veganbikes

So I am building an gravel/adventure/touring/all-road/yada yada bike with the Koga Denham bar but I am unsure what I want to do for brakes so here is what I am thinking and maybe I could get a poll going to see which one makes most sense. The bars are essentially flat as are the disc brake mounts on the frame.

Thanks in advance for the help. For those curious it is a Sequoia Pro Module frame which will be set up 2x11 XT rear derailleur and Ultegra front derailleur, White Industries cranks and Microshift thumb shifters.

GamblerGORD53

I vote TRP Spyre cable and silver Sturmey Archer levers with plastic inserts.
I have both with my Rohloff. Stops on a dime. The front has SA drum brake with 25,000 miles.
The levers are unbelievably comfortable and they don't seem to be eroding either. Used them all the last 3,900 mile tour and a bit more. They look better than anything else IMO. I switched the rivet to long pull. I bought 2 pairs at the time, I'm so glad. I have old chrome swept back 70d bars.

Black levers will lose the finish anyway, so forget that.

veganbikes

They actually don't look too bad but I do not like rubber on my levers. Would do Avid Speed Dial 7s but they are long pull only.

Wilfred Laurier

If using flat bars, the world is your oyster - you can get any 'MTB' brake set and it should be golden.

IME, cable disc brakes are usually a compromise for lower cost or to use existing levers (like on a drop-bar bike which have few options for hydraulic levers). Hydraulic discs are superior.
I have had great success with Shimano hydraulic discs, and less success with Hayes hydraulic discs. But both were clearly superior to the cable discs I have tried (Avid and Tektro).

MikeyMK

No point in me looking past my Shimano Zee setup, with 180/203mm discs.

I ride a 45mph e-tandem weighing over 100 lbs - they stop that as well as any bike I've ever had, and are great to use with good feel and adjustable-reach levers that feel just right.

Loads of pad choices too, I'm currently using ceramic, in an effort to find something longer lasting than my usual semi metal / sintered.

Retro Grouch 

I thought the "dial" in speed dial 7 was for converting the cable pull.

Leebo

Shimano hydros, work great.

veganbikes

There in lies the problem I am trying to solve. There is some great disc options though again I need FLAT MOUNT brakes (so not a ton of options without adapters which maybe don't look as good?) but I don't really know what I want. I know I like the idea of hydraulic brakes but what do I do should I go full native with Metrea or the Magura MT4s, should I go with Ultegra Brakes and probably Alfine Levers or stick to cable brakes or go with something like the RX4s which are flat mount 4 piston?

Normally I am pretty good at figuring out parts and what I like and don't like but here I am so unsure and keep waffling between stuff I had the idea to crowd source it like the milleniums are doing these days.

I think it is for dialing in the modulation, granted I don't think I have ever actually dialed in my modulation but after learning that I might play more with it.

MikeyMK

You need adaptors for disc size anyway, the calipers don't mount directly to the frame/fork unless you want tiny discs... So flat mount is largely irrelevant.

Wilfred Laurier

^this

When you select your brakes and rotors you also select the adaptors that work with your frame and fork for the desired rotor size. The adaptors, IIRC, are about $8 each.

Wilfred Laurier

Also, you said you would use your AVID SD7 levers, but for that they are long pull? Most disc brakes require long pull levers - a few (like the SPyres) are road-specific, but that is so they will work with drop-bar levers.

And long pull levers and calipers are likely (marginally) better than short pull because there is less tension in the cable, and so less housing compression reducing brake feel and modulation.

If you a want the TRP brakes like the Spyre, I believe they make a long-cable-pull version for mtbs called the Spyke.

But really, hydraulic are superior.

veganbikes

True but the flat mount adaptors for 160s aren't super obtrusive whereas the ones for post mount brakes to flat mount do look a bit more kludgy.

Yes SD7s are long pull. The Canti Levers are short pull and also MUSA and that never hurts.

I already have a set of Spyre flat mount brakes so if swapping to Spykes was the option I would probably skip that and go hydraulic. The more I think about it the more hydro is what I want but figuring out what configuration I want is what is troubling me.