Avid BB5s not too happy

[hearightnow]

greetings:
my Avid BB5 disc brakes are having trouble stopping the bike quickly. Thought that they needed new pads so I just installed them but the brakes still are having problems. I have to squeeze the brake handle all the way to the grip to get them to work at all. Back brakes especially. Help!(?) I'm in a race tomorrow. Cables too stretched? Dirty rotors? Any feedback is greatly appreciated

[DaveM]

If you have to pull the lever a long way before the brakes start to engage at all, then yes the cables probably stretched. That is very normal with new cables.

[JonB]

What Dave said.

Easy fix though, there should be a barrel adjuster on the cable end of the lever. Turn this anti-clockwise so it comes out. This will take the slack out the cable, but if it still isn't enough then wind it back in, undo the cable pinch bolt on the caliper and take the tension out there. Then use the barrel adjuster to fine-tune it.

And as Dave said the reason the back's worse than the front is because there is more cable to "bed in," hence why it goes more slack than the front.