Cables and pads for Avid BB7

Ber Nard

I'm going to be giving my touring bike a complete service soon and the brakes really need attention. Can anyone recommend me a good set of pads and cables for BB7s? I've heard talk of compression-less housing, sintered pads, organic pads but I'm a bit of a disc brake noob so would appreciate some guidance.

Any suggestions welcome.

Cheers,

Rob

Monty Dog

I've used Goodrich cables with good results on a couple of cable-disc'd bikes - outer is a bit stiffer, which make is compress-less.

In terms of pads, try this:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/brake-pad- ... -2009.html

chrisvanderkaap

There is not a single answer to your question as it as depends on what kind of use they're seeing. Compression less housing is meant for derailleur cables and is not considered useful or durable for use on brake cables!

maybe read this article for some useful tips
http://sheldonbrown.com/cables.html

Sintered pads will last longer, shouldn't be braked-in like you would normally do with organic, but are noisier and not necessarily more powerful. They're useful when the routes are wet, sandy or snowy or on long descends. I like the koolstop branded ones on my mtb. Their compounds feels a little less abrasive than others i've used.

maybe you can tell us what brake related issues you may have experienced in the past?

C

Ber Nard

chrisvanderkaap wrote:

maybe you can tell us what brake related issues you may have experienced in the past?

C

No issues as such; they've seen a winter of use day in, day out and I'm going to give the bike a thorough service. I would like a bit more of a firmer feel which I think may come from better cables - the bike has full runs of outer cable front and rear. The Goodgridge cables look good and are on my list for consideration so it's good to hear a recommendation.

The bike has unbranded cables and stock pads so I curious to know if there are worthwhile upgrades out there or whether I should save my money.

Rob

ugo.santalucia

Any decent cable compatible with your system will do just fine... as for the pads, I prefer the organic ones, less noisy, generally more effective but a bit less durable. I normally stick with the home brand and I got the Avid ones which are excellent

2oldnslow

There is not a single answer to your question as it as depends on what kind of use they're seeing. Compression less housing is meant for derailleur cables and is not considered useful or durable for use on brake cables!

On the other hand Goodridge (as mentioned by Monty) make a specific compression-less brake outer. I got mine from Chainreaction who sell it off the roll. Was researching options last night for my soon to be delivered Genesis Fugio and noticed Jag Wire also have compressionless outer as well as a full bike kit with full length outer brake runs of compressionless housing. Road Pro XL is I believe the Jag Wire kit. Don't know about the Jag Wire but replacing the conventional spiral wound housings with the Goodridge on my Singular made a difference to the feel and performance of my Avid BB7's

andyrr

Pads : I've different brakes to you so I'm not sure how relevant my opinions are but anyway ..
Tekro Lyra brakes - get a generally poor rep but so far for me they've run well - 100+ miles per week since February.
Std pads got a bit noisy after maybe a month or so and I replaced with the cheapest (skinflint !) organic pads I could find - these were Clarks.
They worked fine - decent braking, less noise than the OE sintered ones but they're starting to wear down now (were fitted on the front only) so I've now ordered 2 more pairs for front and rear. I've got these for only £5 a pair so the good thing is that I'm happy to have a pair spare or not fret about spending 2 or 3 times that much by replacing early.

Have seen good things said about superstar pads also - they were more expensive for my fitment.

dazbo

I recently did the same - ended up going discobrakes sintered pads (£6.80 a pair), and jagwire XL cables (wiggle now stock them) and i'd say the stopping power improved no end - definitely.

As I stated on another post I'm a big fan of jagwire and the XL housing is ideal for cross / tourers.

Sintered pads - bite was definitely better (had a few unexpected lock ups)...once they were bedded in. To start with they hardly stopped at all, but after 10 hard grabs they were fine. I decided against organic due to my ride being in wet / gritty conditions, and felt sintered would give me some more life. Haven't been noticeably noisy.


Prior to this upgrade I was considering the Hope or TRP hydro upgrade, and now won't be bothering!

Ber Nard

Cheers all. Looks like Jagwire or Goodgridge cables and organic pads (I hate noisy brakes) .

Rob