[SirChomps-a-Lot]

Gettin' me some bb7s and I am looking into how to get the ultimate lever feel. I'm spoiled from running hope monos. I felt some bb7s in the shop and, although they felt good, they didn't feel hope-hydro-good. I think it is possible to do better. My main criterion for lever feel is engage point. I like it to be razor sharp.

I'm thinking speed dial 7 levers with odyssey linear slick cables. Will this work? What ferrule size do the odyssey linear slick cables take? Will a bmx cable reach the back brake?

I might also run flak jackets, but I don't know if I trust them.

Thoughts?

 

[Dogboy]

Good cables are a must. I've run XTR cables with great success.

 

[Smelly]

Good cables, compressionless (shift) housing, high quality levers. Run the fixed pad as close to the rotor as possible for your razor sharp engagment point.
I run XTR levers, QBP compressionless housing, and Shimano cables and I don't think I've ever felt the need for more power. BB7's are awesome.

 

[DirtyMike]

Gettin' me some bb7s and I am looking into how to get the ultimate lever feel. I'm spoiled from running hope monos. I felt some bb7s in the shop and, although they felt good, they didn't feel hope-hydro-good. I think it is possible to do better. My main criterion for lever feel is engage point. I like it to be razor sharp.

I'm thinking speed dial 7 levers with odyssey linear slick cables. Will this work? What ferrule size do the odyssey linear slick cables take? Will a bmx cable reach the back brake?

I might also run flak jackets, but I don't know if I trust them.

Thoughts?

BMX Linear cables will work perfect, stiff as hell and feel great. I have run them myself.

 

[Quanz56]

Do cables really make that much of a difference in your stopping power? Cause my back break literally does next to nothing to slow me down. If I just got better quality cables would that solve my problem? or at least part of it?

Oh, and sorry to budge in with my own problems oster_oops:

 

[Polandspring88]

I have found that the Shimano levers often lead to crisper action than the Avid ones do. Some XTR levers would work nicely.

 

[micahb]

Do cables really make that much of a difference in your stopping power? Cause my back break literally does next to nothing to slow me down. If I just got better quality cables would that solve my problem? or at least part of it?

Oh, and sorry to budge in with my own problems oster_oops:

do the pads actually grab the rotor?

 

[Quanz56]

do the pads actually grab the rotor?

Yea they do, I've checked. Abd the harder a squeeze it just feels like the cable is stretching and the pads don't grab any harder.

 

[TheMontashu]

Yea they do, I've checked. Abd the harder a squeeze it just feels like the cable is stretching and the pads don't grab any harder.

Pads are worn out or something is contaminated






Send the jones bikes guy an Email, he swears by avids and does some gnarly stuff to make the BB7s feel good.

 

[DHS]

use der housing instead of brake house. with a full run of it all the way to the brake. no open "relief" spots

 

[Smelly]

Yea they do, I've checked. Abd the harder a squeeze it just feels like the cable is stretching and the pads don't grab any harder.

the housing has a greater effect than the cable. Sounds to me like you need to switch to compressionless (shift) housing, and make sure that fixed pad is as close to the rotor as possible. You don't want the rotor centered between the pads.

 

[buildyourown]

use der housing instead of brake house. with a full run of it all the way to the brake. no open "relief" spots

Full length housing is stupid. Which is more ridgid, 18" of housing, or a2 cable stops welded to a 1.5" diameter tube?

Using der housing may make your brakes feel better, but it's a bit dangerous. When is fails, your brakes go boom.

 

[wanabe]

I got bb7s on my steelhead w/speed dial levers and dura ace brake housing (the grey housing) and they don't have as much power as hydos but they are more crisp.

 

[Kornphlake]

run the fixed pad as close to the rotor as you can and if you use speed dial levers run the dial as far out as it will go (lowest leverage/most pull.) I've never experimented with different cables and housings, I like a soft feel anyway though, like the power assisted brakes on my car.

