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Home > Product Reviews > Brakes > Mechanical Disc Brakes

Avid Ball Bearing Disc (2003)

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Reviewed by 13 BikeTrials.com users - Write your review

Shops that sell Avid Ball Bearing Disc

Shop	Shop Rating	Location	Ships To	More Information
WebCyclery Shop info and reviews	16 Reviews	USA	World
Wiggle Shop info and reviews	2 Reviews	UK	UK

Rider Reviews

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Sat Sep 06 2003 Reviewed By: Manjot Bhutar (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths Stupid power, lots of adjustment Weaknesses V-brake feel Similar Products Used Magura, Hayes Review This brake is one the most powerful disc brake on the market (short of 8" brakes). It is very grabby and the modulation is fairly good. One of it's strong points is it has lots of adjustibility - the whole caliper can be adjusted so the pads hit perfectly parallel to the rotor. One thing I dislike about the brake is that since it is a cable brake, the lever feels just like that of a v-brake. I'm not a big fan of that. It lacks the 'on-off' feel hydraulic systems offer. All in all, awsome value, great performance.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Tue Feb 17 2004 Reviewed By: Alex (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths inexpensive, easy to setup, good performance overall for the price Weaknesses modulation -- bad, cable = cable disadvantages -- play, not enuf power Similar Products Used hayes mech, avid hydro, Review These were the first cable discs that came out (i think) n the first cable discs i've ever owned and i'm impressed. the power is fairly good, the modulation is fairly good, the price was really good, setup was a breeze, the weight is fairly good. all in all a good deal. not spectacular, cuz there are tons of other brakes out there that are better, but not for this low of a price.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Thu Apr 14 2005 Reviewed By: Dan (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths steep hill, no problem Weaknesses on......off......on.......off Similar Products Used Shimano Mech, Hayes Mech, Shimano & Hayes Hydro Review These brakes are definitely the set for the guy wanted to save some dough. Best mechanical set on the market. The Problem with mechanical brakes is just that, mechanical. The cable. Now what I did was a buddy of mine had some of this oversized brake cable. Like huge, I don't even know where he got it but it was quite a bit larger than your standard cable. I stuck that stuff on there and POW! Instant difference. See the standard cable just doesn't hold up to the pressure on braking(especially for DH riding) that's why these feel like V-Brakes sometimes. Upgrade cable and they will improve 100 times. Still won't have the modulation of a good hydraulic(like hayes, or the Juicy) but I guarantee you will appreciate the difference. Ride hard, Ride fast, but always, Ride tomorrow. Have fun guys.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Wed Aug 04 2004 Reviewed By: andrew gosline (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 1 Month Strengths Power, adjustability, ease of setup, trail servicable. Weaknesses Cost, weight Similar Products Used Hayes Mags, Shimano Deore Hydro, XT Hydro, Hayes Mechanical Review The mech disc is a really really great brake. I would compare the power to any other of the listed discs I've tried. Modulation may not be as good as high end hydros, but the power is just as good, maybe better. With a good set of cables, like XTR, they feel really really nice. Compared to V's, they have loads of moduation, and can still lock when you need it. It's nice not to need to carry oil and syringes around to comps/road trips. You can service these things in a flash. Excellent brake!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Sun Sep 07 2003 Reviewed By: felix (anon) Rider Level: Pro/Elite
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths good braking power, ...too much even Weaknesses has play between brake pads Similar Products Used hope mini, hayes 8 Review this is the best disc brake for trials, i've used hope minis and hayes 8"..they are not nearly as good as this avid, "no leaks" use this brake with a good v-brake lever ...like XTR
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Sun Sep 21 2003 Reviewed By: Manual Fun (anon) Rider Level:
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths great stopping power, no hydro problems, easy set up, very adjustable Weaknesses levers might feel squichy but if set up really nice you don't notice it. Similar Products Used hayes hmx, avid sd 7 Review I rode with these when I first started learning and they worked great. My only problem was the pads wore out very quickly but apparently it was a problem with the year I had. I find these brakes to be none hassle unlike the occasionaly tweeking of vbrakes. I rode with their 185mm in the front which felt sooo much better then anything else I've tried and I was using an lx lever(my good levers were on other bike) so that is saying alot. Overall I recomend this product, especially for a beginner that wants the feel of a hydro.
