Are these the lightest disc brakes around? Or one of? What's lighter?
I just built up my bike and put some SD7 levers and brakes on it because of the weight issue.
However, due to my brother's pestering I was keeping my eye on different disc brakes on ebay.
Thought that if I was going to get any then I'd go for the BB7's as they seem to be a simple set up and also seem to be lightweight.
So I just picked up a BBDB for £15 posted, which I am pretty happy with. I can always sell it if I don't think the extra perferomance, if there is any over my v-brakes, is worth the weight gain, over my v-brakes....
I weigh 60kgs. I understand body weight is important when looking at brakes. I think 60kgs is pretty light so it's not like I need the most powerful breaks out there is it?
Would I see an even bigger improvement with hydraulics (but even heavier brake system), or will these be fine for me as I am lightweight myself?
Opinions welcome
Thanks

The consensus on the interwebs is that BB7s are the most proven mechanical disc brake, and I certainly can't fault mine. There are lighter ones, such as Tektro's Lyra, but reviews are very varied, to say the least. That said, lots of development is going on, driven by the discs-for-road hype.

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Bikes: Raceur, Beateur

Thanks for the reply. I suppose I should also add to my original post with the question about how long do disc brake pads last? obviously it depends on how much each individual person uses them but from what I've read I got the impression that you're changing pads constantly!
If you did, say around 30miles (50km) a week, how long might they last for?

That depends on the type of pad you are using and the conditions you ride in. How long pads last is like asking how much I spend on my bikes, you'll never get a good answer.

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www.thecycleclinic.co.uk

Haha OK, so do they wear down faster than v-brake pads for example? From what I've read it just sounds like people are spending more time changing pads than they are riding their bikes!

If you eide in mud and se organic pads don't expect mch life. Abit like sing soft v-brake pads in mdy conditions. I wore ot a set of canti pads in one fast 2 hour ride once. They were cheap though.

Metal/sintered pads for muddy conditions. Also different pad compond suit decents better. I ride with disc and change my pads infrequently.

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www.thecycleclinic.co.uk

BB7's are heavy as heck, the calipers are 235G each compared to a hydraulic setup which can be as light with hose and lever, even my XT (not light) are 280g complete.
The calipers on my commuter (cable) are 135g (PM mount) and 167g (IS) Clarks CMD5 (also sold as Quad QMD5).

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Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
Budget 26" HT build viewtopic.php?f=10&t=110956

OK I'm a bit confused. I was looking through the weight listings on here for my info. Maybe I've misread the numbers but it seems to me that the BB7's were one of the lightest disc brake setups?

MECHANICAL. They were one of the lightest mechanical setups. They're heavy compared to hydraulics, which is what almost everybody uses nowadays.

Ok, but at what price are these brakes you are quoting? I'm not wanting to spend hundreds so I can get the lightest you can buy.
Would a hydraulic with a similar performance to the bb7/bbdb weigh the same too? Or would I be looking to spend much more in order to make those weight savings, and probably extra performance too which I'm not too fussed about.
Using avid sd7 v's at the moment. I will notice a big difference in performance wont I with the bb7?
It's twice the weight though which is what's bothering me and put me off originally. But like I said, don't want to spend hundreds either on the lightest disc brakes available.

Only you can decide if it's worth it. I still ride a v-brake commuter bike and I'm only finally switching to discs this coming year on my mtn.bike. If you don't ride in the mud or bomb downhills all day v-brakes are fine. You're going to need new wheels if you switch to discs. Does your frame have v-brake and disc tabs on it? Most frames have one or the other, not both.
I think you should ride whatever you have, gain some experience and then you can decide if it's worth it.

Frame is set up for v's and discs. So are my wheels - bought rim brake compatible rims with a disc hub so I could have this option when it came to it without having to buy a new set! As I said in my original post, I've just bought and Avid BBDB (old BB7) off ebay for £15 posted.
Most of the time I do ride on road. But when I do go off road (like this past weekend) I don't want to be thinking my brakes aren't doing the business like they should.
I suppose it's a battle between price, weight and performance. For £15 surely I'm not going to do better than I have am I?
If I was to increase the price to say £30 (new or second hand) for a front or rear hydraulic, I wouldn't be too bothered about an increase in performance (although definitely wouldn't want a drop) but would I get a lighter brake for that? If not, how much would I have to go up to?