Brake Upgrades :)
 

I went to the local bike shop today to see what they said about some brake upgrades...my rim brakes are getting pretty worn and I am just not a fan after testing a bike with some decent discs. I asked the guy working if it would be worth it to upgrade to disc brakes and told him I had a Fisher Tassajara. He asked if I had mounts for them on my fork/frame, and if I had the adapters on my wheels, which I do. He said my best bet was a decent pair of mechanical brakes which wouldn't totally break my bank.

Do you guys agree? What do you recommend? I am pretty new to the upgrading and stuff, so I don't know much about what is quality. I guess my price range is pretty flexible...obviously I don't want to spend a huge amount and I don't need the absolute best, just an upgrade over what I have now. I'll be racing this spring/summer, hopefully on my lbs team :p Thanks!

-Gus


Oh yeah, where is the hot place to buy from?

The brakes for you would be the Avid BB7s. They are the best mechanical disk brakes out there, and I am running them on the rear, while Juicy 7's up front.
There is really no use "upgrading" to ****ty disk brakes such as Tektro.. or even the Hayes MX2s for that manner, because they probably suck more ass than your rim brakes.
The BB7's are just a little bit more pricey than the other lower grade disc brakes but they offer hydraulic-like feel and power. You will notice the difference, especially if you are racing .You can pick BB7's up for like $150USD for F&R on eBay.
BB7's will last you quite a while as a mountain biker improving and they will last you until you really tackle difficult DH courses, in which case you should get 8" hydraulics.

pricepoint has pretty good deals on mech. disc brakes as well. they do work great. once you have 'em, you won't want to go back. i think good mech. disc brakes are freakin' awesome, as there really isn't much to worry about after setting them up, besides the occasional adjustment.

Alright, thanks a lot for the replys! I will definately check around for those BB7'


I will probably have to do 1 wheel at a time...so maybe front first then rear. I just can't drop $150 in a week with my current checks :D Look good?- http://cgi.ebay.com/Avid-07-BB-7-BB7...QQcmdZViewItem

Also, how hard is it to install these? I'm pretty handy...My other hobbies (Trucks, RC Cars) are all about wrenching.

+1 on the Avid BB7. Best upgrade I did moving up from the entry-level Shiimano disks that were on my entry-level hardtail. They are definitely easy to install just make sure to follow the instructions carefully.

Mmmmkay, I will buy them then. I'm very excited for some warm weather now :D

Go fully housed on your cables with a good high quality cable and housing.

Installation-wise, it is very straight forward.. you will need new housings and cables, because that's not usually included with the same. Just bolt on the lever, run the cables through, bolt on the caliper/adapter onto the mounts, and the hard part comes. .TUNING THEM. before you fine tune then.. you will need the break them in, which can be done riding up and down ur street just grabbin the levers, beacuse upon gettin them, their power is no where near enuf to throw you over.. and as you do more and more runs, you will feel them getting more and more powerful.. then it reaches a point where you just need to ride normally (commute) and they will be fully broken in in like a week, then just adjust the pad width to make sure they don't rub but as close to the rotor as possible.

I agree with the BB7 recommendation on a budget.

Now, as to where to buy them? And you want to race on your LBS's team this summer? Hmmmm, let me think.....how about through your LBS?

If you ask their opinion/recommendation and then show up with discs purchased online or from another shop, then you will hurt your chances of being on that LBS's team.

Trust me, as a long time mechanic, we remember the customers who spend the extra change to suppor the shop. We also know (and remember well) those who waste our time by using us for info and then save $10 by buying somewhere else.

Here's a good tip to getting remembered by your shop in a good way. Buy the BB7's from them and then ask them to "show you" how to install them. Offer a pizza a 6-pack of microbrews as payment for the lesson.

You'll be heralded as "one of the good guys".

I believe everyone agrees that Avid Ball Bearing series is the best mechanical discs out there

I would say it's just as good as most hydro if it's tuned properly..

For what it's worth, I went with BB5's front and rear and am very happy with the result. The brakes were $80 total (plus s/h). I also bought the Avid Flak Jackets as recommended.

Thats a good plan as you may discover that you don't even NEED disc brakes on the rear. If you want even better brakes, go for a 185mm rotor as opposed to a 160mm.

Well after going through some muddy trails today I decided that I for sure want discs all around...I absolutely HATE how V-brakes make the grinding noise and lose stopping power in mud.

How does upgrading to Avid BB5's for the rears sound? I'm looking maybe to save a few bucks and thought this would be a good way to do that. Opinions?

well, first you must check if your rear wheel hub is disc brake ready.

yeah, check if your hub is compatible, and you may find (especially if you go on ebay) that a set of BB7's may be the same price as buying 1 bb7, and 1 bb5 seperately..

BB7's for a pair are all around $140-150...I paid $72 for a single front one. A single BB5 is only like, $35 or something like that...about half the price of a BB7. So I don't know, I'll look into it.

BB7 is the best mechanical disc brake out there. Or you can go with Hayes HFX-9 for entry hydro brakes.