BB7's vs Hydraulic Brakes
09-29-18, 02:56 PM
#26
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BTW, even though hydros are nicer to use, there are still arguments to be made for mechanicals.
My experience with the two types is that when everything is working correctly, hydros are less maintenance due to the fact that they self-adjust the pads.
BB7s are particularly fiddly to adjust compared to something like Spyers/Spykes does to only one pad moving. But once you get the hang of it, it takes less than a minute to adjust. On my mtb I might fiddle with them every few rides, on the road bike every 10-20 rides (I live in the hills). I could adjust them less often (and most folks probably do) but I am pretty particular about how they feel.
However, while hydros are generally less maintenance, when there ARE problems, they are generally a bigger pain to deal with.
Let me put it this way: In 17 years of using BB7s, I have never once missed a ride or had to finish a ride with a brake not working. In 6 years of using hydros, I have missed many days and on three occassions finished a ride with a non-functioning or compromised brake.
So for me, I go with hydros on my 5” mountain bike, but mechanicals on my road/gravel bike. I’ve just accepted that the MTB is a very high maintenace machine. For the road/gravel bike, I like the simplicity of the mechs, and I only need to adjust the pads once every month or two.
My experience with the two types is that when everything is working correctly, hydros are less maintenance due to the fact that they self-adjust the pads.
BB7s are particularly fiddly to adjust compared to something like Spyers/Spykes does to only one pad moving. But once you get the hang of it, it takes less than a minute to adjust. On my mtb I might fiddle with them every few rides, on the road bike every 10-20 rides (I live in the hills). I could adjust them less often (and most folks probably do) but I am pretty particular about how they feel.
However, while hydros are generally less maintenance, when there ARE problems, they are generally a bigger pain to deal with.
Let me put it this way: In 17 years of using BB7s, I have never once missed a ride or had to finish a ride with a brake not working. In 6 years of using hydros, I have missed many days and on three occassions finished a ride with a non-functioning or compromised brake.
So for me, I go with hydros on my 5” mountain bike, but mechanicals on my road/gravel bike. I’ve just accepted that the MTB is a very high maintenace machine. For the road/gravel bike, I like the simplicity of the mechs, and I only need to adjust the pads once every month or two.
09-29-18, 03:34 PM
#27
Senior Member
If you wanted a slightly better feel with a little more power, TRPs HYRDs are mechanically driven hydraulics. I will say that compared to my wifes fully hydraulic R685's they dont feel quite the same. Modulation is definitely better on full hydrailics. But they are much better than the mechanical hayes that came with my gravel bike.
They ran me 150.00 usd for the pair, came with the discs and were fairly simple to swap out. Took a little to dial them in but once I got them dialed in they work great. I do have less than 100 miles on them as the bike is brand new but the difference betweent the hyrds and the hayes was immediately noticable.
-Sean
They ran me 150.00 usd for the pair, came with the discs and were fairly simple to swap out. Took a little to dial them in but once I got them dialed in they work great. I do have less than 100 miles on them as the bike is brand new but the difference betweent the hyrds and the hayes was immediately noticable.
-Sean
09-29-18, 03:50 PM
#28
Non omnino gravis
I'm full hydro now, having put in thousands of miles on TRP Hy/Rd, and thousands of miles on mechanical Shimano BR-CX77s before that.
The best combination of performance, ease of use, and pricepoint is the Hy/Rd, by a significant margin. I had no idea how good they were until I switched to full hydro-- that is, I wasn't blown away by 4-piston hydraulic calipers. They do modulate better with less travel at the lever, but the cost differential is nuts.
The BB7s will be fine. Mech calipers just require more frequent adjustment and a harder pull on the lever. They stop every bit as well.
The best combination of performance, ease of use, and pricepoint is the Hy/Rd, by a significant margin. I had no idea how good they were until I switched to full hydro-- that is, I wasn't blown away by 4-piston hydraulic calipers. They do modulate better with less travel at the lever, but the cost differential is nuts.