 

[TheMontashu]

On a side not, literaly EVERY single avid brake I have set up has untrue roters. The truer you can get the roter the better its going to adjust

 

[kidwoo]

Full length housing is stupid. Which is more ridgid, 18" of housing, or a2 cable stops welded to a 1.5" diameter tube?

Using der housing may make your brakes feel better, but it's a bit dangerous. When is fails, your brakes go boom.

Meh. I've done it for years on my dirtjump bike. Full length housing keeps dirt out and using shifter housing does improve the power transmission.

If you live somewhere wet (like the PNW) and you use cables, full lenghth housing is a dandy idea.

Of course you could also just use hydros and be done with it.

 

[srphillips89]

I have a friend that put slick honey on his cable and it felt pretty good. But I don't know what any of the long term effects where(gunking up or antything like that)

 

[DHS]

I have a friend that put slick honey on his cable and it felt pretty good. But I don't know what any of the long term effects where(gunking up or antything like that)

oldest trick in the book

 

[sbabuser]

I've heard silicone spray is best, doesn't degrade the teflon in the cable housing.
It's pretty dry here (Denver area) so it's not as important to keep the muck out, but full length housings mean less maintenance. Avid mechs have a pretty good leverage ratio, so if everything's working right you shouldn't have to pull hard enough to have the difference b/t full length cable and cable stops be an issue...

 

[MarsB]

I've had pretty good luck running Flak Jackets w/my BB7s. Good feel, low maintenance.

 

[Tootrikky]

Meh. I've done it for years on my dirtjump bike. Full length housing keeps dirt out and using shifter housing does improve the power transmission.

If you live somewhere wet (like the PNW) and you use cables, full lenghth housing is a dandy idea.

Of course you could also just use hydros and be done with it.

I agree full length housing does help keep dirt out, however it still gets dirty, creates way more friction (more housing = more friction) and cannot be cleaned easily without removing the cable, flushing the housing, and may be if you are lucky rerouting old cable back in to the housing. Futhermore once your cable get's dirty (ie one wet ride up here in the PNW) the cable ends fray totally destroying the performance and requiring at the minimum a cable removal, frayed ends clipped and trimmed along with cleaning. Having traditional cable stops w/ short runs of housing reduces friction dramatically and allows for quick cleaning without any tools, you can replace contaminated runs of housing and cables way easier, and reduces fraying.


That being said and totally contradicting myself OLY who rides the nastiest clay in the PNW used to run full length Avid Flak Jacket Housing (Al tube between housinng runs) on His BB7's and use heat shrink tape at all seams.........worked pretty well I think.

 

[kidwoo]

Since I started using full housing on my shifters, I change the cables and housing literally like once a year.

And that includes riding in whistler and the pnw wetness now and again.

I don't clean cables and housing FWIW, if I start feeling resistance, I toss them.


I know the theory but you can't change the fact that there are only two spots that dirt can get in with full length. Every intersection adds two more. Think about it. It just stays cleaner longer.

Sounds like you've never tried it?

 

[Tootrikky]

Since I started using full housing on my shifters, I change the cables and housing literally like once a year.

And that includes riding in whistler and the pnw wetness now and again.

I don't clean cables and housing FWIW, if I start feeling resistance, I toss them.


I know the theory but you can't change the fact that there are only two spots that dirt can get in with full length. Every intersection adds two more. Think about it. It just stays cleaner longer.


Sounds like you've never tried it?

Haha I so tried it. Like once in college but I was only experimenting.

I don't know why I have such issues with full length housing, I don't hear others whine about it as much as I do. I am constantly replacing cables and housing on these bikes. My main issue is the housing ends explode at the derailluer and shifter stops. I am sure you have seen this where the internal housing cables poke through the ferrule hole and the plastic housing casing is all cracked and frayed.

