Chili Cheesy

I've got a Surly Disc Trucker and I'm gearing up for a one-yearish Mediterranean tour next Spring.
My bike came with BB7 Mountain (long pull) brakes. They were great, but I hated the long pull levers it came with. I have my favorite levers now, but they are only available in short pull. I'm definitely buying short pull road disc brakes and selling my stock ones, so please don't suggest against buying and converting.

I'm debating between the BB7 Road S and the TRP Spyre.
I have read all about the Spyre and I am already familiar with BB7's. It seems to be the common opinion now that the Spyres are superior, atleast on forums. But... Four bike mechanics from two different bike shops all unanimously prefer the BB7 Road over the Spyre. They just all around prefer them, hands down.

I think I'm leaning towards the BB7 Road S. I get the vibe that they are more robust, simpler and more appropriate for a steel touring bike.

I want opinions though. And explanations. Because I'm getting mixed signals. Keep in mind, we're not talking about what's best for road bikes in general. We're talking about self-supported, heavy duty touring.

Thanks (:

azza_333

I cant comment on the BB7s, but I know many tourers swear by them, I myself the have Spyres, although the are currently sitting on my work bench now that im riding on hydros.
The main advantage of them over the BB7s is brake pad clearance, so you may get away with running a slightly out of true rotor, they also make getting them center a breeze.
They can ao use shimano replacement pads, which many more bike shops stock.

Both are considered to be in the top two for cable discs brakes, so I guess you cant really go wrong eaither way.

DropBarFan

I use the BB7 Road brakes on Surly DT, they seem pretty good if not perfect. Squeal a bit in the rain, maybe diff pads would help. They do seem pretty sturdy. Haven't tried Spyres but they're about the same price, experimenting would not cost huge $$. Article says dual pistons are nice but BB7 can sometimes be adjusted easier incl the patented washers which allow easier alignment when mounting. Perhaps that's why some mechs favor the BB7's.

First Ride and Review: TRP's New Spyre Dual Piston Mechanical Disc Brake for Cyclocross and Road Bikes - Cyclocross Magazine - Cyclocross News, Races, Bikes, Photos, Videos

edthesped

I bought a used Vaya off CL that had BB7's on it. For the life of me I couldn't adjust them to eliminate rotor rub. Having another bike with HY/RD's I knew it was possible. I purchased another set of HY/RD's and no longer have issues, as a side note I'm still running the BB7 Rotors with the HY/RD's. The BB7's and new TRP rotors are sitting on my workbench.

mdilthey

I have BB7's on all of my bikes, and Kelley's bike. I love them. I've found the Avid Juicy pads everywhere, including in bike shops in Israel and Iceland, so I don't think pad availability is an issue any more than any other disc brake.

The BB7's do have pretty tight pad tolerances, but I learned pretty quickly how to true my rotor by hand (it's rarely more than a millimeter off, so this is easier than it sounds), and I have no problem adjusting them to a set-and-forget state for months at a time. I haven't touched the brakes on my Pugsley since December, and it's been almost 1,500 miles since then including a loaded international tour.

The TRP Spyre looks like a good brake, but my friend toured with HY/RD's and they completely faded after about two months and 3,000 miles.

fietsbob

I see both Avid .. 1 stationary pad, 1 moving pad. BB7 has 2 knobs BB5 has rhe inside knob

outside a cable adjuster compensates the pad wear.

Spyre and Spyke both pads move to the rim , pad wear compensation is tiny setscrews for each side..

Spyre is smaller thus Lighter


#3 Paul's clamper , USA made . Easy to turn alloy knobs, are the adjusters , type? 1 mobile pad.

difference between road and MTB is the actuating arm length.. (All you need is another arm to re use the brakes on Road or MTB)



Most of my adventure touring was on bikes with Cantilever brakes ..

I now own a Bike friday with BB7 Mountain & my Koga Has Magura Hydraulic rim brakes





./.

tinrobot

I swapped out the BB5's that came on my light touring bike for Spyres. (Motobecane Century Comp Ti)

Main reason was that the BB5's are really wide and my big feet were hitting the rear brake assembly. Spyres are much narrower and fit within the rear triangle.

The Spyres also move both pads and, because of that, they seem to have better modulation.

manapua_man

The BB7s are a little less fiddly than the Spyres, from my experience. I wouldn't call either of them bad choices though.

edthesped

Maybe he had the first generation model. I have well over 3k on one set and upward of 1500 miles of heavy commuting on the Vaya in hilly Pittsburgh and haven't had any issues with brake fade on either bike.

Chili Cheesy

Hey Guys,

Thank you all! Sorry I didn't get a chance to read these until now. I've been working out of town, in Pittsburgh all week.
I just hit up my favorite bike shop, Thick Bikes, here in Pitt today.
I have decided! BB7's absolutely. I know now that they are more appropriate for my needs.

Reasons Why:

* The pads and everything else are generally more available worldwide than any other brake. These have been and still are the most popular mechanical discs anywhere.

* They are totally less sensitive to mount faces that aren't 110% perfectly straight and true. Avid uses their patented CPS washers that allow the caliper to be perfectly aligned even if the frame isn't. This alone is enough to make the decision for me. I'll be self-supported for a long time, and the bike will have to withstand not only all that I'll put it through, plus potentially unexpected accidents, but also have to go on a plane, in a box, and be handled by who knows who.

* I've ridden with the Spyres now, and... They have another little issue that may just bother me, and it's not really a big deal, but the pads, inside the caliper, have a lot of play and they float around and click against the body of the caliper sometimes when you engage the brake. Even without the clicking and clanking, which I'm sure not everyone experiences, It still bothers me.

