Leisesturm

So I read the _____ manual when I upgraded my BB7 single piston mechanical discs to TRP Spyre double piston mechanical discs. TRP in their own literature recommends retaining 12" to 14" of regular brake housing don't ask me why. Probably to keep some cush in the system. Cush = modulation is my understanding. It's not my beef but I know y'all's are all about the modulation so I am not understanding why anyone would go ALL compressionless because ... ... ok, there's that, now brake power. Unless you are riding a tandem, or recumbent, you are not doing yourself any favors by sourcing the ultimate in stopping power. Collarbones have been broken, cervical vertebrae have been broken, skulls have been broken from ... endo is the technical term I believe. Yes endos over the (locked) front wheel from a panic stop. Once you do one you'll probably not try it again even if you don't paralyze yourself from the neck down.

Especially when returning to cycling after a long lay-off or when taking cycling up seriously in later life, a better idea than having motorcycle spec hydraulic disc brakes on a bicycle, is a 2 or more second forward scan. Scanning 12 seconds ahead at highway speeds is an essential part of motorcycle roadcraft. At bicycle speeds, 6 seconds should take care of the Strava KOM crowd (on level ground) and 2 or more for dawdling along at 8+mph. With 3 seconds of look ahead telling you to put on the brakes and scrub off another few mph because you are approaching an active intersection you are well ahead of the game. You don't have to plow into that left turning Buick. I see the videos. I SMH because it is clear to me the potential was there for a collision and yet I can tell from the bobbing of the camera that the equally foolish cyclist is still hammering. Why? The best brakes in the world can't save that kind of setup. So worry less about whether the brakes are single piston or dual piston. Both can stop you. They have been stopping humans on bikes for decades. Hydro vs mechanical. Well ... at the risk of being obvious ... how essential is something that the vast majority of road riding cyclists don't have yet, if ever? I wouldn't remove hydro discs from a bike that came with them, but I would not remove any kind of brake technology that is an improvement over Coaster Brakes for hydraulic discs. FWIW

Kai Winters

I have the TRP Spyre Slc mechanical disk brake calipers on my Spesh Aethos.
They are great calipers and boy do they have stopping power. They aren't like hydro's and I don't expect them to be but it was easier, because I had the parts and it is not easy to find hydro ultegra shifters especially wholesale (lbs employee). But they have far more stopping power than the Ultegra rim brake calipers.
I won't say they are easier to install, maintain, etc. compared to hydro because once you have the hydro's set up properly you really don't touch them again, perhaps for several years when a fluid change "may" be necessary.
Mechanical brakes do require more maintenance...not much more but the cables do stretch requiring some adjustment here and there but once the stretching stops you really don't have to touch them again for some time either.
Cleaning your brake pads, whether disk or rim doesn't matter, should be part of your normal maintenance cycle. Same with the rotors. I use a clean cloth sprayed with a water/alcohol mix or Windex in a pinch lol. I fold the cloth in half and run it between the disk pads...move to another clean spot and repeat until the cloth is no longer dirty. I use the same cloth, clean area, to wipe both sides of the rotor while inspecting it for wear marks, etc.
I've done similar with my rim brakes and never had a braking problem in near 40 years of riding and racing.
Take care of your stuff, learn how to take care of your stuff and you will have years of problem free riding....Ride On ! ! !

veganbikes

I mean generally the people who don't have issues don't need to say anything. "My brakes set up just fine with no problems, what do I do now?"
Person 1: Drink a beer?
Person 2: Rim brakes are better
Person 3: I use WD-40

I mean yes you can have issues it is not a perfect system and is certainly problematic if you haven't done it much or make a mistake. Electronic shifting at least with Shimano (or older Shimano) seems pretty easy. My only issue has been with my wireless unit and that is mainly due to it being inside a metal tube (since I wanted it hidden) and I have an old cell phone that cannot do everything but that has never really been a problem. I haven't had really enough experience with Etap or AXS but the wired stuff is easy you can easily check wires and make sure it all works and their E-tube software works quite nicely for diagnosing problems. Though yes it can be a little tougher compared to just turning a screw on a derailleur and adjusting cable tension in some cases.

HillRider

Well, of course, only the riders with. problems complain, the satisfied ones are normally silent. However, the numbers of problem-reporting threads with hydraulic brakes (and electronic shifting) far exceed the numbers of threads on mechanical systems and does indicate they are more problematic.

It's like the old business axiom: "A satisfied customer tells three people, a dissatisfied customer tells ten."

Germany_chris

I’m probably the only person on the internet that didn’t like Spyres. If you look through eBay you might be able to finds some OEM take off calipers which are a bit cheaper than retail.

but I’d start with pads

veganbikes

Maybe so or maybe it is because a cable actuated brake is maybe easier to diagnose problem wise if you are semi familiar with cable brakes or bikes whereas hydraulics are a bit harder since you cannot adjust a cable if something does go wrong.

That quote is true though!

Cnguyen323

I should’ve rode around with my squishy brakes for a while to appreciate the compressionless upgrade. I really don’t know what they felt like before. I just saw so many instances of people online saying it made a huge difference for my bike.

BCRider

Depended on the use of them. If conditions were mostly dry and during my fairly flat commute I'd go perhaps 150 to 200 miles between giving them a single click. But the same bike used in our wet times with the muck thrown up onto the rear needed a click in around 100 miles. The front got wet but didn't see even a fraction of the muck as the rear. So it stayed good for the whole 200'ish miles despite conditions. This was on a mountain bike but with City Slicker tires which I used for commuting.