Originally Posted by
Racing Dan
I own two bikes with Tiagra 4700. Both came with TRP mechanical disc brakes, which, Imo, doesn't perform anything like the internet would like you to believe. I upgraded one bike to 4700 hydraulic disc brakes and Its MUCH better. Its an expensive upgrade, replacing both the shift/brake units and the calipers, but well worth it. I had a bit of learning curve to get it all installed, but doable and I've hade zero maintenance for months. Imo hydraulic brakes is the single most important "innovation" in drop bar bikes for a long, long time.
I have TRP Spyres on my work/rain bike and in my estimation they are on par with the Ultegra 6800 rim brakes on my bike which has them. The biggest reason for discs was all-weather instant response, and also the ability to run CF wheels (I have never heard many good things about rim brakes and CF wheels in all-weather riding.) I didn't want hydro discs on this bike (even though I have a complete, unused hydro set-up in a box on a shelf) because of what Rydabent mentions below:
Originally Posted by
rydabent
People that have hydraulic brakes tell us they they have better feel. However if a brake line should be pulled lose 30 miles from home, that front or rear brake is useless till you get back home. OTOH if a cable get pulled loose, you just reattach it and ride on.
On a bike designed for occasional mixed-surface use, bad-weather use, light touring, and load-carrying often far from home, I wanted the added security of the simplicity of cables.
Do brake hoses tear loose much outside of competition use? I doubt it. I cannot recall hearing such a story. However, knowing that if I lost a brake cable, I could replace it at any town or city which has a Walmart, as opposed to needing a lot of specialty- and proprietary pieces, made cable discs seem like the better option for this specific bike.
I have hydro discs on my mountain bike, which, even with my lame , low-key pace, is a lot more likely to sustain hose damage (in my estimation,) and I don't worry about it a bit .... and the hydro brakes are Much more powerful, which is good because off-road, on sketchy/changing surfaces, being able to use less force means I can modulate better and still have lock-up-level power with just one or two fingers. With the cable discs, I need to grab the whole lever and clench it really tightly, and at that level of effort, trying to "feather" the brakes (say, in case of rear lock-up) is more of an on-off affair, whereas with the hydros, there is less force involved so using a tiny bit less is easier---in my experience.
For almost every rider, I would suggest ignoring the issue of complexity---there are so many parts on a bike which can fail catastrophically. Bend a derailleur hanger, or snap off the whole derailleur in a crash or hitting an unavoidable obstacle, and then what? So should we only ride SS-Fixed? Taco a wheel, and I don't care what kind of brakes you have ... or just get a really big slash in a tire which cannot be booted .... you are done for the day, and walking however far. (Though while seriously touring I usually carry a spare tire ... )
Choose brake systems based on what you want. Hydros should give you instant stopping power with good modulation and low effort while cables should give to immediate stopping power with more effort. The big difference might be cost---you don't need special brifters to run cable brakes, either rim of disc.
If you find you cannot lock up both tires at will with cable discs, and for some reason you want to ... well then. If your hands are losing strength, or you are arthritic, or some such, hydros might be a better choice.