Brakes & levers

[sidmarx]

Hi All,

Call me dumbass, but after installing Avid SD 7's, i can't feel any difference in the little red cable pull angle adjusters in the levers. Cd. some1 please enlighten me anent what they're supposed to do?

Thanks

[Bill]

(09-27-2010, 12:43 PM)sidmarx Wrote:  Hi All,

Call me dumbass, but after installing Avid SD 7's, i can't feel any difference in the little red cable pull angle adjusters in the levers. Cd. some1 please enlighten me anent what they're supposed to do?

Thanks

Hi can you be more thorough of explaining your problem???

[sidmarx]

Hi Bill,

As you know the SD 7 brake levers have a red plastic nut that turns by hand to move the cable swage retainer up and down within the grip housing. As far as i can see this changes the pulling angle of the cable at its joint with the lever. The problem is that i can't discern any change in lever play or feel or tolerance, etc. This makes me wonder what it's actually for, and how i should set it.

[DaveM]

The adjustment is there to handle either v-brakes or cantilevers which call for a different amount of "cable pull". Cable pull being how much cable is pulled by the lever for a given amount of movement by the lever itself. The difference you would normally feel is that one setting feels "softer" as the brakes start to engage, but actually gives you higher max power. The other setting should feel "firmer" so the amount of resistance to the lever from the brakes comes on more suddenly. People often associate the firmer feel with better braking, but it can actually indicate lower max power because you are giving yourself less leverage.

I've had the same experience with avid levers where you can't feel a lot of difference between the two settings. But on other set ups, it's very obvious when you try to have a v-brake lever with cantis and vice versa.

I'd start with the recommended position for the type of brakes you have and only change it if you find you can tell and really prefer the feel of the other setting.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html

[jateureka]

(09-28-2010, 02:24 PM)DaveM Wrote:  The adjustment is there to handle either v-brakes or cantilevers which call for a different amount of "cable pull".

I think you are mistaken. The SRAM website and others say that AVID SD 7 are a long pull lever compatible with mechanical disc brakes and linear pull rim brakes (V-brakes), not cantilevers.

http://www.sram.com/avid/products/speed-dial-7-lever
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BL306E01-Avid+Speed+Dial+7+Levers+08.aspx

[DaveM]

(10-06-2010, 07:46 PM)jateureka Wrote:  I think you are mistaken.

I think you are correct. I may be thinking of some older Avid levers that had a similar adjustment to change from linear pull to canti. But it sounds like my general description is right that it should adjust the soft/firm feel of the brakes. As to why OP can't feel any difference, don't know.