Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational)
Reload this Page >

TRP Cable Pull Disc Brakes Surprisingly Good!

Notices
Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

TRP Cable Pull Disc Brakes Surprisingly Good!

Old 02-11-21, 04:32 PM
  #1  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
TRP Cable Pull Disc Brakes Surprisingly Good!

I just purchased a Salsa Warbird that came with TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes and I thought the first order of business would be to change them out for hydraulics but holy crap, these brakes are pretty damn good. Anybody else have good luck with these or have any tips or tricks to make them even better? I have some non-hydraulic di2 shifters that are going on soon so I though about upgrading the rotors to Dura Ace and the pads as well since they take the same style pad as Shimano. Any thoughts?
dvdslw is offline  
Likes For dvdslw:
Old 02-11-21, 05:43 PM
  #2  
shelbyfv
Expired Member
 
shelbyfv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 11,461
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3638 Post(s)
Liked 5,316 Times in 2,701 Posts
The Spyres came on a Raleigh Tamland I had for awhile. I was perfectly happy with them. I never had to adjust them except for setting the lever pull to my preference. I appreciated that they never rubbed like I've seen on some hydraulics. Folks who know a lot more about brakes than I say hydraulics are much superior but I wouldn't be bothered by having the Spyres again. Be sure you have the "new" compressionless brake housing where appropriate.
shelbyfv is offline  
Likes For shelbyfv:
Old 02-11-21, 06:41 PM
  #3  
walnutz
Senior Member
 
walnutz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ATX
Posts: 637

Bikes: CO-OP ADV 3.1 aka Beeftank (stolen, RIP), State All-Road

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 96 Post(s)
Liked 144 Times in 75 Posts
Yeah, I gather they are the go-to if you’re not going hydraulic. I have them and have no issues.
walnutz is offline  
Likes For walnutz:
Old 02-11-21, 07:42 PM
  #4  
pbass
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,186

Bikes: 2016 Surly Cross Check, 2019 Kona Rove ST

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 284 Post(s)
Liked 313 Times in 211 Posts
I have them on my Rove ST. I have no need for anything "better"--these are killer.
pbass is offline  
Likes For pbass:
Old 02-11-21, 09:00 PM
  #5  
dwmckee
Senior Member
 
dwmckee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,468

Bikes: Co-Motion Cappuccino Tandem,'88 Bob Jackson Touring, Co-Motion Cascadia Touring, Open U.P., Ritchie Titanium Breakaway, Frances Cycles SmallHaul cargo bike. Those are the permanent ones; others wander in and out of the stable occasionally as well.

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 427 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 339 Times in 229 Posts
The TRP Spyre and Hy/RD are well known excellent calipers.
dwmckee is offline  
Likes For dwmckee:
Old 02-11-21, 09:16 PM
  #6  
Rolla
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2,888
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1346 Post(s)
Liked 3,269 Times in 1,439 Posts
While I still prefer hydros, Spyres absolutely SLAY Avid BB7s. Wouldn't hesitate to run them on either of my disc brake bikes.
Rolla is offline  
Likes For Rolla:
Old 02-11-21, 09:24 PM
  #7  
zen_
Full Member
 
zen_'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: USA
Posts: 232
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 95 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times in 55 Posts
I wouldn't bother with the Dura-Ace rotors. The ice tech rotors look cool, but are totally unnecessary for gravel unless you do very long, technical descents that warrant the cooling. The slotted TRP rotors are pretty good, and have built in wear indicators!

As for cable vs. hydraulic, I think it's absolutely shameless that Salsa sells a gravel bike for $2,800 /w cable brakes, but with compressionless housing the TRP Spyre and HY/RD both work well. A lot easier to setup and adjust / service in the field as well, but requires more periodic maintenance.
zen_ is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 05:27 AM
  #8  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by zen_
As for cable vs. hydraulic, I think it's absolutely shameless that Salsa sells a gravel bike for $2,800 /w cable brakes.
I thought the same thing but after thinking about it, I was really in the market for a bare Warbird frameset that costs $2,100 so finding this bike complete, locally, and on Sale for $2,500 made sense.

