Deore Mechanical Disk Brakes

David N. Makinson said:

Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is
less than stellar.

1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?
2) Will new pads help?
3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
with the standard Deore lever?

David

Yes, possibly, yes, yes.
--
Phil Lee, Squid

David N. Makinson said:

Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is less
than stellar.

1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?
2) Will new pads help?
3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
with the standard Deore lever?

The adjustment procedure in the instruction sheet for Shimano disk
brakes makes a world of difference. There are instructions for centering
the pads in the calipers, and for setting the proper pad-to-disc gap when
the brakes aren't applied. You start with that, and *then* you adjust the
cables.

Once you've done this, it's posssible to have brakes that get down
to business RIGHT NOW when you pull the lever, but which do not drag,
provided that your discs are not warped. Patience is key.

If you do not have the instruction sheet, odds are that you can
download the PDF from the Shimano website.

--
Chris BeHanna

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Chris BeHanna said:

David N. Makinson said:

Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is less
than stellar.

1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?
2) Will new pads help?
3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
with the standard Deore lever?

The adjustment procedure in the instruction sheet for Shimano disk
brakes makes a world of difference. There are instructions for centering
the pads in the calipers, and for setting the proper pad-to-disc gap when
the brakes aren't applied. You start with that, and *then* you adjust the
cables.

Once you've done this, it's posssible to have brakes that get down
to business RIGHT NOW when you pull the lever, but which do not drag,
provided that your discs are not warped. Patience is key.

If you do not have the instruction sheet, odds are that you can
download the PDF from the Shimano website.

I could not find any instruction sheets for non-current products on the
Shimano web site.

David

David N. Makinson said:

Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is less
than stellar.

1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?

Static pad adjustment and centering the assembly are the other two.

Quoted message said:

2) Will new pads help?

Sometimes.

Quoted message said:

3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
with the standard Deore lever?

If it's a mechanical. Avid's are far easier to care and feed for.

I just sold an urban scoot with Deore mechanicals, and found them a
real PITA to set up. The rotors needed much truing, and the stopping
power wasn't stellar. They're made well enough, so if you're stuck with
them, don't worry, they're fine after setup. I wouldn't use them for
downhilling is all. If you're doing fairly dry cross country riding and
get fed up with them, just get some basic Tektro linear pull brakes if
you want to save money, they stop just as well as the Deore's in most
conditions and cost peanuts.

David N. Makinson said:

Chris BeHanna said:

David N. Makinson said:

Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is less
than stellar.

1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?
2) Will new pads help?
3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
with the standard Deore lever?

[...proper adjustment makes a world of difference...]

If you do not have the instruction sheet, odds are that you can
download the PDF from the Shimano website.

I could not find any instruction sheets for non-current products on the
Shimano web site.

Wow. They've really done an annoying thing there, re-vamping their
website and, um, "improving" it to be less useful.

I have in my hands document #SI-8C90D, the technical service instructions
for brake caliper BR-M475 (the mechanical disc brake calipers on my '04
Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc), brake lever BL-M510/ST-M510 (Alivio
V-brake calipers that work with these disc brakes), rotor SM-RT61/50, and
brake pad unit M08. These should be fairly close to what you have.

Although my bike's levers are Alivio, the rest of the driveline is Deore,
FWIW.

If you email me a FAX number, I'll get a copy to you. It's an odd size,
but two pages should do it. If the FAX turns out schmeared, then we'll
make other arrangements.

--
Chris BeHanna

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Chris BeHanna said:

David N. Makinson said:

Chris BeHanna said:

On Sun, 10 Sep 2006 01:59:40 +0000, David N. Makinson wrote:

>Just came into a Mtn bike with Deore Mechanical (Cable) Disk Brakes. I
>notice that the cable fully pulls the lever, but the front brake is less
>than stellar.
>
>1) Is there some adjustment other than the cable length?
>2) Will new pads help?
>3) Should I replace the front caliper with an Avid BB7? Will it work
>with the standard Deore lever?

[...proper adjustment makes a world of difference...]

If you do not have the instruction sheet, odds are that you can
download the PDF from the Shimano website.

I could not find any instruction sheets for non-current products on the
Shimano web site.

Wow. They've really done an annoying thing there, re-vamping their
website and, um, "improving" it to be less useful.

I have in my hands document #SI-8C90D, the technical service instructions
for brake caliper BR-M475 (the mechanical disc brake calipers on my '04
Specialized Hardrock Pro Disc), brake lever BL-M510/ST-M510 (Alivio
V-brake calipers that work with these disc brakes), rotor SM-RT61/50, and
brake pad unit M08. These should be fairly close to what you have.

Although my bike's levers are Alivio, the rest of the driveline is Deore,
FWIW.

If you email me a FAX number, I'll get a copy to you. It's an odd size,
but two pages should do it. If the FAX turns out schmeared, then we'll
make other arrangements.

I got it as PDF, and it's really too detailed to fax. Emailed the OP
and can just zap it over if needed.

I have Hayes Mechs. on my MTB and they work great. Not as much stop as
Hydro's probably, but certainly more than I'll ever need. For road and
especially for dirt.

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