Avid Mechanical Disc Brake Review - Stronger than Dirt

AFFORDABILITY The official suggested retail price on these brakes are $120 per wheel. That means it’ll cost you $240 for the front and rear brakes—assuming that you already possess a pair of “V-Brake” levers. You’ll also need to pop for some quality cable housing—that’ll run you $40 to $60 if you go for a high-end, well-sealed, “frictionless” system (which I strongly recommend). In short, you’re looking at about $300, worst case scenario, for a complete set up. That’s about 60 percent of what you’d pay for a top of the line hydraulic system and if you’re the kind of person who fears bleeding their brakes once or twice every season (which you really should be doing with both DOT and mineral oil systems), well, the Avids are a dream come true…with a few caveats.

A FEW DRAWBACKS I clearly like the Avid mechanicals. This is, in fact, the disc brake that I recommend to all my siblings and friends who aren’t exactly repair shop Einsteins. Braking power is phenomenal and my mother (who still can’t operate the DVD player) can keep them tuned with just an allen wrench and an occasional glance at the 2-page set-up manual. However, there are a few things that aren’t picture perfect with these brakes.

For starters, if you fail to set the brakes up properly, you won’t achieve peak stopping power. It’s critical that you set up the brake with the right amount of distance between the pads and the rotor. The few people that I have encountered who were unsatisfied with this brake simply (upon inspection) had the brakes set up improperly.

Second, the brake pads wear fast in wet conditions. I’ve run these brakes for four full years and have experienced varying levels of wet weather durability with different sets of Avid disc brake pads. In some cases, I’ve had to replace a set of pads after just 4,000 feet of muddy descending. In other cases, I’ve had the pads last an entire winter of riding.

I can’t explain the variability here, but the bottom line is that you should be prepared for rapid winter-time brake pad wear and for a ton of squealing. The Avid pads can squeal like a million Deliverance-era Ned Beattys when wet.

Personally, I’ve come pretty deaf to such things—most disc brakes squeal under a variety of conditions. I really only notice the shrill sounds when I come across a hiker and am given the evil eye for having soiled their back-to-the-earth experience with my mechanical howling. Not a huge issue in my book, but I suppose you should know about it.

To combat the brake pad wear, you need to turn to those big red dials—that’s what they’re there for. Turn them clockwise a click or two to regain power.You’ll need to toss the pads out when the backing plate and pad material (combined) are less than 3-millimeters thick.

As for the dials themselves…I’ve lost one outboard dial and I have friends that have lost their fair share as well. This, though, seems to have been more of a problem with first generation models. I haven’t experienced this problem in the past three years, so perhaps Avid has improved the retention device that keeps the knobs in place. Just remember, from time to time, to keep an eye on your outboard dial.

Finally, performance plummets when grit gets inside the cable housing and the environment around your cables gets crunchy instead of slippery smooth. It’s imperative that keep you the cables free of grit, so avoid using poorly-sealed, inexpensive cable housing with these brakes.

FINAL SAY If you’ve been thinking about getting a new set of disc brakes, the Avid mechanicals should be near the top of your shopping list. Yes, they weigh more than most ultra-light hydraulic systems, but their simple set up, ease of adjustment and phenomenal braking power make them a contender at any price point.

The Avids are available in 160, 180 and 203-millimeter rotor sizes, which makes them suitable for everything from cross country racing to freeriding. The fact that they are a stinking bargain, to boot, only makes them that much more appealing. As far as other mechanical disc brakes go, the only real contenders are the IRD Dual Bangers and, truthfully, the Avid BB7s beat them flat out on ease-of-installation and adjustability.

In short, this is a damn fine brake.

Reader Comments 

Posted Sat Sep27, 2008, 10:36 PM — By Jim

Thanks for such an extensive review of this product. I replaced my "v" brakes with a set of the BB7's and I have not been disappointed. Thanks agian!

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