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1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Sat Oct 25 2003 Reviewed By: Ty Smith (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths Power, feel, adjustablity Weaknesses Power, feel, adjustablity Similar Products Used Hayes, Magura marta, louise (new & old), hayes mech, Review After i broke them in, they were the best trials brakes ever. After a while, the power comes and goes. Most of the time it has a lot of power. Eventually they develop loads of play. this is because the pads move inside of the caliper causing it to be unstable on the rear wheel. Mine even got so bad they make a unique SNAP noise. The pads and piston wear each other out by moving back and forth. now mine are all chipped and rounded over. The noise is so annoying. When you hop on the rear its just snapin and poppin away. im not talking about a little pop, im talkin like a chain skip (like while pedaling up a big hill vigorously). It basically sounds like my new expencive bike ($1800 US) is dieing. I HATE THE AVID MECHS FOR TRIALS! for every thing else, they are da bomb. The feel. sure they are easy to set up and to adjust, they made it like that on purpose because you always have to adjust them. Like after 1 or 2 good trials rides, the pads are WAAYYYY out of adjustment. IF avid said magna or cannondale, no one would buy them. The movment in the pads makes my bike unstable on the rear wheel. I used to love them but the snapping and slipping backwards while rocking makes me mad. I have been riding for a while and ive tried many brakes for trials and the best ive found are good V's, hs33's with tar or grind, but i highly suggest the newest model of the magura louise. The louise is awesome. great feel, awsm power. I would rather have cantilevers over the avid mechs. avid makes great V's though. I know what im talking about so please dont get the avid mechs, they are a pain and they really are not that great. I am about an inch away from taking off my avid mechs and smashing them with a sledge hammer. I HATE THEM. Go for hope mini or magura marta or louise or v's.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Mon Mar 15 2004 Reviewed By: Kyle Tan (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 3 Months Strengths mechanical (cable actuated), dialable, powerful Weaknesses absolutely none Similar Products Used Hayes, hope Review Let me start off by saying i work in a shop, so i know how to dial these brakes. Lots of folks complain about these brakes flexing and not giving enough stop. This is simply because of improper set-up, (not that there arent riders out there who can't set up their discs) but lets face it, there is a warning on the packaging that says to have them set up by a trained bicycle mechanic for a reason. These discs are 10000 times more reliable than hydro discs, and they are as, if not more powerful(i have experience with the popular hope minis aswell as hayes 8" discs) If your looking for a brake that simply works, and can be easily maintained without irritating(in the case of the hayes) bleeding process, look no farther than the avids
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Wed Nov 12 2003 Reviewed By: cole (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths Slow you down fast! Strong in water Weaknesses poor lockup, break when riding backward Similar Products Used Hayes Mags Review These brakes slow you down really fast, but are lacking in the lockup department while doing trials. The wheel flex and brake flex make precise moves rather sketchy. Go V's!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Tue Oct 04 2005 Reviewed By: NOEL (anon) Rider Level: Intermediate
Used Product For 3 Months Strengths everything Similar Products Used Magura Louise and HS33 Review the best thing i've tried ever. at first i was iffy about them since there are mechanical, but if was wrong these are the brakes to get if your broke and want something great.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Thu Oct 27 2005 Reviewed By: adam laws (anon) Rider Level:
Strengths the amout of ajustability is great u can easyly tune ur brakes if the cabel stretches and the weight is fairly light Weaknesses macanical dont use cheap cabels they stretch and snap get a good quality strong cabel Similar Products Used macanical hays Review great over all brake i use them for every thing im even gona use them oon my trials bike. has great options like ajustibility
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Fri Nov 25 2005 Reviewed By: Luke Drewery (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 6 Months Strengths Good power and modulation Weaknesses Not very consistent Similar Products Used None, first ever disc I have used on my bike. Review I bought this disc brake about 7 months ago and it has been awesome all the time. When I first set it up it was poor, it couldnt even hold my weight but as soon as I had bedded it in (cold water and fast ride with quick stop=awesome)it was amazing. I could hear the brake bite and it still had decent modulation. Atr first it was a little spongey but i trimmed th ecable down shorter and it felt more direct and solid atthe lever. Looks great and is light too. However it seems to vary on how well it works. Sometimes its amazing and other times its just OK. Its not because of water or anything either, possibly just the pads glazing over.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Tue Mar 07 2006 Reviewed By: Mario Gonzales (anon) Rider Level: Advanced
Used Product For 1 Year Strengths power,adjustability Weaknesses modulation could be better Similar Products Used shimano,avid ,tektro,hayes Review alot of people dont like this brake but when I had mine tuned and dialed it worked better than alot of hydraulic brakes that were twice its cost.modulation is not that great and takes alot of gettin used to. Bottom line great brake for your buy,but theres better brakes out there
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