dirtjumper4001

Im looking for some front disk brakes and what are the diffences betwene Avid BB5's and Avid BB7's???

Rosso Corsa

Wrong section.

I don't really know the difference just that BB7s are considered pretty good while the BB5s are considered garbage, by the lead mechanic at my LBS. BB7s aren't that expensive, just go for it.

ca7erham

Why is this the wrong section?

Cyclist30907654

That makes very little sense, since the only difference between them is that the BB7 has the outboard pad adjustment. Without this feature, all you have to do is adjust the cable pull periodically.

Oleanshoebox

I run BB5s and think they are more than adequate.

sirtigersalot

bb7 has outboard pad adjustment, bb7 has spring tension adjustment, and most importantly bb7 has diff pad with like double the surface area they have the rectangularish ones not the round ones like the bb5s have

either way the bb7s do feel better, they are considered the best mechanical caliper

i'd also recomend gettin some decent levers to go with if you don't already have, fr-5 or speed dial 7s (or w/e) the fr5 is like 15 bucks for the set, and even bb7s feel like crap with crappy levers

roccobike

+1, Seriously, Either that mechanic doesn't know what he/she's doing or they're pushing a set of BB7s (that were only used on Sundays).
I'd base the decision on cost difference, but wouldn't have that mechanic install BB5s if I went that route.

BearSquirrel

I'll add that the people I know with BB5s can't get them to stop rubbing at the edge of the pad. But they report that they still stop great.

wheelhot

BB7, but if you are short of cash, BB5 will do just as fine, and yea BB5 if you are the kind of person who set and forget or in other words, dont do any adjustments once something is set up.

free_pizza

i've missed you.

wheelhot

Is that a good thing or a bad thing :thoughts:

ed 

I'd forgotten about you. You need to come 'round here a little more often.

Oleanshoebox

I run BB5s with super cheap no name levers and have no rubbing issues. My HFX-9s, however, rub like the dickens.

kenhill3

Interesting to hear negatives about HFX-9's. Never had a single problem w/mine.

wheelhot

Haha, I'll try

ed 

After setting up Avids mech's, owning Avid Juicy 5's, Codes, misc. rim brakes, and test driving several other brands of brakes...I'm actually considering moving to a mech. If I do, they will assuredly be BB7's.

I'm OCD, so here's why:

What I didn't like about my Hydro's:
-There was always a little different travel in each lever in the Juicy 5's. I thought that it would be cured with the Codes due to the pad contact adj. When i got the Codes (all noise aside), the pad contact adjustment was worthless. I had to have them adjusted all the way in and there was still too much "free play". I could possibly have squeezed the lever with no rotor and made up some distance. I had to bleed my Juicy 5's a couple times per year. (not a huge deal) When I bled the Codes, they were tricky to get all the air out of those little corners and "hiding places".

The BB7's will allow me to "micro manage" my brakes allowing me to totally adjust:
-engagement
-lever reach
-individual pad distance to contact

Sure, the main reason I'm prob. trying out the BB7s over Juicy's is going to be money savings, but with my hyperanalityOCD'ismic'control-freakishness...I may like the extra micro-adjustibility of the BB7's over the BB5's. I'm also a bit of a snob. I think the BB5's could be slummin it for me, hehe.

What I expect not to like would be cable drag and general "feel at the lever". I can get plenty of power for Kansas out of a BB, but the smoothness factor may get under my skin just a tad.

It seems that alot of urban riders that I see are using BB7's, and that's what I'm starting to enjoy more than anything these days.

We'll see...still undecided.

rankin116

Same reason I got rid of the HFX-9s. I hated those. Stroker Trails, on the other hand, have been awesome.

Geez, I'm starting to sound like Dminor

ed 

Yah, yah...lil'D

vik 

Being able to adjust both pads on the BB7s and the larger size of the pad is worth the difference in price.

TechTrek

My 9's used to rub. THen I um... fixed that problem... and now they are fine.

biknbrian

I have BB5's on my bike and I have installed BB7's on my wife bike. BB5's have a lot of lever movement before they engage and then they respond very abruptly. BB7's engage with minimal lever movement and then they are very smooth. With my wife's easy to reach/close to the bar levers they was no choice to be made. Come up with the little bit of extra money and get BB7's.

cobba

An easily solved problem, The closer the pads are to the rotor the less you'll have to pull the lever before the brakes will engage. Just tighten the brake cable so there's less lever movement, tightening the cable will start to close the caliper and move the outside pad closer to the rotor. This does basically what the outside pad adjuster does on the BB7's. The inside pad adjuster on both BB models works the same, turn the pads out so they are close to to rotor but not touching.

BB5 & BB7 Installation and Set Up: https://www.sram.com/_media/techdocs/2006_BB5and7_English.pdf

ed 

My point exactly...very adjustable.

Chris_F

Yeah, I'm sure the guys in the road bike section have a lot more to say about mountain bike mechanical disk brakes than the guys in the mountain bike forum...

I've got the BB7s, never owned or tried the BB5s. I love the BB7s and find them very easy to adjust. I'll second the comments about the levers. I had a set of cheap levers and the brakes didn't have a great feel to them. I upgraded to the Avid adjustable levers and now the brakes feel awesome.

dervish

BB7s are great, i ride em on my xc and my dj, i recommend them highly to anyone