The plan is to upgrade every single piece on the bike and put the takeoffs on another Gravel frame to sell.
dvdslw is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 08:27 AM
  #9  
ChesterCounty
Newbie
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 4
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by dvdslw
I thought the same thing but after thinking about it, I was really in the market for a bare Warbird frameset that costs $2,100 so finding this bike complete, locally, and on Sale for $2,500 made sense.

The plan is to upgrade every single piece on the bike and put the takeoffs on another Gravel frame to sell.
Did you say Salsa, Warbird, and Sale in the same post... lol.... Nicely done, you win sir
ChesterCounty is offline  
Likes For ChesterCounty:
Old 02-12-21, 09:01 AM
  #10  
chaadster
Thread Killer
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,373

Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3078 Post(s)
Liked 1,631 Times in 1,005 Posts
dvdslw if you’re having a hard time rationalizing an upgrade, I can help: the Yokozuno Ultimo lets you keep your DA levers, but the four-pot calipers improve power and modulation, but also look way sicker than either Spyre or HY/RD!

You’re welcome!
chaadster is offline  
Likes For chaadster:
Old 02-12-21, 10:36 AM
  #11  
pbass
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,186

Bikes: 2016 Surly Cross Check, 2019 Kona Rove ST

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 284 Post(s)
Liked 313 Times in 211 Posts
Originally Posted by Rolla
While I still prefer hydros, Spyres absolutely SLAY Avid BB7s. Wouldn't hesitate to run them on either of my disc brake bikes.
I agree--had BB7s on a rigid 29'r and I thought they were pretty great at the time, but the Spyres are at a different level.
pbass is offline  
Likes For pbass:
Old 02-12-21, 10:37 AM
  #12  
Hiro11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,608

Bikes: 2022 Specialized Allez Sprint custom build, 2019 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0, 2018 Seven Mudhoney Pro custom build, 2017 Raleigh Stuntman, various others

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 782 Post(s)
Liked 475 Times in 238 Posts
I have Spyre SLCs on one bike and really like them. They are simple to install and maintain, they operate very smoothly, they're not prone to squealing, they're easy to set up to avoid rub and they allow you to use pretty much any mechanical lever. They're not quite as powerful or smooth as the hydraulic setups I have on four other bikes, but they have great modulation that works well for road riding. I also like the ability to adjust the pad clearance super easily.

Last edited by Hiro11; 02-12-21 at 10:50 AM.
Hiro11 is offline  
Likes For Hiro11:
Old 02-12-21, 06:21 PM
  #13  
dwmckee
Senior Member
 
dwmckee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 2,468

Bikes: Co-Motion Cappuccino Tandem,'88 Bob Jackson Touring, Co-Motion Cascadia Touring, Open U.P., Ritchie Titanium Breakaway, Frances Cycles SmallHaul cargo bike. Those are the permanent ones; others wander in and out of the stable occasionally as well.

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 427 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 339 Times in 229 Posts
Originally Posted by zen_
As for cable vs. hydraulic, I think it's absolutely shameless that Salsa sells a gravel bike for $2,800 /w cable brakes, but with compressionless housing the TRP Spyre and HY/RD both work well. A lot easier to setup and adjust / service in the field as well, but requires more periodic maintenance.
We custom build gravel bikes for some racers and some builds easily exceed $5K. Several clients specify cable actuated Hy/RD or Spyre calipers for their reliability and durability. They are proven to be extremely reliable, easily field serviceable, and are a great option for the tortures of long gravel rides.
dwmckee is offline  
Likes For dwmckee:
Old 02-12-21, 07:32 PM
  #14  
bonsai171
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,443
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 749 Post(s)
Liked 90 Times in 70 Posts
Originally Posted by dvdslw
I just purchased a Salsa Warbird that came with TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes and I thought the first order of business would be to change them out for hydraulics but holy crap, these brakes are pretty damn good. Anybody else have good luck with these or have any tips or tricks to make them even better? I have some non-hydraulic di2 shifters that are going on soon so I though about upgrading the rotors to Dura Ace and the pads as well since they take the same style pad as Shimano. Any thoughts?
The spyres are very nice, got them on my new Warbird last year. So far I've had to adjust them twice just to get the pads closer to the disc, but no complaints whatsoever about their stopping power, even on a ride I did last year that went into a cloud! The Warbird is pretty awesome too, the last 9 months have been amazing. What drivetrain did you get?