On traditionally routed bikes you shift up the the low gear then shift down the high w/out pedaling and pop out all the housing out of it's stops clean the cable, pull the ferrules off the housing ends and pour a few drops of triflow or T-9 in all the housing runs, put all back together and go ride.
Full length length housing requires removing cable end ferrule, loosening cable anchor at derrailluer, pulling cable back through housing, flushing housing with lube, blowing out contamination with air , lubing, then if you get really lucky somehow reroute used cable back through housing, tighten anchor and re-adjust dérailleur, new cable end ferrule......basically it's easier just to put brand new cable housing on there.

Running 4 to 5 feet of housing with a cable inside all twisting and bending as it makes it way back to the dérailleur with not a single straight section creates a lot more friction than a traditional set up with 2 feet or less of housing and two perfectly straight sections of cable at the top tube and seat stay.

My hardtail and road bike run traditional routing and the friction is noticably less with brand new cables & housing than are my DH, Slalom, and Trail bikes.

 

[micahb]

I have a friend that put slick honey on his cable and it felt pretty good. But I don't know what any of the long term effects where(gunking up or antything like that)

yummm honey.

doesn't it attract bugs?

 

[kidwoo]

Haha I so tried it. Like once in college but I was only experimenting.

I don't know why I have such issues with full length housing, I don't hear others whine about it as much as I do. I am constantly replacing cables and housing on these bikes. My main issue is the housing ends explode at the derailluer and shifter stops. I am sure you have seen this where the internal housing cables poke through the ferrule hole and the plastic housing casing is all cracked and frayed.

On traditionally routed bikes you shift up the the low gear then shift down the high w/out pedaling and pop out all the housing out of it's stops clean the cable, pull the ferrules off the housing ends and pour a few drops of triflow or T-9 in all the housing runs, put all back together and go ride.
Full length length housing requires removing cable end ferrule, loosening cable anchor at derrailluer, pulling cable back through housing, flushing housing with lube, blowing out contamination with air , lubing, then if you get really lucky somehow reroute used cable back through housing, tighten anchor and re-adjust dérailleur, new cable end ferrule......basically it's easier just to put brand new cable housing on there.

Running 4 to 5 feet of housing with a cable inside all twisting and bending as it makes it way back to the dérailleur with not a single straight section creates a lot more friction than a traditional set up with 2 feet or less of housing and two perfectly straight sections of cable at the top tube and seat stay.

My hardtail and road bike run traditional routing and the friction is noticably less with brand new cables & housing than are my DH, Slalom, and Trail bikes.

Don't know what to tell you man.......maybe I should send you some pics of my bike to see how to properly route some housing

Like I said before, I don't mess with trying to 'clean' cables and housing. If it's done, it's gone. And again, I literally only do this about once a year. I guess if housing 'maintenance' is something you advocate then sure, it's easier to clean pieces over one length. But I swear, there's no way you can possibly argue that a tube with only two holes is more susceptible than a section with multiple breaks to contamination.

As far as your ferrule problem....using metal ferrules and decent housing I assume?

 

[JohnnyC]

Gettin' me some bb7s and I am looking into how to get the ultimate lever feel. I'm spoiled from running hope monos. I felt some bb7s in the shop and, although they felt good, they didn't feel hope-hydro-good. I think it is possible to do better. My main criterion for lever feel is engage point. I like it to be razor sharp.

I'm thinking speed dial 7 levers with odyssey linear slick cables. Will this work? What ferrule size do the odyssey linear slick cables take? Will a bmx cable reach the back brake?

I might also run flak jackets, but I don't know if I trust them.

Thoughts?

I use Linear slick cables on my trials bike and it gives a much firmer feel, one kit had enough for a full length housing to the rear v-brake plus the front brake so it should be sweet. I'm pretty sure they're a 5mm ferrule too. I like the look of flak jackets, but never used them on my own bikes

 

[menachite]

From experience...

Odyssey Linear Cable + BB7 + Shimano XTR lever = AWESOME.