"Cable actuated hydraulic disc brake" - why?

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Dan B

Disengaged member
It would be nice to have disc brakes that (unlike my Avid BB5s) don't require continual fiddling to stay in shape. I started thinking that BB7 might be a nice simple cost-effective upgrade, then I found out about the TRP Spyre which most people seem to think is a better BB7 than the BB7, then I read of the TRP Hy/Rd, which is "hydraulic but attached by a cable". I thought the point of a hydraulic brake was that there was no cable, and thus no friction loss. Are they really worth the extra just for being (apparently) self-adjusting when the pads wear, or is there some other advantage I'm overlooking? Also, any opinions on BB7 vs Spyre? Or Juin Tech R1?

This is for a 2014 Croix de Fer, which is mostly used for commuting (potentially in any weather), but commuting often involves bits of forest/towpath/river bank, so it does quite often get muddy. The rest of the drivetrain is 10 speed Tiagra - I would kind of like one day to replace the levers with something where I can route all the cables under the bar tape, but I don't presently think I can justify spending hundreds on that
 

arch684

Veteran
I was put off buying a giant contend sl 2 disc because it had this type of brake.I just did'ent like the look of them,i bought the sl2 with rim brakes which was £149 cheaper
 
Location
Gatley
I've been using TRP Hy/Rds for a couple of years now. I test rode a number of bikes when buying my current bike (Whyte RD-7) most of which had cable operated disk brakes.

Obviously I was test riding the bikes in the dry and my feelings were that the cable operated discs were good but not massively better than a well set-up modern rim brake in the dry. However, as soon as I test rode the Hy/Rds I was sold, it was a totally different feel - the initial press of the brake lever is very similar, but I could increase the pressure by a relatively small amount to get a lot more stopping force than I could with a similar force on a cable operated brake.

In the end I ended up with the Whyte Dorset which has Promax Renders (they'd sold out of my size in the model that had HyRds) - but I was so underwhelmed with the performance that when I spotted a second hand HyRd cheap secondhand I swapped the front caliper for it and then when the adjuster failed on the other Render I replaced that too...

So I'm very happy with them and as I do thousands of km a year in all weathers I'd definitely spend the extra to get either HyRds or 'real' hydraulics.

One thing I would note is that the return mechanism on the HyRd is pathetic and the Whyte has a cable run with the outer going continuously from the brake lever to the rear caliper; so I've had to go with very sealed cables (Jagwire Pro Road XL) to make sure the brake lever returns nicely.
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
I had BB5s on my Hase Kettwiesel, they were dire, both in braking capacity and their inability to stay in adjustment for even a 20 mile ride. I swapped them for BB7s and the difference was like night and day.

Better braking, staying in correct adjustment for year after year, there's nothing bad about BB7s.
 
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Got BB7s on my commuter, perfectly functional. Why spend more?

I had to tinker with them for a few rides, but that was due to my own incompetent fitting. They are supremely easy to adjust, it's possible to do them by just reaching down, while seated waiting at the lights.
 

smutchin

Cat 6 Racer
Location
The Red Enclave
I like Spyres. The main advantage over most other cable disc brakes is that they're a dual piston design, so when you pull the lever, both pads move (BB7s are single piston, with one moving pad and one static).

I also like the Hy/Rd, but I'm not convinced there's any real benefit to using them over the Spyres. I've not actually used the Juin Tech R1, but aesthetically, they're lovely.
 

HorTs

Über Member
Location
Portsmouth
I've used HyRd and they are good. The biggest pro for me is they don't need adjusting like solely mechanical setups. The hydraulic pistons self adjust.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I've used HyRd and they are good. The biggest pro for me is they don't need adjusting like solely mechanical setups. The hydraulic pistons self adjust.
I replaced the crappy Promax Render R on the front of my CAADX with a HyRd. It works effectively, but needs a disconcertingly long pull on the brake lever - At full braking the lever is only a mm or two from the bar tape.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
We had a cable-actuated hydraulic disk brake on our second tandem when we bought it (second-hand). Frankly it was a bit of a nightmare - it always felt as if it needed adjusting, but the instructions might as well have been in Sanskrit for all the help they were. When we took it to be serviced a few years ago JD Tandems recommended replacing it with an entirely mechanical setup, which is intuitive to adjust (as long as I remember which cable is which and don't adjust the rear mech by mistake...). It has the added advantage that a purely-cable setup can have a very simple cable separator put in so that taking the front end off the bike is a 30-second job and putting it back together takes a couple of minutes.

I think it's this one, with two moving calipers, but with a 10" disk replacing the standard 8" model. But then it does have to stop two riders, at least one of whom is not as light as he once was.
 

SpokeyDokey

67, & my GP says I will officially be old at 70!
Moderator
I was put off buying a giant contend sl 2 disc because it had this type of brake.I just did'ent like the look of them,i bought the sl2 with rim brakes which was £149 cheaper

Time will tell with the Giant in-house system. I found it off-putting* when researching a new bike. I notice that more of their disc braked 2018 offerings have the hybrid system - some a fair way up the range.

Maybe Giant have shot themselves in the foot?

* Bias without justification really - they may well be great.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
I'm using Rever MCX1 mechanical discs on mine at the moment, dual caliper design so both pads move. Works fine, plenty of stopping power, but I do wish I had the automatic adjustment of a hydraulic system, I have to adjust the cables every week almost.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
I have some Spyres on the CX they are the best cable discs I have used, I have had Promax, BB5 and BB7 in both road and MTB, the MTB BB7's were far better than the road ones and as good as hydraulic IMO, could be the levers that made the difference, I have Shimano Hydraulics on the MTB which are very good, but get more rub than cable ones.
 
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