Dave
bonsai171 is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 08:22 PM
  #15  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by chaadster
dvdslw if you’re having a hard time rationalizing an upgrade, I can help: the Yokozuno Ultimo lets you keep your DA levers, but the four-pot calipers improve power and modulation, but also look way sicker than either Spyre or HY/RD!

You’re welcome!

I'll have to check them out, Thanks!
dvdslw is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 08:29 PM
  #16  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by bonsai171
The spyres are very nice, got them on my new Warbird last year. So far I've had to adjust them twice just to get the pads closer to the disc, but no complaints whatsoever about their stopping power, even on a ride I did last year that went into a cloud! The Warbird is pretty awesome too, the last 9 months have been amazing. What drivetrain did you get?

Dave
I got the bottom end Sram Apex build with the 42/11-41 1x drivetrain, I pretty much bought the bike for the frameset with the plans to upgrade just about everything, or everything? So far I have some Ultegra di2 shifters and a set of Spinergy GX wheels. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to go 1x or 2x? So far the 1x has been fine but I wonder how much better it would be to tighten up the gaps on the cassette?
dvdslw is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 08:33 PM
  #17  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by ChesterCounty
Did you say Salsa, Warbird, and Sale in the same post... lol.... Nicely done, you win sir
Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, Thanks!
dvdslw is offline  
Old 02-12-21, 09:22 PM
  #18  
bonsai171
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,443
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 749 Post(s)
Liked 90 Times in 70 Posts
Originally Posted by dvdslw
I got the bottom end Sram Apex build with the 42/11-41 1x drivetrain, I pretty much bought the bike for the frameset with the plans to upgrade just about everything, or everything? So far I have some Ultegra di2 shifters and a set of Spinergy GX wheels. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to go 1x or 2x? So far the 1x has been fine but I wonder how much better it would be to tighten up the gaps on the cassette?
oh cool, I have the same bike! 2019 model. I haven't really noticed too much of a gap with the gears, for me at least, no plans to change to 2x. Got a road bike also, and that is a Shimano 105 11-28 cassette. Almost feels like the gears are too close together. For now the things I want to change are the bar tape to something more cushy, and go to a Absolute Black 38t chainring bc I climb a lot of hills. Eventually wheels too though, the wtb i23s are nice, but the hubs aren't the fastest rolling. The more you ride the bike, the less you will notice the cassette gaps. Of course ymmv.

Dave
bonsai171 is offline  
Likes For bonsai171:
Old 02-14-21, 07:29 AM
  #19  
mack_turtle
n00b
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,397

Bikes: Surly Karate Monkey, Twin Six Standard Rando

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 428 Post(s)
Liked 466 Times in 273 Posts
I had Hylex hydro brakes on my bike and replaced them with Spyres and RRL levers. I hated the shape of the Hylex lever hoods (subjective) but without doing a bunch of risky experiments, I don't know that any other levers would work with Hylex calipers. Using mechanical brakes allows menthe freedom to use whatever cables and levers I want.

the Hylex system has a little more stopping power, but this is a bike ridden on roads and smooth singletrack—it's not a trials bike—so the braking performance of Spyres is more than sufficient.
mack_turtle is offline  
Old 02-14-21, 08:53 AM
  #20  
Branko D
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 786
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 338 Post(s)
Liked 408 Times in 252 Posts
Originally Posted by dvdslw
I just purchased a Salsa Warbird that came with TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes and I thought the first order of business would be to change them out for hydraulics but holy crap, these brakes are pretty damn good. Anybody else have good luck with these or have any tips or tricks to make them even better? I have some non-hydraulic di2 shifters that are going on soon so I though about upgrading the rotors to Dura Ace and the pads as well since they take the same style pad as Shimano. Any thoughts?

I run TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes on my road bike, paired with Deore XT rotors (which are surprisingly light) and they're really, really good. Using mechanical Dura-ace levers at the moment. Just periodically adjust pad spacing, swap the pads when they're worn and that's it (I think I'm using Decathlon brand semi-metallic pads at the moment, kinda howl in serious rain but brake well). Bloody good brakes.

