Used hydraulic shifters and calipers what parts do I need?

carl_p

On my bike I have Ultegra 6800 with TRP Spyre mechanical disk brakes. After a lot of fettling I'm still not impressed with stopping power if I'm honest; they not even as good as rim brakes.
I'm thinking of upgrading to used Shimano RS505 or Ultegra RS685. Buying used doesn't bother me as it's the only way for me to afford decent kit, but I'm a bit of a novice with disk brakes. Other than the obvious shifters and calipers what additional parts do I also need? I'll probably have a go at fitting them myself but should I resort to my LBS I'd like to present them with the right bits!

me-109

Hydraulic hoses of sufficient length. A lot of used shifters (not so much calipers) come with the hose installed, but if it is off a shorter frame or lower setup you may not have enough length on them.

Gear cable inners and outers of course should be replaced to suit.

joe_totale-2

You'll need to get a rebleed kit from someone like Epic Bleed solutions as the system will likely need a full rebleed.

There's lots of helpful YouTube videos around showing you how to do it.

New olives and barbs will also be needed but they're cheap.

Bartape if the old stuff isn't reusable.

ed1973

If you are having to swap out hydraulic hoses, you’ll need some decent cable cutters to get a nice clean cut. And also the cable holding blocks if you are having to insert a new barb in the hose (but the blocks might come in the bleed kit). Make sure you watch a few videos on YouTube so you know what to do and don’t be put off if it’s a very messy affair the first time. Just don’t have your disks and pads anywhere near you when you do it, oh and clean everything really well afterwards.

mrb123

Be prepared to spend plenty of money - the hydro shifters seem to be in short supply and even second hand ones are going for silly money on Ebay.

carl_p

Thanks for the replies so far. Is the process for squeezing through new brake fluid in a new install the same as bleeding out old fluid? I'm thinking that I just need to squeeze the fluid through until there is a fair amount in the reservoir/funnel and the excess fluid can be re-used another time? Assuming of course that I'm using new hydraulic hose.

wongataa

carl_p said:

Thanks for the replies so far. Is the process for squeezing through new brake fluid in a new install the same as bleeding out old fluid?

Yes. Download the installation instructions from Shimano for full details.

mr_eddy

For what its worth I also have TRP Spyres and with the stock cable outers and pads the braking is pants - I could literally pull the lever as hard as poss and still be rolling after 100m! I swapped to a Jag wire pro cabling kit (about £20) and a set of swiss stop greens and power is massively improved as is modulation. Even loaded up with 2 full panniers plus my 95kg I can still stop quickly.

Might be worth considering before going for a hydro setup. It will save you a load of cash and with those mods I would wager that you will get a very good brake setup.

Not sure why TRP don't insist on manufacturers using decent housing (non-compression) in the 1st place but there you go.

pilot_pete

Check the compatibility chart for what will work with what. Page 23 onwards https://productinfo.shimano.com/download/pdf/com/2.6/en