thehammerdog

My bike has some very bad disc brakes that never ever really worked well. They are weak and yearly require bleeding and adjusting. Are the newer Avid mech brakes decent replacements vs. big dollar hydro brakes? I can get a set for almost nothing on line.

jimc101

What do you currently have? Any correctly setup hydraulic should be better than mechanical ones, but maintaining them is key. Older models required maintenance, but the latest Shimano Hydraulics (M596,M615,M666,M675,M785,M987,M988 & M9000) are all just about fit and forget till the pads need replacing.

Who makes the best brakes will change over the years, currently Shimano are regard to have the best range, but that could change when someone brings out a better version.

For being expensive, Shimano covers the full price range as do other manufactures, no need to go for the most expensive, current low end brakes are better than top of the range from a couple of generations ago.

Canker

BB7 if you are going to bother going mechanical. I'd take those over lowend hydrualics from just about anybody other than Shimano.

redtires

I had BB7's a few years ago and really liked them. In fact, I liked them better than the lower end Shimano hydro's on my next bike. I'm looking to get some discs for a current budget build and would go with the BB7's again for sure. One other thing though, it depends on how well you set them up too. Use good quality cables and housing and quality levers and they'll do well.

Clem von Jones

I put road BB7s on my drop bar mountain bike and feel they are a huge upgrade over the early generation hydraulic Avid Ultimates (lol). What I like about them are the two plastic knobs on the inner and outer sides of the calliper that allow you to adjust without tools each pad in and out. On BB7s only one side of the calliper is active and it pushes the rotor towards the other passive side but now there are some new TRP Spyre mechanicals with a cam that squeezes both sides of the calliper together against the rotor. In theory this would cause more even pad wear and you can adjust the pad clearance with cable barrel adjusters. I haven't tried them and I'm not sure that feature makes a big difference but the ability to adjust the pads left and right is absolutely essential on the active/passive calipers. I got fed up with the Avid hydraulics. They were a constant annoyance. Hydros potentially have better modulation but the easy adjustability of the mechanicals make them reliably adequate. Never again will a ride be aborted because the brakes leaked or have bubbles in them.

RatMudd

Mechanicals are getting lighter and lighter through the years. Avid BB7's are a famous brake on a touring bike, where longevity and simple trump about anything. There's also metal cable housing to make mechanicals even smoother pulling and to keep debris out. Racing? -- perhaps check out some lighter hydraulics. Not racing? -- BB7 mtn's all the way. Just my opinion.

intransit1217

Don't know about cost, but other than some wet squeal, I love my factory Hayes hydros.

Alias530

GOOD hydro brakes are a godsend. Bad ones are worse than mechanical. Avoid Avid like ebola, go with Shimano hydro brakes. I love my XT's.

roccobike

I've got Avid Hydraulics on both the hardtail and dual sus bikes. I'd agree that given the choice, I'd go for BB-7s over their hydraulics. The Hydraulics have a stronger full stop capability, but they don't modulate as well as the BB-7s. And the BB-7s still have good stopping power. I can live with the Avid Hydraulics, they aren't bad or defective and they are reliable requiring little maintenance, but they aren't the upgrade I expected when I moved away from BB-7s.

Alias530

I've accidentally stepped on my cats tail and heard more pleasant sounds than Avid hydro brakes

trail_monkey

How do tectro novela brakes stack up? I got them on my bike. This is my first disc bike and they seem to stop very well. I had to center the pads on the front rotor by turning the allen screw on the inside of the caliper but other than that I have had no problems.

osco53

I put a BB7 on my Long wheel base Recumbent Tour Easy, the rim brake was going to wear out my rim because on this bike
the front wheel is very lightly loaded making almost all braking come from the rear.
This bike had a super long cable run, a Teflon coated brake cable made a real difference, feels like a high end hydro to me.

Bet It would help a mountain bike that gets mud thrown all over things,,,

Just sayin.

Scooby Snax

BB7's are great, simple to set up, adjust and they work. I've now got Avid Hydro's and wish I still had the BB7's. They just aren't as nice as the BB7's and I think the Maugra Julies from 10 years ago were miles better.

MisterK

I have novellas on my norco. They're pretty much the last original part on my bike but I find they're just swell. The novella rotors were terrible but I've since upped to shimano zee rotors and it's fine. Adjustability is good, but the pads are smaller than bb5s or 7s.
I really like the simplicity of mechanical brakes over hydraulics.

Klassicbike

Get this over the BB7 better in any way wiggle.com | Shimano Deore M615 Disc Brake | Disc Brakes + its cheaper. Theres some great deals at the moment on Shimano brakes.

If you have more budget get the SLX or XT's.