BB7 Adjustment Issues

[CubeMonkey]

So I have Avid BB7s on both of my mountain bikes, and so far I love how they perform. However, I'm having an odd issue, that I'm not even sure how it's occurring. Sometimes when I remount my front wheel (as I have to take it off to transport on car), suddenly the adjustment isn't right anymore, like it's set WAY too tight. Then I spend forever and a day playing w/ the adjustment knobs to get it right again. How can that be, when it was perfect when I took the wheel off? Does anyone else have this issue? It's REALLY annoying when it happens....

(fyi - yes, I checked to make sure the wheel was mounted straight, rotor bolts were tight, etc.)

[nixorz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1kezXQVnLY

fast forward to about 1:44

[CubeMonkey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1kezXQVnLY

fast forward to about 1:44

Thanks, that's very handy to have. My question is, though, why would my pad alignment get so out of whack just by taking the wheel off, that'd it'd be so tight and need to be realigned again when I remount the wheel? Have you ever heard of this before? I eventually get it adjusted right again, but then two rides later I often run into the same problem again. I could understand if the brakes felt loose, as that might just indicate pad wear, but they shouldn't be tighter...

[nixorz]

I had the same issue as you did because my friend was effin around with my brakes when my wheel was off so I think that might have thrown it off. I was able to resolve the issue pretty fast after I watched the video. Also there is a video for the BBDB that is pretty good also.

[EsHan13]

So I have Avid BB7s on both of my mountain bikes, and so far I love how they perform. However, I'm having an odd issue, that I'm not even sure how it's occurring. Sometimes when I remount my front wheel (as I have to take it off to transport on car), suddenly the adjustment isn't right anymore, like it's set WAY too tight. Then I spend forever and a day playing w/ the adjustment knobs to get it right again. How can that be, when it was perfect when I took the wheel off? Does anyone else have this issue? It's REALLY annoying when it happens....

(fyi - yes, I checked to make sure the wheel was mounted straight, rotor bolts were tight, etc.)

Hey there. I know, I know, "your wheel was mounted straight", but I had the same exact problem when I had v-brakes and it can happen with disc brakes like the BB7's as well. The problem was fixed after a visit to the bike shop and the mechanic showed me the proper/correct way of remounting a wheel to the bike. Believe it or not, there is actually a correct method of remounting a wheel rather than just throwing it on and clamping the quick release down.

Correct Method of Wheel Remount:
1) You have your removed wheel and the frame upside down.

2) Install the wheel while frame is upside down and clamp down the quick release to a moderate pressure (just enough so that you can put your bike right side up again)

3) Your wheel is now on and you flip your bike over *right side up again*, and now you're going to focus on aligning the wheel correctly and tightening the quick release.

4) Steady your bike so it's standing as straight as possible and undo the quick release so that your wheel is loose/adjustable while the bike is right side up.

5) Eye the top of your tire and the fork arch or eye the top of your tire and your head tube because you're trying to make sure your tire/wheel is on straight/aligned correctly with the arch/head tube.

6) Once your wheel is on straight, tighten your quick release accordingly, trying to tighten on each side evenly so that your wheel does not become misaligned while tightening (i.e. keep your eye on top of your tire and fork arch while tightening). The bike being right side up puts enough weight on the wheel so you can tighten the quick release and maintain the straight alignment much easier.

7) Now your wheel should be on straight/aligned correctly with your frame and then I'd adjust the BB7's over again. Loosen the CPS bolts, turn the inboard/outboard pads to correctly align them, etc., because you are consistently going to put your front wheel on straight and the same way from now on.

I'm thinking since your problem arises every time you dismount and remount the front wheel, the problem is there in how you put your wheel back on. I had the same exact problem, so actually dreaded taking off my wheels for a number of years until I learned the above correct method of remounting. You'd be surprised how often a wheel could be thrown off a bit too far to the left or right because of incorrect mounting and it's not done in a consistent, systematic method.

That's all I got. Hope it helps you. If it's not wheel alignment, then maybe your CPS bolts are coming loose? Good luck!

[CubeMonkey]

Well, no, I wasn't doing all THAT when remounting... :-) Who knows, maybe that's it. Thanks for the tip.

[shiggy]

So I have Avid BB7s on both of my mountain bikes, and so far I love how they perform. However, I'm having an odd issue, that I'm not even sure how it's occurring. Sometimes when I remount my front wheel (as I have to take it off to transport on car), suddenly the adjustment isn't right anymore, like it's set WAY too tight. Then I spend forever and a day playing w/ the adjustment knobs to get it right again. How can that be, when it was perfect when I took the wheel off? Does anyone else have this issue? It's REALLY annoying when it happens....

(fyi - yes, I checked to make sure the wheel was mounted straight, rotor bolts were tight, etc.)

Make sure the cable housing is seated completely in the caliper and lever.

If I have to transport my bike with the wheel out I will strap the brake lever to the bar to prevent the housing from coming loose or having a brake pad fall out. (do not do this with hydros)

[ewarnerusa]

Happens all the time to me. I notice it depends how tight I make the quick release. I don't do the whole routine listed above, having the quick release too tight/loose seems to affect the wheel centering the same way. A lot of the time I do a couple clicks of adjustment on the pads before a ride, too.

[CubeMonkey]

Happens all the time to me. I notice it depends how tight I make the quick release. I don't do the whole routine listed above, having the quick release too tight/loose seems to affect the wheel centering the same way. A lot of the time I do a couple clicks of adjustment on the pads before a ride, too.

Funny you should say that, as I just discovered that that was probably my problem this past wknd. I got home from a ride, remounted my wheel, and had the same problem again. Loosened the quick release a bit, and voila, it was fine. So I think the problem was just me tightening it too much.