Avid BB7 MTN

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78 Reviews for BB7 MTN

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 Best mechanical brake I've ever used. Very easy to set, and can be done without tools. The only thing I don't really like is the retaining spring/clip that holds the brake pads in place because it isn't actually attached to the pads making it difficult to put new brake pads in. There is a trick to doing it that makes it really easy though.
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 Pros: Cheap, tough, work. In board/ out board adjustment, great modulation. So much more adjustment than any hydraulic brakes I have used. Great for travelling as easy to fix on trail or at LBS. No brake fade.
Cons: None. Your brakes are only as good as your traction!
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 Best mechanical breaks out there, super easy to maintain and adjust, nearly feel like hydraulics, i use thes brakes on my hardtail and they seem to work perfect for everything, i even rode some light downhill in calgary with them once and they worked fine
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 Great brake for the money. people think that you should go hydrolic right away or once you get pretty good but i disagree. i no people that have this break on ther Dh bikes and they act just like hydrolic. fairly light to only problem was in is a bit hard to replace the pads. great brake for the money though,.
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 Way easy to adjust and stops the bike right quick. Everything about this brake has pleased me. I've also had Hayes 9 hydros and hayes mx2s. The hydros were probably a little better on the stop control but bleeding was a hassel. I endoed shortly after getting these and pinched my cable. Had they been my hayes the ride would have ended and i'd have been buying new lines. Instead i just cleaned out the dirt and kept on going.
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 It's a great breaking technology used with the BB7 MTN that so far hasn't failed me. Since I mounted the front and back brakes I've had no problems whatsoever with them and only fine tuned them a little bit from time to time (after several consecutive XC rides), but that's of course due to the tension release in the braking cables. I have them hooked up with two FR5 brake levers and they go hand in hand like a charm. The thing is, if you manage to calibrate them properly on the first mount then it's gonna be smooth sailing with only small adjustments in time. I totally recommend these brakes.
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 Probably one of the best mech. disc brakes on the market, if not thee best. Great braking considering it's not hydraulic. Great external pad adjustment. Makes it super easy to dial in. Cons? I really tried to think of one...I can't.
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 These brakes are by far the most reliable brake on the market, they have full adjustablity during installation and tune ups, other than that you never have to touch them, unless u tweak 'em which is hard to do. Avid BB7s are like Hydraulic brakes but without the Paranoia.
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 How can you beat a brake that's so cheap, so powerful, so adjustable/tunable, and CAN'T POSSIBLY LEAK? With a couple of cool tricks, a good mechanic can make these babies the best feeling and stopping brake anywhere. I do have to say, though, that the older ones were a little nicer. But, they've come even further down in price. I've got three sets! I had some Hayes hydros for a while, but they were so weak compared to my BB7's that they made my hands hurt, so I traded them for...more BB7'S!
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 A superb, powerful and excellent modulated cable disc brake. With external pad adjustment, modulation is easily dialled to perfection. Coupled with a pair of SD7 levers (with Speed Dial adjustment) these make for the best cable disc brake money can buy.
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 Easiest disk to set up in the world, stupidly powerful for a cable. Being cable there is no fear of leaks or gashing open hoses, no fear of seazing pistons. I do find that the '08 models are more powerful, as the '09 tend to flex a little. Easy to adjust on the fly. I also found that the disks that came standard are better than the disks with the '09, as they have more ventilation holes and just looked a whole lot nicer.

All in all, i'd give it 5* as it performs without much servicing, i have no worries about loss of fluid or sticky pistons, and even though i have snapped one, it bites and holds like a beast Smile
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 super easy to adjust pad wear. Stopping power is good though you have to set it up perfectly. You also might have to deal with a bit of pad rub to get good stopping power, but you will get some stopping power. Good do it all brake. Pads are 20$ each. don't know if that is expensive or not but there you have it. Brake is tough as nails too.
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 These brakes are amazing! I do trials, so i need reliability, and these work great (I just need to get new brake pads). The only thing better would be the Avid Juicy 7's.

