[ductape98]

I recently got a new bike with avid bb5 mech. disk brakes. my front brake started rubbing so i messed with it for a while and i fixed it. not sure if this was happening before i did this or not but now my front brake is harder to pull than the rear. is there a way to fix this or have i done something wrong?:madman:

 

[heff®]

You mean you need to pull the lever farther, and you have less braking power? You moved the pads out too far. Typically, the cause of rubbing on BB5's is you didn't tighten the CPS bolts enough, and repeated braking pulled the caliper outwards, making the inner pad rub on the rotor. Set the brakes up again. Loosen the mounting bolts, get the caliper centered by moving both pads in until they contact the rotor, then squeeze the lever hard, but not so hard you start bending things. Nice and firm, just enough to compress the pads a bit. While squeezing the lever, tighten the CPS bolts down good. Don't go gorilla on them, but get them tight enough the caliper won't move. Then back each pad off, one click at a time, until the rotor doesn't rub. Usually just a couple of clicks does it. I prefer a bit more gap on the outside pad, gives a little more "feel" instead of insto-stop. Just go slow. My guess is you moved the inside pad too far away. It's stationary, the outer pad bends the rotor in to hit it. Move the inside pad too far away........more lever travel needed to get the rotor to meet both pads, less stopping power.

 

[ductape98]

no i have done all of that. the problem is not the braking power it is the fact that from when u start to pull the lever to the point where the pad contacts the rotor is more difficult.

 

[heff®]

Reset the pads. Unless I'm totally mistaking you, you've got the inner pad farther away from the rotor than the outer pad. You're hitting the rotor with the outer pad, and having to bend it farther than you should. That will make the lever harder to pull, and give you less stopping power.

 

[Kona0197]

get the caliper centered by moving both pads in until they contact the rotor

Only one pad can be moved in or out via turning the red dial on the BB5 right?

 

[heff®]

Yes, but there's a dial for each pad, one inside, one outside. The inside one is a bit of a pain, you gotta jam your fingers up against the spokes, but you get used to it.

 

[Kona0197]

Your thinking of the BB7. The BB5 only has one dial.

 

[heff®]

Unless they changed them in the last few years, no. I'm staring right at mine. Two dials. Inner one is considerably larger than the outer.

 

[Kona0197]

This is from SRAM's website:

The BB5 offers our Tri-AlignTM Caliper Positioning SystemTM, tool-free pad replacement, a melt-forged body and one inboard pad adjustment knob. One try and you'll wonder if they are really entry-level brakes.

And here in this picture you can tell the outboard pad has no pad adjustment knob. BB5 also uses smaller pads. To my knowledge BB5 has never had two pad adjustment knobs. That is why the BB7 is more popular among other reasons.

 

[heff®]

Wow,,,,,,,ok, they changed them with the last revision. No outer pad knob now, you use the barrel adjuster at the lever. That's dumb........it'll work, but dumb.

 

[heff®]

Yeah, I actually looked at the service manual. Have to put up a pic of mine, they used to have the outer knob. Probably changed the pad size on me, too. Guess I have a call to make tomorrow, I need a set.

 

[Kona0197]

Actually I think you have the old BDBB. Otherwise known as the BB7.

 

[heff®]

I think I still have the boxes in the basement, but I think you're right. Found an old review, and they didn't actually have a model number back then, since there was only one. That's embarrasing. The former head of NADS missed an Avid product update. Gads.

Thanks for correcting me on that. Still pretty sure he's just got the inner pad too far away. It doesn't take a whole lot.

 

[vk45de]

nice title, very descriptive.