Are Avid BB calipers the only ones worth having, or is there something else to consider? Is there much disadvantage to a BB5 compared to a BB7? I’m upgrading an old bike on a budget – has integrated brifters and currently Vs on a rigid fork, but I have a very decent old sus fork which is disk only.

Never tried BB5s but the reviews I read seemed to indicate the 7s were alot better.

Got mine here took 10 days to deliver and have no complaints.

you can only adjust one side on the 5 so if there a similar price i’d get the 7’s

I have used Avid,Tektro,Hayes,Shimano and easily the best one is the Avid.Have a think about Clarkes budget hydraulics S2 at CRC.They need a good squeeeze but are pretty powerful and come with a braided hose.

I’ve used both and both are pretty good. BB5s have one pad adjuster whilst BB7s have two, however you can adjust the other pad on the BB5s using the cable barrel adjuster. The real pain with the BB5 is that they have a pad design unique to themselves whilst the BB7s use the same pads as many Avid hydraulics and therefore there’s a much wider range of pad options.

IMHO BB7s are the better option of the two but unless you specifically want cables why not look at hydraulic options? You could probably get a good set of Shimano hydraulics for a comparilbe price to BB7s ( I got a pair of entry level Shimano M454s for my partner’s bike for about £80).