Also, i only have to use 1 finger, and they work great when muddy (for me) or wet. Don't squeak at all. My only complaint is that I think they could be a little lighter, and less bulky.
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 Pro's: f*ckin strong. No complaints. Easy to adjust. Cons: Breaks add weight for the average weight weanie if I know them properly. Anyways, if you are gonna have brakes on your dirt jumper that you don't want to spend a lot of time on, this is a good one.
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 After having numerous hydros, these are smooth, simple, adjustable, super-strong grip, as well as leaving me with no fear of stranding on the mountain with a sliced hose. Great buy for budjet-minded riders who need to lock it up or stop immediately.
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 the avid bb7 road is probobly the best mecanical brake from my view because it is extremly light , it is mecanical so you dont have to change flued and it has very good stoping power this brake can be used for dj, street,dh,xc....
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 this is a cable pull disk brake so it can be used with standard v-brake levers , i have these on the front and back of my bike they are soo damn powerful! And the adjusters on both sides of the caliper is very handy and i lock up my wheels with the adjusters for going into my local shop and then just turn it back again when i wanna cycle away awesome feature, seriously amazingly great brakes Smile
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 These Brakes are beast, if you turn the spring tension down on the calliper it feels ideantical to a hydraulic brake. These are the second pare of manual disc brakes I have owned and they are by far the best, and also feel almost the same as juicy sevens (you can actually feel when the pad touches the disc). In terms of braking power these are VERY powerful I have sintered pads on 203mm disc(s). The ultimate bonus from these brakes is probably having the exact same performance as a hydraulic brake but not having to bleed them. These brakes are also amazing on adjust-ability, there are adjustments for both pads, Spring tension & to get them working perfectly there is also Avids "Tri-align" system which seems to of proven it's self very well. I cannot think of any cons for these brakes apart from that they might be heavier than hydraulic brakes, I do DH and bottom line is I have powerful enough brakes to slow me down. A great buy and dirt cheap too. Get em.
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 it's the best mechanical braking device ever made. period. stands up to abuse, lasts a long time, locks great, good power. excellent modulation. good looks. affordable pricing. I would reccomend this brake to ANYONE riding street/dirtjumping/park
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 The BB7 is an amazing mechanical brake. When replacing brakes for customers,I always recommend either the BB5 or BB7, because I have ridden them, and I know how great they work. They are super easy to maintain, the pads are easy to replace, and you get the freedom of dual pad adjustment. All in all another solid product from the SRAM family...if you're looking for mechanical brakes, these are the only brakes you need to look at...NUFF SAID!!!
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 you will never find a brake of better value. it works a lot better than all the sceptics believe. and if anything breaks on it, it is so easy and cheap to fix. only downside is it is a bit heavy and the power isn't the best. but it still out-performs heaps of hydraulic brakes
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 I loved my BB7's but had to up[grade once I started riding more intense stuff. Great stopping power and just an overall amazing brake for the price. More powerful than some Hydro brakes.
Amazing brake for the price...no doubt best mech discs on the market.
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 Cheap, simple, reliable, adjustable. I upgraded my Deore mechanical to these on my old bike because I wasn't ready for the hydraulic jump just yet, and I wanted more stopping power that wouldn't break the bank.

Installation was a snap, since I was previously using mechanicals as well. It was ready to use out of the box, since Avid includes the proper adapters for IS mounts.

Paired with 203mm rotors, it's easy to throw endos with this thing rain or shine even with a 200 pound rider. I almost think it wants to bite the rotor off if you aren't careful.

External pad adjustment to dial in how much bite you want or compensate for pad wear, and the Caliper Positioning System to reduce brake drag.

