BB7!!!! best value on the market!!! Huge tunability, cheap, powerful!
that leaves more money for hubs and rims!
that leaves more money for hubs and rims!
Upgrading Brakes
Hey guys I'm looking to upgrade the brakes on my rockhopper. currently it has v's but I want to go with disc's. obviously i'm gonna need new wheels but i'm not concerned with that. i'm just trying to figure out the better brake between avid, hayes, shimano, etc. i'm looking to stay under the $200 mark. how much difference is there between a companies $50 and $100 brakes, or say the bb5's and bb7's for example. i'm open to any suggestions in that price range, not just the companies/models listed. thanks is advance guys. :thumbsup:
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bb7 is the first thing that came to mind for me cause i guess i've seen it more but as i was researching tonight it seems like i have seen lots of posts from people having trouble with their avids. anyone else have experience with these?
maybe with the hydros, but the BB7 is probably one of the most reliable brakes ever made
Guess I'll have to look into those a bit more then. Anyone else out there have any suggestions for good brakes aside from the bb7?
bb7 and at $40 a pop leaves you with money to make other upgrades.
For that price, nothing will beat BB7's. Buy a pair, some avid levers, a good set of cables and housing and you'll be a happy man. I have 3 bikes, the only one that hasn't got BB7 is my race bike and the only reason is because hydro's are lighter.
BB7 calipers, Jagwire Ripcord housings, and Avid Speed Dial 7 levers.
try to find a better setup for the price! guaranteed you can't
try to find a better setup for the price! guaranteed you can't
I love BB7s and think they are super strong and reliable, but you can get XT hydraulics for about $120 shipped on ebay...new and pre-bled. It doesn't include rotors, though. I like the modulation more than the BB7s.
You'd have to buy a pair of rotors for the XT hydraulics, so maybe $120+$40=$160
BB7s are about $90 (pair of BB7s) + $25 (cables) + $30 (levers) = $145
Edit: The guy raised the price to $140, so total about $180.
You'd have to buy a pair of rotors for the XT hydraulics, so maybe $120+$40=$160
BB7s are about $90 (pair of BB7s) + $25 (cables) + $30 (levers) = $145
Edit: The guy raised the price to $140, so total about $180.
hmm not sure if i want to spend that much upgrading the brakes on this one. Can I use my existing cables and levers when upgrading my brakes? if so i'll pry wait on cables until i need to replace the shifter cables as well. the bike is pretty new so the cables are in pretty good shape.
Of course you can keep your cables and levers, i would reccomend any avid lever though, FR-5's can be found for 15$ shipped pretty easily on ebay. They really do make a difference, housing and cables provides less noticable improvement.
ok that's what i thought. i'll definetly be upgrading the lever and cablesd but probably not right off that bat. the bike is still pretty new so the cables have a lot of life left, figured i would wait a bit and then do all the cabling at the same time.
On a side note, i was just looking on pricepoint and i see they have the speed dial 7 levers for 2009 and 2010. does anyone know if anything changed between these years? they look the same and if that's the case i'll just save a few bucks and get the '09 models.
On a side note, i was just looking on pricepoint and i see they have the speed dial 7 levers for 2009 and 2010. does anyone know if anything changed between these years? they look the same and if that's the case i'll just save a few bucks and get the '09 models.
the photo is identical, these levers have looked like that for several years, they're probably the same, i would take the 2009 version. Why pay more for the same thing.
I love bb7's and I do strongly recommend them but...You know you can get hayes stroker trails and shimano xt (765) for under 70$ a piece from jenson and pricepoint respectively.
I think you'll need to get rotors and adaptors for the shimanos but still a steal at the current price.
If you can get hydros at this price, why wouldn't you?
Deep.
I think you'll need to get rotors and adaptors for the shimanos but still a steal at the current price.
If you can get hydros at this price, why wouldn't you?
Deep.
As to keeping the cables.....you'll need at least 1 more, assuming the rear v cable will be long enough to do the front.
The discs sit at the wheel centre, the V's at the rim - you will need longer cable than what you have for both, but the rear inner will work for the front in many cases. Outer will be needed though for both ends
The discs sit at the wheel centre, the V's at the rim - you will need longer cable than what you have for both, but the rear inner will work for the front in many cases. Outer will be needed though for both ends
FWIW - I have a set of Shimano hydraulics on my trail bike and a set of BB7s on my commuter. There is little doubt that the hydros are better in modulation, power, and weight, but the BB7 are SUPER rugged. They are built tough as nails and a really great way to get introduced to the world of disc brakes.
I'd recommend cable-actuated for your first set because you'll never have to worry about bleeding a brake line or anything like that. And unless you really want to upgrade, there's no reason why you can't keep your existing levers.
I'd recommend cable-actuated for your first set because you'll never have to worry about bleeding a brake line or anything like that. And unless you really want to upgrade, there's no reason why you can't keep your existing levers.
Ok thanks for the input guys, everyone seems to like the bb7's so I think ill be giving them a shot. Hydro's may be a bit better but I don't want my first forray into disc's to be too expensive or complicated. I do plan to start a build from scratch down the road and so I'll pry go hydro on that.
Check out Pricepoint. You can get BB7's and New Avid levers for 100$.
So...have you had any reliability issues with your shimano hydraulics?yeahdog31 said:FWIW - I have a set of Shimano hydraulics on my trail bike and a set of BB7s on my commuter. There is little doubt that the hydros are better in modulation, power, and weight, but the BB7 are SUPER rugged. They are built tough as nails and a really great way to get introduced to the world of disc brakes.
I'd recommend cable-actuated for your first set because you'll never have to worry about bleeding a brake line or anything like that. And unless you really want to upgrade, there's no reason why you can't keep your existing levers.
Hayes Stroker Trails
Try these at $70.00 per side from Jenson. http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR279C05-Hayes+Stroker+Trail+Plain+Packaging+09.aspx.
Try these at $70.00 per side from Jenson. http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BR279C05-Hayes+Stroker+Trail+Plain+Packaging+09.aspx.
1 - 20 of 62 Posts
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