They need a slight bit more effort than hydraulics but I like the modulation, and they just don't give me any grief, squeal, rub or anything.

Last edited by Branko D; 02-14-21 at 01:47 PM.
Branko D is offline  
Likes For Branko D:
Old 02-14-21, 07:53 PM
  #21  
dvdslw
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Apopka, Florida
Posts: 1,476

Bikes: Santa Cruz Stigmata

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 30 Times in 20 Posts
Originally Posted by Branko D
I run TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes on my road bike, paired with Deore XT rotors (which are surprisingly light) and they're really, really good
I was going to get some Shimano centerlock rotors to go on my new wheels that are in route from Spinergy but I really like the performance of the TRP's so much I ordered another set of rotors from them. They are also half the price of the XT's or Ultegra/DA rotors which helped make the decision easier too!
dvdslw is offline  
Old 02-14-21, 09:27 PM
  #22  
jaxgtr
Senior Member
 
jaxgtr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 6,830

Bikes: Trek Domane SLR 7 AXS, Trek CheckPoint SL7, Trek Emonda ALR, Trek FX 5 Sport

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 751 Post(s)
Liked 1,666 Times in 980 Posts
I had an older generation of the spyre's and had a lot of issue with rubbing and overall crappy stopping power. I was ready to crush them in a press when I decided to replace the cable and housing first just to make sure there was not something else going on. The existing cable and housing were new. Come to find out there was a small area in the housing that was catching the cable and created a little spur. Once I put the new canle\housing on, it performed so much better. I eventually sold that bike a couple of years later and the new owner is still using them.
__________________
Brian | 2023 Trek Domane SLR 7 AXS | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
Originally Posted by AEO
you should learn to embrace change, and mock it's failings every step of the way.



jaxgtr is offline  
Likes For jaxgtr:
Old 02-15-21, 04:10 PM
  #23  
pipeliner
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 142
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 43 Post(s)
Liked 72 Times in 40 Posts
Originally Posted by Branko D
I run TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes on my road bike, paired with Deore XT rotors (which are surprisingly light) and they're really, really good. Using mechanical Dura-ace levers at the moment. Just periodically adjust pad spacing, swap the pads when they're worn and that's it (I think I'm using Decathlon brand semi-metallic pads at the moment, kinda howl in serious rain but brake well). Bloody good brakes.

They need a slight bit more effort than hydraulics but I like the modulation, and they just don't give me any grief, squeal, rub or anything.
Agree, I have a similar setup on my road bike. They are very good for road riding. On really steep and technical descents I get into occasionally on my gravel rig, I can appreciate grx hydraulic brakes on my gravel bike but who does that on a road bike anyway? I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a road or even a gravel bike with these brakes so long as I didn’t steep ride single track regularly.
pipeliner is offline  
Likes For pipeliner:
Old 02-15-21, 05:15 PM
  #24  
joejack951
Senior Member
 
joejack951's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 12,098

Bikes: 2016 Hong Fu FM-079-F, 1984 Trek 660, 2005 Iron Horse Warrior Expert, 2009 Pedal Force CX1, 2016 Islabikes Beinn 20 (son's)

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1240 Post(s)
Liked 94 Times in 65 Posts
Originally Posted by dwmckee
We custom build gravel bikes for some racers and some builds easily exceed $5K. Several clients specify cable actuated Hy/RD or Spyre calipers for their reliability and durability. They are proven to be extremely reliable, easily field serviceable, and are a great option for the tortures of long gravel rides.
Do you ever have customers request SRAM or Campy drivetrains and HY/RD brakes?
joejack951 is offline  
Old 02-16-21, 09:48 AM
  #25  
Hiro11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,608

Bikes: 2022 Specialized Allez Sprint custom build, 2019 Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0, 2018 Seven Mudhoney Pro custom build, 2017 Raleigh Stuntman, various others

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 782 Post(s)
Liked 475 Times in 238 Posts
Originally Posted by joejack951
Do you ever have customers request SRAM or Campy drivetrains and HY/RD brakes?
My bike has an 11sp Campy Super Record drivetrain with TRP Spyre SLC calipers. Works great.
Hiro11 is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.