It felt like a stepping stone for me to Avid's Juicy line.
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 Great brake for a Dj/ street bike. This brake has plenty of pwer, great modulation when used with jaguar linear cable and snafu lever, easy to set up, and BEATS OUT any hydrolic brake for street or DJ use. Although when it is new it takes a while for the pads to bed in.
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 great brake. stops well, nice adjustments, looks good and just get this instead of a lower end hydraulic brake. cheap, efficient. even a moron that knows nothing can take care of this brake. pads are easy to pop out, pad adjustment is as easy as turning a knob. no calipers or seals, fluid or other crap to worry about.
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 The BB7 is the ultimate brake if you're not a fan of V-brakes or hydraulics!
You can pair it with BMX style brake lever if you are fussy and want a wide choice of levers and you will still get a strong brake.
Paired with an Avid speed dial 7 lever the skies are the limits when it comes to adjustability and it can be infinatly tuned and tweaked.
The pads do last a very long time (I'm constanley using my brake when riding street and park and it's coming upto my first year of owning them and the the pads still have a large amount of life in them).
Overall this is a very powerfull brake with lots of adjustability and all for a very affordable price compared to its hydraulic cousins.
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 These are a great set of brakes. Quite frankly, hydraulic brakes can be annoying to maintain, and are prone to failure (leaking, breaking a seal, etc.) These brakes are as reliable as they get, have great stopping power, and I would say that they outperform many hydraulic disc brakes on the market. One of the best features is how they can be tuned so easily. It takes mere seconds to tune these brakes to perfection. I would highly recommend these brakes to anybody looking for a quality brake system. Just make sure that you use them with Avid levers, as other levers do not do them justice. As well, if you wanted to make them perform even a little better, change the rotors from the standard Avid Roundagons, to a set of Avid G2 or G3 Clean Sweep Rotors. On the whole, these brakes are powerful, easy to tune, and best of all they are as reliable as they get!
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 Best mechanical brake money can buy. Easy to adjust, strong, durable, prefect. Of course it doesn't have the power that a hydraulic brake does, but it is easy to fix and there is no hassle of bleeding or anything. Perfect for the rider who wants lightweight, great performance and awsome adjustability.
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 Use these on my Niner and just love them. No cons at all. Provide plenty of braking power (not for DH racing of course), probably comparable to a juicy 3 or 5. And they are so easy to adjust and dial in. Just awesome product for the price.
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 Strong brake with flexibilty to adjust, piece off piss to fit, much compares to the avid juicy 3 but in my opinion better for dirt jumping as maintenance is much lower due to the fact that fuids tend to boil when jumping.
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 works so well for me last well for all kind of use from street to dh! and for the price its great vaue for money, recomment getting the bb5 leaver goes well and keeps price down
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 once you understand how to properly adjust the pads, I'd say they're stronger than some hydros. find the literature on how to adjust them though, it's hard to get it w/out instructions.
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 I have this brakes one year.
Great brakes for fr / all m. and light dh. I never had problems with them. Breaking power is better then in cheap hydra. brakes. But this brakes is not to use in normal dh.
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 Best mechanical brake you can buy, these are sooo much better than Juicy 3's, simple because the have the same power with a heap more adjustablity and modulation, I run em front and reat on my HT, love em Smile
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 My opinion: It's a great Breaks, i have it in my mtb, its better than bb5 i think, i like it. Btw, i like mechanics avid, hydraulics sucks for me Big Grin i don't like it.
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 has a short break in period then is very quiet and super powerful. easy to install. the dual pad adjustment is great to keep pads from rubbing. no complaints
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 the best kept secret mountain biking has to offer. the external pad adjusters also could confuse anyone planning to wheel your bike away
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 had it for a week and got pad beaded in realy well, bent rotor and but a gusset rotor on and and still worked amazing , had better hold than my old trials magura hs33's
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 great brakes, as are the bb5.
i use these on my aggressive xc bike with 180mm front/160mm rear rotors, very powerfull for cables.
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 Super brake. Very good braking power. Easy installation. Wide range of adjustment. The shield 203 is really a very powerful brake. I recommend!
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 Much more responsive and sensitive than juicy 3's, and less hassle to maintain than other hydraulic and mechanical brakes.
I use for dirt and trails and they are truly pro.
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 Its the best mechanical disk brake possible, very adjustable, and easy to center because of the dual pad adjustment knobs...great if your poor
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 Very nice brake. I like mechanical better cause who likes taking the bike to the shop to blead your brake when you can just adjust a few screws.
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 The best, you can keep your hydraulics, I'll stick with the BB7's, easy to adjust,easy to maintain,and more that enough power for all my needs!
Highly recommended
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 If you are not into Fluids and line bleeding this is where its at!!! Fully adjustable and a sick finish that sparkels in the sun that screams I built it to ride it!!!
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 On rear,a lot of power,sweet,light,simple and acurate, all kind of settings, last forever!! wide variety and compatible pad's . Top klass mechanics!!
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 Got them for dirt jumping and street/park, very good brake, very adjustable, but without the hassle of hydraulics! Cheap too, highly recommended.
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 awesome mechanical. When paired with some jagwire ripcords, they are incredible when compared to other mechanical disc brakes. I even think they can beat some hydro brakes.
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 Powerful, simple, cheap, can even be used for mid-grade DH-FR. No problems or maintenance (as long as set up correctly) for over a year other than a pad change or two.
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 Fantastic brake for the money. It is noisy but it lasts forever without any maintenance. (the noise will begin to fade after 12-1500 miles
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 This is one of the finest products in the business. Perfect performance, great adjustability, easy setup, reliable, decent weight, just rock-solid.
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 Inexpensive for the performance you get; great for mid-level downhill. Owned them for a year and pads haven't worn out yet.
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 Great brakes on a budget, with SD7 levers they're as good if not better than most low end hydraulics (even Juicy 3/5s)
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 Great stopping power,easy to adjust,almost no maintenence required and it's cheap.What more can you want?
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 Pros: Reliable, very strong stopping power, easy to maintain

