Avid BB7 cable disc brakes for E bikes.

[Retrorockit]

More bikepacking brake info.

https://bikepacking.com/gear/best-brakes-for-bikepacking/

The exploded view of the Paul Klamper looks like a BB7 clone to me. Priced like high end hydros.

https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/21/2019/03/paul_klamper_inners-1515542577271-1i0b1rh13p5k-f3eed79.jpg?quality=90&resize=620,343

[Retrorockit]

Here is a link to the Thorn Raven Twin tandem bike o wners manual. People use these for loaded touring. He has a lot to say about brakes. Some warnings about how hydraulic discs fail.
Pges 12-13 here.

http://www.sjscycles.com/thornpdf/ThornRavenTwinBroHiRes.pdf

He points out that they don't always boil the fluid when braking- but when you let go of the lever then you have nothing!

[Retrorockit]

I got some feed back from serious DH riders that the 203mm Ice Tech rotors can fail under extreme use, and the 220mm has better leverage.
It seems the ICE Tech rotors can be melted under continuous hard braking. If there is any caliper that could put heat into a rotor until it melts it would be the BB7.
The Shimano finned brake pads, and Frreeza rotors help with this. So for that type of use maybe the whole Shimano Saint brake set would be a good idea.
For my flat urban riding that's not an issue.

[Retrorockit]

The BB7s are from era when 26" bikes were normal.With bigger wheels the leverage of a 220mm rotor may be more useful than the heat capacity of the ICE or Freeza rotors. Since my bike s are 26" and I'm a big fan of converting those old garage potatoes, I probably won't be testing this for you.
I might add that SRAM still offers Speed dial brake levers. They are 3 finger, and because SRAM offers Gripshifts they can clear Ebike controls on the handlebars. You're on your own for brake switches. Perfect for AZ who doesn't use them. With good compressionless cable setup they shouldn't cause a travel problem. 4.6 out of 5 rating at MTBR reviews.

https://products.mtbr.com/product/brakes/brake-lever/avid/speed-dial-ultimate.html

[Retrorockit]

Shimano-", It also results in a longer pad life and substantially quieter braking." I'm finding this to be true.

The next step up from these in the 6 bolt format are the RT905 Freeza rotors. These are in the Saint DH groupset. The RT86 is XT.
Shimano compares these to a 220mm rotor.

• "203 mm RT-MT905 operates 100°C cooler compared with a 220 mm stainless steel disc brake rotor under the most extreme conditions with a more compact design"

What I have right now suits my purpose just fine so I won't be trying these myself.

[Retrorockit]

I've been running the SRAM metallic pads, and the Shimano ICE rotors together for a while. I added them both at the same time. Now that I've had them for a while, I haven't had to adjust the inner pad for light braking noise. This is from one pad hitting first and the rotor being free to ring like a gong. I don't think just the SRAM pads could do this. Maybe the bimetal rotors damp this out? The brake adjustment just seems less fussy with these rotors.

[AZguy]

I've been running SRAM [Guide] metallic (sintered) with the steel plates and find they work great for my riding. There's a little rubbing noise while braking when new but nothing dramatic and once bedded no worries, very quiet except when I lean without any braking I can barely hear a little rubbing sound...

What is this "rain" you speak of?

[Retrorockit]

I've got some time on the SRAM BB7 Metallic pads. Very quiet, and hold adjustment well. They own Avid so no surprise that they know what they're doing.
The only bad thing is they scream in the rain for the first stop. Once they get wet they quiet down again. Metallic is supposed to be the wet weather brake pad.

[Retrorockit]

I just found a part that has been hard to get for a while. Many Gary Fisher/Trek frames look like they don't have rear disc brake mounts. They need a frame adapter for the Avid disc brake adapter.

https://www.trekofclt.com/product/trek-international-disc-brake-mount-154274-1.htm

These frames have a little bump on the left dropout with a hole for a fender stay. I prefer the IS version to the post mount version for BB7 because you can remove the IS cross bolts and not disturb the caliper centering bolts or cable setup if you're still using flexy cables.

[Retrorockit]

I've got some miles on these. Others reported these rotors as being flat when new. Mine needed some slight tweaking. Very easy to do on these. Probably easy to bend them too.
Smooth quiet brakes. On fast downhill using the rear brake only it reaches a steady lever pressure and holds it. No indication that it's under any stress at all. These are the entry level ICE alloy rotors, there are a couple steps up from this (Freeza) if going down mountains is on the menu. I picked up a couple more of these for my Softtail XComfort bike. $37 for bare bones 160mm ICE rotors at Cambria.Bikes maybe more for weight savings and bling on that acoustic bike.

[Retrorockit]

Here is a review on the TRP 220x2.3 rotors form a Seattle cargo bike user.
"Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome rotors
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
I'm using these on a cargo bike. I found that in the hills of seattle, even standard 200mm brakes didn't stand up well to the heat. These tackle them no problem."
For a slow heavy cargo bike the leverage will win out over the cooling of the higher level Saint rotors.

[Retrorockit]

I got it running under power and broke in the new pads and rotors. The rear bracket going from 185 to 180mm fit the new rotor OK, but it seems to have moved the caliper forward some too. Hand made hardlines are nice until you change something and have to do it over again.
The front had a different issue. The 203mm Shimano rotor on an Avid 203 F bracket with Avid caliper had the pads running 1/8" in from the edge of the rotor. I had to go find 1/8" thick metal spacers, and some longer bolts to line them up.So the brakes are upand running again.

[Retrorockit]

With organic pads adjusting is an issue. MTB guys have to stop and adjust their hot brakes part way down the mountain. With metallic pads once a week, or every 3 days or so puts it in line with chain lube scheduling. Some people who are too lazy to do this also run their hydro brake pads down to bare metal, and keep riding until the pistons pop out. To each their own.

[mrpelican]

I'm pretty sure hydraulic brakes always have a piston on both sides. And in my experience, this does eliminate the adjustment issue you're describing. Higher end hydraulics have 2 pistons on each side.

[Retrorockit]

Here's a link to the TRP thick rotors if anyone wants to try this.

https://tektro-usa.com/product/tr-17-rotor-2-3mm-thick/

The advantage would be that it takes longer to heat up a thicker rotor.
Just be aware they were intended for hydraulic brakes that don't flex the rotor. So this would be an experiment with BB7s.