The BB7s will be fine. Mech calipers just require more frequent adjustment and a harder pull on the lever. They stop every bit as well.
__________________
09-29-18, 07:55 PM
#29
Senior Member
i didn't realize these are drop bars. So yes, upgrade to hydros will be very expensive as you need new brifters and possibly new derailleurs etc In that case just stay with mechanicals...unless you really feel the urge to spend $
09-30-18, 09:28 AM
#30
Senior Member
I had a bike with Avid Juicy brakes. When I converted it to drop bars, I went to BB7's. My riding is mostly dirt roads and mild trails, but I don't recall the night/day difference others see. Maybe the hydros were a bit smoother? I've had no complaints with the cables. I found them easy to set up and only need a click or two of adjustment now and then.
09-30-18, 02:35 PM
#31
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Thread Starter
Cheers for everyone's replies ... I may see what the seller might accept so if I'm not happy with them I wouldn't lose much money of I sold the bike in the future.
As a side note ... how many miles should a new set of pads last as an approximate ... I have Deore XT's on my 29er and did my longest ever ride today, towards the end though it felt like both the sets of brakes were giving up and both started making noises I'd never heard before.
That said we normally ride on the flat but have done a lot training on hills preparing for today's ride which has involved fast downhill which I've never done before and again on some steep descents today.
The pads on the front I know were reasonably worn about 1500 miles ago and the one's on the rear were replaced at the same time although I don't think they were originals as they didn't have them in stock.
The front brakes were making a weird sound like a wasp and the rear's started squealing which they've never done before.
As a side note ... how many miles should a new set of pads last as an approximate ... I have Deore XT's on my 29er and did my longest ever ride today, towards the end though it felt like both the sets of brakes were giving up and both started making noises I'd never heard before.
That said we normally ride on the flat but have done a lot training on hills preparing for today's ride which has involved fast downhill which I've never done before and again on some steep descents today.
The pads on the front I know were reasonably worn about 1500 miles ago and the one's on the rear were replaced at the same time although I don't think they were originals as they didn't have them in stock.
The front brakes were making a weird sound like a wasp and the rear's started squealing which they've never done before.
10-01-18, 07:02 AM
#32
Senior Member
An update on experiences with cable discs. I was shopping bikes a bit this weekend and had the chance to look at a "lower end" cable disc setup. It was Tiagra or Sora levers paired with TRP calipers on a 2016 Specialized Crux (Al frame) housing was full length, whatever the factory put in there. No riding because it was raining, but the showroom feel was bad. The front brake was OK, the rear brake felt gritty. On this setup, I can see why some hate cables. By comparison, my bike is Rival levers and BB7 road calipers with full length cable disc specific cable/housing and feels smooth the whole way. I'm not sure if the main factor is the levers, cable/housing or calipers, but I can definitely say that there is a noticeable difference just in the feel of pulling the lever across the quality levels.
10-01-18, 07:43 AM
#33
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An update on experiences with cable discs. I was shopping bikes a bit this weekend and had the chance to look at a "lower end" cable disc setup. It was Tiagra or Sora levers paired with TRP calipers on a 2016 Specialized Crux (Al frame) housing was full length, whatever the factory put in there. No riding because it was raining, but the showroom feel was bad. The front brake was OK, the rear brake felt gritty. On this setup, I can see why some hate cables. By comparison, my bike is Rival levers and BB7 road calipers with full length cable disc specific cable/housing and feels smooth the whole way. I'm not sure if the main factor is the levers, cable/housing or calipers, but I can definitely say that there is a noticeable difference just in the feel of pulling the lever across the quality levels.
I think that using compression-less brake cable housing makes a HUGE difference, especially on the rear.
Cable routing as well. As short as possible without introducing sharp bends. Bikes on shop floors often have much longer cables than needed (understandable, as they need to leave room for bar adjustments).
