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Soft Avid BB7 braking problem

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bb7
4K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  arncn 
#1 ·
I got a front BB7 for Christmas and really like the ease in set up. The problem is, I have to depress the brake lever about 50% before I get any brake on rotor action. I set them up like the instructions said, clicking the pads in until rubbing, then backing off one click. I'm using Forte Team levers and I wonder if that's the issue. Any suggestions? Would the Avid Dual 7 brake levers be a good switch?

-Links
 
#5 ·
And what exactly is happening during that first 50%. Is there cable slack? Is the brake arm moving but no pad contact? Brake line flexing?
You need to have a look at the whole brake from lever to caliper/rotor to isolate what is happening, then fixes for the problem can be found
 
#6 ·
AlexRandall said:
And what exactly is happening during that first 50%. Is there cable slack? Is the brake arm moving but no pad contact? Brake line flexing?
You need to have a look at the whole brake from lever to caliper/rotor to isolate what is happening, then fixes for the problem can be found
The brake arm is moving, but I don't get contact until about 50% of the lever pull. I thought I could move the pads closer, but even one click in causes rubbing. It may be cable slack, I'll check it out when I get home.
 
#7 ·
AlexRandall said:
And what exactly is happening during that first 50%. Is there cable slack? Is the brake arm moving but no pad contact? Brake line flexing?
You need to have a look at the whole brake from lever to caliper/rotor to isolate what is happening, then fixes for the problem can be found
X 2 , start at one end or the other and start eliminating potential problem sources . Cables and housings are a common source , the housings can compress and the inners stretch , can be difficult to diagnose .
 
#8 ·
If you haven't checked your cable slack, that's a good start. Front brake particularly should be fairly easy to set up to your liking. One thing you might like about getting an Avid SD7 lever is the leverage adjustment (aka Avid's Speed Dial adjustment), gives you more options on brake setup.

Even though your rotor is new, doesn't necessarily mean it's true, and during the life of your brake it may come out of true. Use the caliper/pads as a sight guide and spin the wheel to see how true it is. Truing is simply gently bending the high spots on the rotor back into line, a small crescent wrench is a good tool for that (or you can buy special rotor truing tools from Park, Morningstar etc.).
 
#11 ·
Yes, check what the rubbing is due to - an improperly centred caliper will cause spongey brake performance too.

Back in the day I had BB7's and they never worked how I expected to until I used Avid full metal jacket outers. Then they were deadly......better than the XTR hydros I got later
 
#13 ·
XSL_WiLL said:
If 1 click causes rubbing, it sounds like the caliper is not centered to me.

You should not have to cut the housing down to take out slack...
Right, you shouldn't need to trim the housing, unless there's way too much of it. Since he's talking about a brand new installation, I'm guessing he's got brand new cables and cable housings as well. Especially if he's upgrading from some type of rim brake.

When I installed my BB7's, I initially used the whole piece of housing that I was given at the bike shop. There was way too much. I ended up cutting off about 6 inches before I could get a good pull on the brakes. The slack loop was just way to big, and there was too much loss of efficiency in the cable because of it.
 
#14 ·
I suspect the problem is that the caliper isn't centered properly. That will cause exactly the type of problem you described.
 
#15 ·
I recently got a used bike that has BB7 with Forte Team levers. I noticed the same problem you're having. No matter how I adjusted the pads, the levers were very squishy. If I tightened the cable to get the levers to the feel that I wanted, the pads would rub. I found an easy fix. The Forte Team levers come from the factory set up for V-brakes, which was the case for my bike. To set them up as non-linear pull, adjust the dial on the front of the lever to move the cable. This fixed my problem. They're working much better.
 

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