TRP Spyre C - upgrade housing or move to Shimano BR-RS785

lukasamdvLJ27cA7

Hello,
I use TRP Spyre C with Ultegra 6800 shifters, Avid GS2 rotors, TRP pads and standard, non-compressionless housing.
They are ok, very comfortable because I have two wheelsets (one for road, one for gravel) but I can use full braking power only on drops - force is small when I have hands on shifters. 
I used Avids BB7 before and they were awful in maintenance, but force was a little better.

Now I can move to ST-RS685 shifters and BR-RS785 hydro brakes, then can sold 6800 shifters na Spyres... sbould be very ok price but... It big change.
Will it better, or I should try compressionless housing with Spyres and/or also TRP rotors?
I'm very sceptic to hydros because of more difficult maintenance. 

keef66

If it were my bike I'd go for the Shimano hydraulics. No more difficult to maintain than any other braking system once you've read the instructions. I've always thought cable operated discs were neither one thing nor the other, lacking the simplicity of rim brakes and the power of hydraulics.

lostboysaint

keef66 wrote:

If it were my bike I'd go for the Shimano hydraulics. No more difficult to maintain than any other braking system once you've read the instructions. I've always thought cable operated discs were neither one thing nor the other, lacking the simplicity of rim brakes and the power of hydraulics.

Wot he said!

donboogie

I was in the same position a couple of years ago with my TCX. The stock TRP Spyre setup was terrible. I opted to save some cash and upgrade the cable housing (Yokozuna Reaction), pads (SwissStop 15) and rotors (Ultegra I think). This made a massive difference to braking performance. Given the difference in cost between trying to upgrade the housing/pads/rotors versus changing the shifters/brakes, I thought it made the most sense to try the upgrade, and I was very happy with it (since sold the bike).

kajjal

Once properly setup decent hydraulic disc brakes like the BR-RS785 are pretty much fit and forget until it is time to change the pads or they become contaminated with oil or similar. I have them on my road bike and they work very well wet or dry, on or off road.

Just take your time with the install and after a little tweaking you will be fine. The key thing is don't get any air in, don't get oil on the pads or rotors and if you put too much brake fluid in the gap between the pads and rotors can be too small.

lukasamdvLJ27cA7

What about BR-RS785 braking force?

kajjal

lukasamd wrote:

What about BR-RS785 braking force?

They are based on the M785 mountain bike brakes (XT) which are very good with alot of power and feel. They will have several times the power of rim brakes and be more consistent in their braking as well.

Poppa Wheelie

If money is no object then go hydraulic.

If money matters then you could still go hydraulic for £120 using your existing shifters together with this https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/conduct-hydraulic-disc-brake-upgrade-kit.

You’ll need to check the bolt pitching of your stem is compatible. Worst case is that you’ll need a Giant stem, otherwise the upgrade kit will contain everything you need.

Note - there are two versions, direct mount & post mount. My Giant dealer fitted the kit for just £25 which I thought was an utter bargain. I’d have expected to pay that just to bleed a brake.

Whilst some may criticise the conduct brake system for its looks, it works far better than the Spyres ever will.

lukasamdvLJ27cA7

I decided to move to hydraulic, becuase had a good option to upgrade (to ST-RS685 shifters and BR-RS785 brakes). Also replaced rotors to new XT RT81 160 mm (my CX bike has 160 mm without any adapter).

First ride and... I'm really disappointed. In comparsion to TRP Spyre-C:

- Modulation is great, great, fantastic! It's much improvement
- Breaking power is... the same, or maybe a litte weaker? Don't know why...

I didn't mount new brakes and shifters, becuase don't like hydros and don't have all required tools. I ordered this to trusted bike service and everything is ok, but power in "top grip" is mediocre (on down is great). I'm also not heavy rider (about 72 kg) so... it's strange.
Maybe becuase of pads? I use J02A Resin with radiator from BOX.

luv2ride

I've got both, the Spyres and the Shimano hydros. Incomparable IME, my Spyres (especially the rear) have never been great, probably down to non-compressionless outers. Tempted to replace them with Juin Tech brakes, with the cable actuated hydraulics to see if they'd be any better, as that'd just entail a simple caliper change. I'd go hydro every time now if i had the chance.

kajjal

lukasamd wrote:

I decided to move to hydraulic, becuase had a good option to upgrade (to ST-RS685 shifters and BR-RS785 brakes). Also replaced rotors to new XT RT81 160 mm (my CX bike has 160 mm without any adapter).

First ride and... I'm really disappointed. In comparsion to TRP Spyre-C:

- Modulation is great, great, fantastic! It's much improvement
- Breaking power is... the same, or maybe a litte weaker? Don't know why...

I didn't mount new brakes and shifters, becuase don't like hydros and don't have all required tools. I ordered this to trusted bike service and everything is ok, but power in "top grip" is mediocre (on down is great). I'm also not heavy rider (about 72 kg) so... it's strange.
Maybe becuase of pads? I use J02A Resin with radiator from BOX.

What I would try is to find a very long preferably steep downhill and drag the brakes all the way down. Also try building up speed and pulling the brakes on hard, without skidding a few times. That should improve the braking no end.

If there is any oil or similar on the pads or rotors this contamination will noticeably reduce the effectiveness of disc brakes and a squealing noise with vibration when braking is normally a tell tale sign rather than the normal metalic grinding noise with no squealing.

joey54321

Yup, it takes a bit of time to bed in disc brake pads/discs. Some accelerations and hard braking and some descending should do it. The idea is to get the discs HOT so it needs to be as forceful braking as you can.

hd264

I have actually just done the same and upgraded from TRP Spyre to Shimano ST-RS685 /BR-RS785.

I've not had the same problem with braking power...In fact the hydraulic setup is night and day better than the mechanical discs in terms of both absolute power and modulation. The best thing is actually the reduced amount of grip strength needed...really useful for avoiding hand fatigue when going down long descents, especially on the hoods.

I actually fitted it all myself, which I must admit was an absolute nightmare given my limited bike maintenance skills. The highlights included bleeding the brakes and threading the cables through the internally routed frame! Just out of interest, how much did you pay to have it set up "professionally"?

I don't think your lack of power from the hoods is due to a lack of bedding in because mine was perfect on the first ride. It did squeal a bit on the first few uses but then settled down and I never notices an issue with braking power. If however, the "professionals" who set it up got oil on the pads then I guess that could be a cause, which should get better with use. Also, perhaps it could be due to the brakes not having been bled properly? Do the levers feel spongy?

lukasamdvLJ27cA7

I'm not from USA, but onverting cost... it was something $30 - replace old shifters, mount new, bleeding, derailleurs adjustment and wrapping.

After 2-3 weeks I can say the same - hydros are much, much better. It was good choice and thank you to everyone who recommended it