Mechanical Discs
07-28-23, 06:29 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 947
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 286 Post(s)
Liked 262 Times
in
129 Posts
Mechanical Discs
Anyone experienced problems braking in snowy conditions with mechanical disc brakes? I have a Salsa Fargo with TRP Spyre brakes and was thinking of putting some 2.6-3.0 studded tires for winter riding, but not sure how the brake (cables) will hold up if exposed to snow.
07-28-23, 06:49 PM
#2
I am potato.
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 3,116
Bikes: Only precision built, custom high performance elitist machines of the highest caliber. 🍆
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1789 Post(s)
Liked 1,630 Times
in
934 Posts
I've never experienced any braking issues with TRP Spyres, or indeed any braking system with temperatures down into the low teens. The only real potential issue I can think of would arise from water in the cable housing freezing and seizing up the cable inside.
07-29-23, 12:08 PM
#4
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721
Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times
in
1,286 Posts
I've been using Avid BB7s on two of my bikes for the past 16 years. Cables can get a little tight if moisture gets in and starts to freeze but I never actually lost braking power. I keep the cables well lubed make it a habit to just squeeze brake levers regularly to keep them loose. The brake calipers itself should be rinsed with clean water after the winter season to get all the road salt out or else they can start to seize up and get very tight. Other than that I love mechanical brakes, simple and easy to set up and maintain. Never have to worry about brake bleeding or replacing leaking piston seals like I had to do on my shimano hydraulic brakes.
07-30-23, 11:13 PM
#5
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,366
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6219 Post(s)
Liked 4,220 Times
in
2,367 Posts
I’ve used cable brakes of many different flavors…cantilever, linear, and disc…over more than 40 years of commuting and never had a brake of any kind freeze. Mechanical discs aren’t any more (or less) delicate than those other brakes.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
08-07-23, 12:25 PM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,552
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5224 Post(s)
Liked 3,584 Times
in
2,344 Posts
Anyone experienced problems braking in snowy conditions with mechanical disc brakes? I have a Salsa Fargo with TRP Spyre brakes and was thinking of putting some 2.6-3.0 studded tires for winter riding, but not sure how the brake (cables) will hold up if exposed to snow.
only winter cable issue I ever came across, was the rear derailer, on my commuter. I made the mistake of using a little water to clean the bike, after getting home, then left it outside overnight. by the next morning I couldn't shift. only discovered it, 1/2 mile from home, in the dark. PITA to disassemble it, clean out that little housing loop & put it all back together, roadside, in the dark, in very cold temps
10-09-23, 03:18 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,752
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4392 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
I think it depends on the cable routing on your particular bike.
I have used my Masi for winter riding, with mechanical disks (Avid BB7s). I never had a problem with the cables freezing. BUT, the derailleur cables for the same bike are routed, bare, directly under the bottom bracket. So there have been quite a few times when I lost shifting owing to ice buildup on those cables.
I have used my Masi for winter riding, with mechanical disks (Avid BB7s). I never had a problem with the cables freezing. BUT, the derailleur cables for the same bike are routed, bare, directly under the bottom bracket. So there have been quite a few times when I lost shifting owing to ice buildup on those cables.
