Avid BB7 modification.

[g.meredith]

The Avid BB7 inboard adjuster is notoriously difficult to rotate by hand. I have heard that this can be made easier by removing one or two of the tabs / teeth on the adjuster wheel. Has anyone tried this and has it had any noticeable effect ?

[Brucey]

I would suggest that you use a torx key in the centre. I think the knob will turn by hand if everything is new and slippery but once they have been in service a while this is no longer the case.

When you try to turn the knob by hand you grip it which pushes the fingers against the caliper body and this makes it more difficult to turn than it should be. If you remove a few fingers and always grip the knob where you have removed them this might work. The knob will turn more easily using a torx key if there are fingers missing, too.

If you do wreck the knob you can buy spares for about £5-6 or so.

cheers

[mattsccm]

Whip the adjuster out and bung a bit of copper grease on it. It will still get stiff but this delays things a lot.

[reohn2]

They can be difficult if left as you don't tend adjust them often.I remove the adjuster an copper grease the threads.
Also the outer recess where the plastic adjuster clips onto gets mucky and clogged in use,I find a squirt of GT85 on a regular basis keeps in clean.
All that said the easiest way to turn it is with the torx key supplied with the brake from new.

[reohn2]

Only that no child labourers were used in the building of my bikes

[Dave W]

I just sripped mine down and found everything including the threads corroded with road salt. Good clean up and lubrication sorted it out.

[andrewjoseph]

ours have been on our bikes for over 5 years, not had this problem. mind, we tend not to ride in winter and rain. but often get soaked in summer rain. they get a hose down after that though, so no salt hanging around.

we tend to do more mtb in the winter.

[Brucey]

I just sripped mine down and found everything including the threads corroded with road salt. Good clean up and lubrication sorted it out.

good thing you caught it in time; they can seize up in a single winter and it is faintly depressing to have to scrap a caliper just because the idiots that built it didn't put any anti-seize paste in the part that is obviously going to seize....

BTW you can't go mad with the lube because it doesn't have to go far to get into the brake pads....

cheers