* There are a couple of other insignificant reasons I like the BB7 more now, that are just personal taste and pickiness. They don't matter, but Everything points to the BB7. The Only, Only advantages 'for me', that the Spyre has are the dual piston actuation and the barrel adjuster on the caliper. And both of those perks actually have drawbacks too. The Spyres dual piston design involves more moving parts to have trouble with in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And the barrel adjuster (not necessary) is not in a preferable place for me anyway. If I wanted a barrel adjuster, I'd want an inline one on the cable housing near the bars, so I didn't have to slide the housing through the zip ties up or down the frame to compensate for each adjustment.

I've found the right brakes 'for me'.
Thank all you guys for your points of view and shared experience.

edthesped

That's great, the most important thing is that you're happy with them. Did you by chance notice if Thick has the new Specialized Sequoia in house yet? I'm itching to check one out.

Chili Cheesy

Thanks, Y'all. I just posted a response to everyone, but I can only quote five at a time. Scroll up to read it.

Chili Cheesy

Wow. It's cool that one of the people responding is in Pitt too!
No I didn't notice. I didn't really look. I was just talking to the people there about calipers.

DropBarFan

Hmm, perhaps some peculiarity in the mounting bracket or rotor mount position? It would seem as if dual-piston brakes might give more allowance for untrue rotors although that may not have been your problem. I had to true rotors a while back, simple in theory but can be a bit fiddly esp w/older eyes. Some folks like the Park rotor truing jig which bolts onto a wheel-truing jig. I'm thinking about getting that since truer rotor means less lever travel before brakes actuate.

DropBarFan

Bikers in Pittsburgh & western PA must know brakes if anybody does. Drove thru western PA a couple of years ago & was amazed how hilly it was. Ride those hills everyday & you'll practically be ready for Tour de France, heh.

edthesped

The rotors might not be the truest for sure but I suspect that if I had a truing add on for the rotors I'd true them until they really need to be trued. I was trying to get the BB7's to match the throw and feel of the HY/RD's on the AWOL and for the life of me couldn't, I either had too much lever throw or a slight rub and it seemed like I had to readjust them every few weeks to keep the lever throw at a minimum. The BB7's weren't bad I just didn't like them as much as the HY/RD's and I suspect had I not owned the HY/RD's I'd still be happily rolling along on the BB7's. I always keep items I may want in my Amazon Cart and one day the HY/RD's dropped to $90. each so I jumped and they now sit on the Vaya.

veganbikes

I love my Spyres, they stop well and have decent modulation and I dig the fact they are dual piston design. The BB7s are fine but can be more expensive and don't offer as good pad wear due to the single piston design. Plus they are heavier than the Spyres, so if weight and price are a concern Spyres would be my choice.

TRP Spyres share pads with Shimano M525/M515 brakes and should be easy enough to find due to Shimano's wide spread use especially in the Deore level.

I have heard good things about Paul Klampers and of course they have the legendary Paul quality and are US Made and are supposed to be dead easy to work with and probably pretty repairable. Though my reasoning for not going Paul on my touring bike was simply they weren't out when I was buying and they are a one piston design and I like the idea of two especially after riding various hydraulic brakes.

jeff400650

I too hated the feel of the stock hoods on my Disc Trucker, especially with the weird sloping bars... too small and sharp. I was not thrilled with the cable disc brakes either (BB7s). I went with TRP Hylex full hydraulic brakes on a modern compact bar. Worlds better ergonomics and performance. They fit my hands and the brakes just work. No more adjusting and rubbing all the time.

veganbikes

If someone wanted to stick with mechanicals which isn't a bad thing SRAM makes a super comfortable drop bar brake lever that I couldn't recommend enough. The s500s or the 900s (if you like crabons) fit the hand really nicely and stop quite nicely with a well set up brake. I was so sad when I couldn't get my homebrew "Gevenalle" levers going on my new machine and had to go with stock Gevenalles only because those levers are so nice.

johnpfannkuchen

Adjusting BB7s is very possible and quite easy, once you know how. I actually looked it up in the mountains of Vermont once we got to the Stow Motel with my partner's smart phone and had both our bikes aligned with the rotors perfectly before we left the next morning. In fact the process is very similar to aligning most disc rotors--I used what I learned with my BB7s to adjust my Promax brakes on my cheaper around town bike.

With the single pivot disc brakes it always seems to be something like--
Tighten the disc brake adaptor (if there is one) attached to the frame.
Loosen the attachment bolts.
Introduce slack into the brake cable (assuming a mechanical disc brake).
Tighten the inboard pad all the way in, then back out again 1/2 a turn.
Tighten the outboard pad all the way in.
Tighten the attachment bolts (because with the pads tightened down everything is now "aligned").
When loosening the pads again aim for a 2:1 ratio on distance from the rotor, Inboard : Outboard.
Remove slack from the cable (make sure the cable clamp is tight).
Voila.

That basic process is usable on both the BB7s and the Promax brakes. You may also want to use the barrel adjusters if you're having a hard time getting the perfect ratio after you align the pads.

Also if your rotor is bent, Park Tool sells an inexpensive rotor truing tool that works wonders. Or just take them to your LBS.

str

Spyre is ok, a good brakes, used it for several years.

Hydro brakes are another world!

fietsbob

EZ entry to hydro disc is TRP HyRd. Cable all the way to the caliper..

manapua_man

I've got BB7s and Spyres on a couple of my bikes. Never had any problems with either of them.