gravelslider

I am running second generation TRP HY/Rd calipers on my newest gravel bike and am really digging them. They feel like full hydraulics, but have the wonderful simplicity and reliability of cable actuated. These are cable actuated but have a self contained master/slave hydraulic mechanism safely integrated together in the caliper body. I may never go back to full hydros again. I am curious if anyone has similar opinions of these as I do. My local shop says that maintenance and replacement of hydro brake systems is by far the most common big repair item on new bikes...

illdrag0n

yup

u235

I have hy/rd on my all purpose gravel bike and full hyd on my MTB. Occasionally dealing with the fluid part is well worth the benefit and less time overall than dealing with pure mechanical.

JayNYC

I got a Fuji Jari this past October that has them. Unfortunately the rear brake started freezing on me. I was pretty convinced it was the brake cylinder since they seemed to not freeze when I stuck a toe warmer on them, but just when I was going to return them to TRP for a warranty repair I stuck the brakes in the freezer as a test and they didn't freeze up. Which means moisture got in the brake line and froze. It's really frustrating that the LBS I took it to couldn't figure that out. But at least I know what the problem is.

So, having that experience, I wish I had full hydro.

u235

If it was the cable stuck with the brake engaged, wouldn't your brake lever been flopping around?

JayNYC

Yes, but that's what would happen if the caliper/reservoir were frozen as well. Basically there was no tension in the cable if it froze in the closed position. (It sometimes froze in the open position).

mstateglfr 

I assume I will use HyRd calipers when I build a new gravel frame at some point this year. I dont want to invest in a full hydro groupset and I like the Gevenalle brake levers on my current gravel bike, so Ill probably just move those over and call it good.

Unlike many on this site and elsewhere on the internet, I dont get excited and passionate about brakes. I am a big guy and have never felt unsafe on cantilever brakes, so I figure anything updated/upgraded/improved from those is cake. I have hydraulic brakes on my MTB and added hydraulic brakes to the frame I built up for my oldest daughter's MTB. They work fine. Nothing incredible, nothing life changing, nothing that makes me want to throw out all my bikes that cant/dont have hydraulic. The bikes stop they way I want them to, just like all my rim brake bikes.

If the brakes stop me how I want and when I want(so I can feather them or grab hard) then Im happy. The style of brakes, to me, is about 49th in importance out of a list of the 50 most important things to care about on a bike.




Hey OP- whats the difference beteween HyRd generations?

sweetspot

Yeah, I was quite pleased as well untill I went to more hilly terrain. Then resin pads that are recommended to this setup failed miserably. So I changed to metalic one and I encounter another problem - too weak braking power. Now I am looking for Yokozuna Reaction brake cable system to improve the brake efficiency. If this will fail I will need to go back to resin pads and change them every time I brake really hard going down from big hill...

redlude97

I put thousands of miles on hyrds on road/gravel/cyclocross racing. Went to full hydro in my two disc bikes but moved the hyrds to the GFs disc bike. They work really well with new shimano shifter pull ratios. Not so great with sram/ campy. The two main problems with them are that they are really heavy, and the small reservoir requires bleeding more often than full hydro as they are susceptible to air. Make sure you use compressionless housing

u235

With a hyd/rd setup, there is no direct physical attachment between the piston and the cable mechanism as there is a mechanical brake or regular rim brake. In theory, with only the piston being stuck or jammed closed the arm should still retract the whole way taking slack from the cable... I guess this is a big depends.

Skipjacks

I don't have stopping problems on my gravel bike. The cable brakes function properly.

But I have short stubby fingers that make it annoying to grab the brake levers and apply pressure manually. And I really need to pull on them to lock the brakes up. It's not a gentle touch.

With the hybrid hydraulic calipers does it just improve the breaking at the disc, or does it really make a difference in how much pressure you need to apply to the levers?

For instance on my commuter bike with flat bars and full hydro brakes I can stop easily using pressure applied by half my pinkie and can hold the brakes locked all day long with no problems. It takes almost zero pressure.

Is it still that easy with the hybrid hydro calipers? Or does the cable friction through the frame still cause you to need substantial pressure at the levers?

redlude97

HYRD has the feel inbetween mechanical and hydro, depending on your cable routing and setup(ie good compressionless housing and slick cables) then you can get by with 1-2 fingers from the drops. For hydro i use 1 finger braking the majority of the time from the drops, whereas with spyres(mech) it would take 3+fingers

itskohler

Just wanted to add, there's a company that makes short pull arms for the HY/RD. I'm waiting on my brakes to get here, and the arms will go on after a ride around the block to see if theyre worth it.

JJBP Short Pull Conversion Brake Arm Set for TRP HY/RD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073CCKD85/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LsQMCb3EN3Y6B

u235

This was my exact issue I thought out before hand. Obviously this a your milage may vary but the hy-rd works good with my sausage fingers. I have way flared short drop bars and ride in the drops 98% of the time and my brifter position favors that to the detriment of hood feel. One finger from the drops but I can brake ok from hoods too. Full hyd is better and you can try different pad types to get better initialbite if you had to. I use jagwire compression housings and cables. I thought about hy/rd tweaks for better cable pull but so far I don't need it.

Chi_Z

also check out Juin tech F1, it is about 100g lighter then hy/rd, works great for me so far, 2 finger braking no problem

Skipjacks

Those are certainly a little cheaper. $160 for the full set of 2 with the rotors? Not bad.

redlude97

I'd be wary of the juin techs, they've been known to have quality issues https://singletrackworld.com/forum/t...other-options/

redlude97

Those are made by joejack951 https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...e-build-8.html
He sent me a pair of the prototypes and can vouch for the quality.

itskohler

Oh that's awesome! I got mine in today, now just waiting on the calipers.

Skipjacks

Do either of the mechanical hydros in mentioned in this thread use special pads? Or do they take one of the major manufacturer's standard size and shape?

I wouldn't want to need to replace the pads at some point and find they are impossible to get.

redlude97

trp hyrds use shimano B01s pads which are cheap and plentiful at pretty much every shop. I'd replace the stock TRP pads asap, they are garbage

fietsbob

Mine on here.. kept the Speed Dial Levers.. just dialed the cable pull back ..


OEM supplied ones are all black, not after market... they have polished reservoir caps and levers..