Cons: The squeal can be a complete headache at times
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 great brake for DJs and street, lots of power,adjustability, and its cheap!
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 cheep, very adjustable and look good too. Pads are annoying to break in though
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 best brake ever ridden.better than my juicy 3 and my friends juicy 5 great power and great adjustments highly recomend!!!!!
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 great price power and adjustability. perfect for street.(check out jenson usa for a great deal... i only payed $45 us)
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 simple, powerful, a lot of braking for the dollar and cool gross black paint for 09
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 awsome brakes... simple to set up and fine tune and the tool-less knobs make everything even easier haha
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 exellent braking power, very reliable, and a great pair with the speed dial 7 lever.
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 the bb7 is the best mech disc brake on the market. all adjustments are easy and make sense, and the feel is spot on.
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 for the freerider who doesn't have a lot of money to spend, these are the brakes to get.
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 The best mechanical brake- great for street.
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 stops really well and adjusts really well with the knobs
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 Pros, simple to set up, works, cons lacks locking power of the old ones.
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 Best mechanical brakes on the market
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 great stopping power for a mechanical brakes
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 strong, useful and easy to setup
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 great brake for a good price
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 Nothing bad!!! Good power
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 reliable and super easy to use, and they only seem to get better with time
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 best mechanical disc out there
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 great mechanicle brake with alot of power and adjustability.
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 Best Brake I have Used
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 amazing brake
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 all pros no cons
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Avg: 5 (78 votes)
Write a Review
Avid BB7 MTN (MSRP $75) — To this day, the BB7 continues to attract all types of riders who crave the simplicity and elegant function of the world’s best cable-actuated brake. It’s more powerful and is easier to set up than any mechanical disc ... ever. Details including the dual-pad adjustment knobs, easy pad replacement, precision ball bearing actuation, and infinitely variable spring tension details ... mean control like you’ve never felt before. Plus, using any of our Ball Bearing Disc BrakesTM means that you can choose one of our levers with Speed Dial® for sweet, adjustable modulation. Isn’t the freedom of choice swell? our Speed Dial® levers for sweet, adjustable modulation. You can’t get that on any hydraulic. Last but not least, this year we gave the BB7 a tasty new finish, new inboard/outboard adjustment knobs and a beefy two-piece, forged body.

Specifications Compare to other Brakes

Release Date 2009
Price $75
Type Mechanical
Adapter standard Post Mount
Adapter standard - Adapters are what connect your brake to your fork, or frame. The standard refers to what bolt pattern that brake is designed to be used with. They do make cross over adapters for Post Mount to International Standard, or IS.
Brake Technology External pad adjustment.

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