10-01-18, 08:04 AM
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An update on experiences with cable discs. I was shopping bikes a bit this weekend and had the chance to look at a "lower end" cable disc setup. It was Tiagra or Sora levers paired with TRP calipers on a 2016 Specialized Crux (Al frame) housing was full length, whatever the factory put in there. No riding because it was raining, but the showroom feel was bad. The front brake was OK, the rear brake felt gritty. On this setup, I can see why some hate cables. By comparison, my bike is Rival levers and BB7 road calipers with full length cable disc specific cable/housing and feels smooth the whole way. I'm not sure if the main factor is the levers, cable/housing or calipers, but I can definitely say that there is a noticeable difference just in the feel of pulling the lever across the quality levels.
I think that using compression-less brake cable housing makes a HUGE difference, especially on the rear.
Cable routing as well. As short as possible without introducing sharp bends. Bikes on shop floors often have much longer cables than needed (understandable, as they need to leave room for bar adjustments).
10-01-18, 08:52 AM
#35
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Cheers for everyone's replies ... I may see what the seller might accept so if I'm not happy with them I wouldn't lose much money of I sold the bike in the future.
As a side note ... how many miles should a new set of pads last as an approximate ... I have Deore XT's on my 29er and did my longest ever ride today, towards the end though it felt like both the sets of brakes were giving up and both started making noises I'd never heard before.
That said we normally ride on the flat but have done a lot training on hills preparing for today's ride which has involved fast downhill which I've never done before and again on some steep descents today.
The pads on the front I know were reasonably worn about 1500 miles ago and the one's on the rear were replaced at the same time although I don't think they were originals as they didn't have them in stock.
The front brakes were making a weird sound like a wasp and the rear's started squealing which they've never done before.
As a side note ... how many miles should a new set of pads last as an approximate ... I have Deore XT's on my 29er and did my longest ever ride today, towards the end though it felt like both the sets of brakes were giving up and both started making noises I'd never heard before.
That said we normally ride on the flat but have done a lot training on hills preparing for today's ride which has involved fast downhill which I've never done before and again on some steep descents today.
The pads on the front I know were reasonably worn about 1500 miles ago and the one's on the rear were replaced at the same time although I don't think they were originals as they didn't have them in stock.
The front brakes were making a weird sound like a wasp and the rear's started squealing which they've never done before.
But the actual wear will depend on a few things.
Do you ride (and brake) downhill much? Downhill breaking will wear the pads out faster than flat braking.
Do you ride in dirty conditions? Dust and road grit and anything else that gets into the pads will wear them out faster. It's usually dry when I ride my hybrid and I don't take it through mud and muck. So the brakes stay clean. But add some mud in there and they will wear faster.
Also, and this is the biggest factor BY FAR...how much do you brake? If I'm riding a rial trail I might go 5 miles without touching the brake levers. And then its' only a tap. If I'm commuting I ever take my hand off the brakes and use them every few hundred feet.
So there isn't a set number of miles that brakes last. There are too many variables depending on how and where you ride. But they should last "a long time" and replacement pads are like $20. And they take minutes to swap out. And you can look at them with the bike fully assembled and see if they are wearing thin.
As for the noise...that happens with discs. The pads or rotors could be glazed or contaminated. Sandpaper is your friend. Sometimes they just make noise.
10-01-18, 10:29 AM
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I've flipped my bike over to work on it numerous times and they haven't leaked (granted for an hour or two, not months) and the brakes still work fine when upside down.
I would think if the fill spout was open (where the fluid would leak out) you'd notice it every time you depressed the brake lever and mineral oil went squirting out. It's a pressurized system. If there is any place fluid could leak out, it would do so under pressure.
10-02-18, 08:58 PM
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Another argument in favor of cable disk brakes is the ability to use cross levers. Very useful in urban environment.
I can confirm that the compressionless housing makes a difference, I replaced coiled housing with Jagwire Pro and I could feel it.
I can confirm that the compressionless housing makes a difference, I replaced coiled housing with Jagwire Pro and I could feel it.
