the shifters on the downtube since I have the braze-ons for them.

Thanks,
Mark

They work fine together. I have had that setup since 2003. Never seemed to lack in power even when using them in mountain bike races on my cross bike. I'm currently using Ultegra 6600 brifters with the BB7s.

The BB7 Road caliper plus STI lever is a very workable combination and I think you'll be quite satisfied. That said, I prefer a long-pull lever such as the Tektro RL520 plus the BB7 Mountain caliper. Tons of modulation, noticeably more so than the BB7 Road caliper + road lever. Enough modulation to regularly do stoppies and to recover easily from a front wheel lockup.

They work. The only complaint I have is that the combination requires more lever pull than with a caliper brake. While I consider this a design flaw, it's not something that would keep me from using them if I wanted discs. I commuted about two years using this combination.

Works great for me, use 'em every day.

Been using this combination for the last 1.5 years, work great for me.

My bike came with 105 5600 levers and BB7s, from back when there was only a road version of the caliper. I have four years and 12,000 miles on them, still using the original front cable even. No problems, but as JeffS noted, they require a longer lever pull than Shimano rim caliper brakes. There is a workaround.

I specified the lever model for a reason. I'm in the middle of replacing the 5600 levers (original 10-speed 105) with 5700 (new, under-the-bar-tape 105) to get the shift cables out of the way of my headlights. There is mention in the instruction sheet that brake cable pull is different in the 5700/6700/7900 series levers. The instructions for the Ultegra 6700 rim calipers say the same. I didn't finish the job last weekend and only have time to work on the bike on the weekends, so I can't say yet if this is true or what effect (if any) there is with the BB7s.

The instructions also say you can't shift, you'll go blind and your children will become sterile if you don't use the new super ultra special 5700/6700/7900 chains. The bike I just built using Ultegra 6700 shifts just fine with the same KMC X10.93 chain I've been using for years. You can never tell how much of this stuff is true or how much is just marketing BS. Although my vision is blurry...

Hah that's funny. My bike has Ultegra cranks/rings, Ultegra RD, SRAM cassette and SRAM chain. Reading the Shimano marketing materials, I must be ruining my entire drivetrain with every ride :) My vision is fine, BTW.

All interesting and useful info (from everyone). Thank you. So, I've acquired 105 5600 2x crankset, FD, and RD, and have Ultegra 6600 chain and cassette. Definitely going with BB7 discs. Only question now is the shift and brake lever choices. Sounds like 105 5600 STI (and Ultegra 6600 STI as well) will work. Could also go with Tektro RL520 brake levers and Dura Ace 7800 10 sp bar end (or downtube) shifters and use the BB7 MTN calipers. The Tektro/Dura Ace combo is much less expensive than the STI option, but I have gotten used to the Ultegra STIs.

Seems like it is just a matter of preference and cost. What else is new.

Thanks,
Mark

I've used the Cane Creek Drop V (Tektro rebranded) long-pull brake levers with mtb BB7s, and also Campy ergo brifters with road BB7s on the same fork/bike. I could tell no difference in performance, they both worked as well as my mtbs with disc brake. Significant improvement in braking power and modulation over the cantilever and V brakes I ran before on this same bike, especially in wet conditions.

If you're used to STI, you probably will be happier paying the extra cost and not using barend shifters. There's a small safety advantage to STI, in that you're not having to reposition hands/torso constantly, thus leaving the brake lever always within immediate reach.