Upgrading disc brakes

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Dudge60

Well-Known Member
I have a Cannondale synapse road bike with mechanical disc brakes. I am thinking of upgrading the brakes by installing TRP HY/RD hydrolic system. Has anyone done this upgrade and was it worth the expense. Thanks
 

mrandmrspoves

Middle aged bald git.
Location
Narfuk
What do you hope to achieve by the upgrade? Mechanical discs vary from not very good unbranded makes up to Avid BB7 which are pretty fine brakes with little disadvantage compared with hydraulics. Likewise some hydraulic brakes are not actually all that good.....
Personally I would spend on upgrading to BB7's but would be reluctant to spend the extra on a set of hydraulics.
 

jowwy

Can't spell, Can't Punctuate....Sue Me
I have a Cannondale synapse road bike with mechanical disc brakes. I am thinking of upgrading the brakes by installing TRP HY/RD hydrolic system. Has anyone done this upgrade and was it worth the expense. Thanks
The promax renders on those bikes are truelly rubbish, i upgraded mine immediately to trp spyre mechanicals and they are now outstanding. I have them on my synapse and on my new Ti
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I would do it because I love the mechanical elegance of a hydraulic system. That's all.
 

Andrew Br

Still part of the team !
I changed from BB7s to TRP Hylex hydraulic discs. Up to then I'd used BB7s for 5+ years and I'd been happy with them until I stated commuting on the bike, I found that I was having to adjust the brakes very frequently.
The hydraulics are sensational, a huge step forward. Braking is improved and there's been no need to adjust anything.
I should add that this bike has a hub gear so i didn't need STI type shifters.

I was so impressed with the new hydros that I've swopped from BB7s on my "road" bike to hydraulics courtesy of a Hope V twin set up.
Initially it was a little underwhelming but the performance has improved hugely now that the pads are bedded in,
The V twin has meant that I can keep my lovely Chorus 11 shifters; I'm not a fan of Shimano levers although I like the rest of their drive train.

My worry with the TRP HY/RD system is that they still have long cables to operate the pistons so some of the feel may be lost.

I've been so underwhelmed by the performance of the TRP Spyres on my other "road" bike that I'm wondering what to do about it.
Getting another V twin is the cheap less expensive option. The alternative involves swopping components around between bikes, selling a frame and then buying a new bike ..........
 

boydj

Legendary Member
Location
Paisley
I have the HY/RDs on a Croix de Fer that I built last year. They are fit and forget as far as adjustment goes - just keep an eye on wear. There is a lot of travel on the lever - I think this is due to the angle of the cable connection at the caliper. However, the braking is excellent with plenty of feel. The only other problem is that my front brake is quite noisy at times, while the rear is always quiet.
 
Top Bottom