Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Straightforward install but if you aren't knowledgable I wouldn't rely on the included instructions.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

I owned a set of BB5 brakes about 5 years ago and wasn't overly impressed with them. Since then, I thought hydraulic brakes were the ONLY way to go. Trying BB7s has proved me wrong. These are fantastic brakes. Once you get these dialed-in, they have great power and modulation.
Setup is potentially easier than hydro's because you don't bleed mechanical brakes. However, adjusting/aligning mechanical brakes is much more tedious.
I've been unimpressed with the Avid rotors. Hayes, Magura, and Shimano seem to make better rotors than Avid. Sorry, just my opinion.
Last thing- I'm an XC oriented mountain biker and live in an area where my longest descent in measured in seconds not minutes. Hydros are better designed for longer descents, IMO.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

I think it is a very good product overall, I mean its not a hydraulic breake but unless you really need a big amount of breaking power, they will do just fine, besides, you will have the advantage of being able to repair it in the middle of nowhere with just an allen wrench.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Just put this front brake on my HT. Looks awesome, brakes well. Does the job, is easy to set up and well built. Will buy another to replace my rear hydro brake.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Bought these this spring to replace my hayes mx1's that fell apart after a mild iowa winter commuting season. Easy to install and I like the biggerpads than the bb5's.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Great breaks, replaced another set of cheap mechanical breaks with these...no comparison.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

I love these brakes!!! I'ts like having hydros without the big price tag :)

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Theyre a great value. I've used BB7s several times and theyre always good. Theyre cheap, easy to set up, consistent, and perform well.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Very good brakes for the price. Looking for 180 G2 rotors and found them here. Easy installation. Very quiet when dry but scream when they are wet. All installation hardware including adapters included.

Comments about Avid BB7 Mechanical Disc Brake 180mm '11:

Take extra care with your cable routing and you'll reap the rewards. Most folks have been spoiled by hydrobrakes and get sloppy when installing the cables. I noted a few unecessary bends on mine after the LBS installed my BB7 and decided to straighten them out myself and I noticed the difference immediately. If your bike frame was designed with hydro brakes in mind, you might have to get creative with the "problem solvers" and find a mech-friendly cable route. Spend the extra coin for top-quality cables and housings - you wont regret it. Also replace them regularly- they're not designed to last forever.

Other riders can't believe that I stuck with the mech brakes for so long, but they were also pleasantly surprised that my brake levers were so smooth and easy to squeeze. If I got a dime for every time somebody said "they feel just like hydros"....

As long as you take the time to break-in your pads and rotors the stopping power is incredible! Brake fade is almost non-existent as there's no fluid to expand or boil or get contaminated. The cleansweep rotors came out of the box slightly out of true but a few minutes spent pushing and pulling sorted them out quiet nicely.

Modulation may be a problem for those who are used to hydro brakes but these can STILL be modulated. It does takes a deft touch, and the Avid Speed Dial levers help a lot. I managed with the Shimano DCL levers nicely on my bike though. Grabbing a HANDFULL of brakes *will* send you flying- force yourselves to use 1 or 2 fingers only by positioning the levers inboard and you should be fine.

The CPS mounting system takes a while to get used to. Getting the pads parallel and drag free is a major chore, but there are no shortcuts here. Get it right, and you can minimize take-up on the brake lever. Get it wrong, and you'll have to compensate a lot with the adjusters- throwing your lever pulls out of whack.

Again: SET UP RIGHT- these brakes are IMPRESSIVE. Better than even most low-end and mid-end hydro brakes. Cut corners during the installation and you won't get to squeeze the full potential out of these brakes.