TRP Spyre cable pull?

mr_eddy

Converted my Merlin gravel bike into a flat-bar bike - mainly so I can be more upright when when towing the little one in the trailer round the park and local towpaths.

The bike has standard QR front and back and I upgraded to Clarks M2 hydraulic brakes but alas this aint gonna work - 1st time out the front brake grabbed so much you could see the front wheel flexing (new wheels maybe on the cards at some point)

Anyway 2nd time out the Clarks just dumped all the fluid over the floor both front and back brakes in quick succession - I had not adjusted any of the bolts nor trimmed the cable just fitted and rode - Suggests to me a fault at the point of manufacture.

Anyway not confident now in getting them again - Bear in mind I am towing my 1 year old I need absolute confidence so I am reverting back to the original TRP Spyres pre 'upgrade'

My question is given that (i think) TRP Sypres are designed for use with STI levers with cable pull accordingly does this mean that the Tiagra 4700 flat bar shifters will work?

Thanks

arlowood

I think you mean compatible with the Tiagra brake levers - the shifters on a flat bar are separate mechanically from the brakes.

Should be no problem. I converted a Planet X London Road to flat bar for my grandson a couple of years back. I used the Tiagra brake levers and had already converted the BB5 calipers to TRP Spyres.

Conversion went without a hitch and the Tiagra levers were fine with the TRP Spyres

mr_eddy

Excellent thanks for reply.

MattFalle

Ss an aside, MF is running TRPs on the cx bike with Rival brifters - the braking performance is dintinctly shyyte - dead, no real stopping, pretty poor all round. Massive disappointment.

What do you lot reckon? Change of pads? Or is it just the way they are?

david37

MattFalle said:

Ss an aside, MF is running TRPs on the cx bike with Rival brifters - the braking performance is dintinctly shyyte - dead, no real stopping, pretty poor all round. Massive disappointment.

What do you lot reckon? Change of pads? Or is it just the way they are?

they should work ok, theyre not fantastic but certainly useable, set them up from scratch and make sure to bed them in properly.

my experience is once set up properly the trps work well enough but do need a level of ongoing love. they're needy.

But since its one of you............#douseinpetrolburnandtwatwithhammer

arlowood

Can't say I had any major issues with the TRP Spyres on the PX London Road. The bike was supplied with Avid BB5 cable discs which were not very inspiring. I swapped those for the Spyres within a few weeks and the performance difference was significant.

The Spyres have the advantage that they can be adjusted in 2 ways to get the right feel and bite compared to the BB5's. Firstly you can tweak the actuator lever and clamp the cable in a position that means the brakes bite with minimal movement of the brake lever. Secondly each brake pad is independently adjustable with a 2mm grub screw on each side of the caliper.

With a combination of the above adjustments I was able to get the Spyres to work well.

MattFalle

Grazie! They're set up fine, just very, well, dead. Deeply unsatisfactory when you carry as much speed as a powering MF.

Will have a further play today.

But grazie for the replies - much appreciated.

#pullaskid

mr_eddy

Update - The Tiagra BL-4700 shifters worked a treat, Had to change the internal cam/adjuster to the correct setting for 'road/discs' but decent progressive braking.

I know Hydros are generally held in higher regard and are basically maintenance free but honestly with non-compression housing, Swiss Stop green pads and TRP Sypres I really can't see me ever experimenting again with Hydros on this bike.

Historically the problem with cable discs has always been a constant need to adjust but the TRP's with dual pistons seem to be just as maintenance free as hydros - Ok maybe a new cable ever now and then and slight adjustment of the barrel adjuster after lots of riding but hardly a lot of fiddling - Unlike my BB5's from a few years ago - man alive they need adjusting every 50 miles

Went for a ride the other day through some pretty filthy local trails and bear in mind I am the wrong side of 90KG I was at no point in need of either more power or modulation.

thecycleclinic

This is one post where the poster want to make his brake "worse". Actually I find spyres to be as effective a brake as shimano hydraulic road brakes. MTB brake have more bite.

robinbcp

I've had TRP Spyres on my gravel bike for a while and up until now have been distinctly underwhelmed by their braking power. As a last resort before dumping them and upgrading to hydraulics, I fitted some compression cable housing (TRP branded from CRC but I assume other makes would be just as effective?). The increase in braking power has been very impressive. They're not quite as good as the 105 hydraulics on my road bike but still pretty good.

roger_merriman

thecycleclinic said:

This is one post where the poster want to make his brake "worse". Actually I find spyres to be as effective a brake as shimano hydraulic road brakes. MTB brake have more bite.

On the road they are okay, even got me down wet lake passes such as Honister, but once off road, and particularly once stuff gets soggy they are still fairly poor, better than the Tektro which where single piston.

That and the mud and what not gets into the workings with cable disks, enough that I’ve had to replace Callipers, hence I’m upgrading to hydraulic which at least on the MTB side, are painless wash off dead sheep, replace pads as when, I generally get the shop to do the fluid which is every two years or so.

I hope/assume that the road hydraulic will be similar to MTB in that regard.