I’m really not enjoying BB7’s, they’re a PITA to keep running without rubbing or random squeaking.

Will the Spyre’s be easier to live with/generally be better?

or should I bite the bullet at get the TRP HY-RD’s? Assuming these are genuine….

Its the purpose of disc brakes to rub and make random noises.
This is not unique to BB7’s.

OP, I find the spyres are pretty good for that… but mine do squeal quite a lot in the wet.

If they’re rubbing when you’re just rolling along then they’re set up wrong: neither BB7s nor Spyres should rub (unless there’s mud all over them of course).

Personally I’ve never had either of them squeal and I find them equally easy to live with. The Spyres have a very slight edge in that pad wear can be adjusted with one barrel rather than two knobs, but it’s not a significant difference. Performance is similar IME.

Have you been really methodical about the setup? If you know the right way to do it it’s pretty quick and straightforward to end up with a good setup (as long as your rotors are straight), but if you don’t then you can probably make a dog’s breakfast of it fairly easily.

If you’ve done everything to script then maybe try a different pad compound to sort out the noises (depending on what noises you’re suffering from).

Doesn’t answer your question, but I found this the best way to set up my BB7s, and don’t have any issues now.
http://howtosetuptheavidbb7.weebly.com/how-to-set-up-the-avid-bb7.html

I like mine and they’re a doddle to set up, they also look nicer than BB7’s

Put hybrid hydros on to replace BB7s. Acor/Juin Tech. Amazing! Not quite RS785 but not far off.

I really would just save for some non-series shimano hydros. HyRyds are a pain and quite unreliable in my experience.

Spyres are easier to get set up well because , unlike the Avids , both pads move when you pull the lever and the brake is easier to get centred because each pad can be adjusted individually . I also think that they are better looking than Avids . The downside for me is that they aren’t very good performance wise , at least the set that I’ve got aren’t .

Can’t give you comparison but would recommend trying again with the bb7s before splashing out on new brakes. bb7s on my CX are generally better setup (pad/rotor contact wise) than all my other (mtb, hydro) brakes. I use cheapy sintered pads, can squeal when damp or when they get hot on long descents otherwise not too bad. Power with 160mm rotors seems plenty for 35c tyres to cope with. shimano road stis with road callipers, ymmv with mtb setups

I think official instructions say rotor should be further away from static pad than the moving one, I do the opposite, set as close to static as I can without contact then dial up the moving pad for pad contact/feel. Make sure the cable is setup on the cam arm close to how it shows in instructions but tbh while I’m careful when I fit a new cable, after that pretty much all adjustment is done with the dials, I don’t tighten the cable after original setup. A click or two on the dials after a couple weeks commuting, or a particularly abrasive ride, keeps them in check.

I’ve had the Spyres for a couple of years. They’re probably the best of the mechanicals but they’re far from great.

I definitely wouldn’t swap from BB7s. They suffer from the same problem – great to begin with but degrade pretty quick. The extra adjustment is useful but the flip side is they’re fiddlier to set up well IMO.

I really wish I’d sucked up the extra and got the shimano hydros at the time. It’s too pricey now to swap levers as well. Sigh.

Marked, this thread is in my interests!

Swapped my bb7s for spyres, very happy I did. Bb7s ate pads in winter commuting conditions, spyres feel much nicer and easier to keep running well. Full hydro would be better still but not worth the extra cost for me as I picked up the spyres for £80 the pair.

IME Spyres are very squeally with stock rotors. A bit better, but still noisy since I swapped the rotors for Shimano. Generally work well, but probably not enough to justify swapping out BB7s.

Haven’t had a squeak out of either the stock rotors or Shimano Icetechs… YMMV, clearly 🙂

TBH it seems that with any brake you can find someone for whom they’re silent and someone for whom they squeal like stuck pigs.

IME Spyres are very squeally with stock rotors. A bit better, but still noisy since I swapped the rotors for Shimano.

I found exactly the same! I also swapped the stock pads for fancy Swissstop ones, to no avail.

Thanks, interesting comments/feedback!!

Okay 1 more go using the link dougal365 posted:

Setting up the pad distance is very important and will go a long way to getting the right feel. I went through many different suggestions on forums as to how to set up the pad distance, but eventually I stumbled upon this method, which I have to say is by far the best.

Firstly you need to make sure that the caliper is centred. To do this loosen off the caliper bolts enough so that the caliper can move about. Loosen off the cable bolt too and make sure that the cable tension adjustment on the brake lever is all the way in.

According to the Avid instructions there should be approximately twice as much gap from the inside pad to the rotor on the as there should be on the outer pad. However in practice this doesn’t always give the best performance.

Use the pad adjustment knobs to back out the pads all the way. Now turn the inner pad adjuster all the way in as far as it will go (though don’t force it). Then back out again by 10 clicks.

Now turn the outer adjuster in until the caliper is locked against the brake disc. Tighten the caliper mounting bolts. The caliper will now be centred properly. If you have Avid Speed Dial levers you should now adjust the brake lever reach (always do this BEFORE you tighten the cable pinch bolt on the caliper). Now pull the cable tight and secure it with the cable pinch bolt. Now back out both the pad adjustment knobs all the way.

Pull on the brake lever to make sure that there is no slack. There should be no play at all in the lever. As soon as you start to pull there should be movement on the caliper arm. If there is play then you will need to pull the cable through a bit more and re-tighten it. You shouldn’t need to use the tension adjustment on the lever itself.

Now turn the inner pad adjuster inwards 4 clicks and pull the lever a couple of times and spin the wheel. Keep repeating this until you can hear rubbing on the disc. Now back out the adjuster one click at a time until no rubbing can be heard. Then back out by another two clicks for clearance (though some people prefer to leave only one click distance).

Now repeat those steps for the outside pad adjuster.

^ that’s the way. Run bb7 on all my MTBs and have run them in the Alps. They just work.

Edit: you have to make sure the outer ends are square, and don’t, for the love of God, use plastic end caps.

Other point worth noting – for any mechanical disc on a drop bar bike how well you route and secure the cable is critical to getting a good feel. TRP recommend running a metal tube round the inside radius of the bar and it does help a lot. I’m not sure how your BB7s are set up but they will also suffer from the same problem.

I’m using jagwire pro cables, they have a reinforced section for the bars:

Had BB7s on my winter bike and Spyres on my wife’s bike. Hated BB7s, the spyres were OK but still needed a bit of faff.

Both have been replaced with hy-rd or shimano hydraulics. Have run the hy-rds for 2 years with almost zero upkeep. Maybe a set of pads and a bit of a clean/lube of the pistons but nothing like the aeons spent getting the bb7s not to feel crap. I even followed the advice above and just came to the conclusion that my BB7s were haunted or something.

I like BB7s – even got them on my “mountain” mtb (took XTs off and swapped over)

I set up mostly like that link up there – I set the inner pad far enough out to have the rotor a decent way closer to the outer side of the slot (maybe 2/3 or so)

I first do it all up roughly and pull on the brake a few times just to be sure the new outers are all nicely compressed & bedded in, then do it properly

I’m careful when I fit a new cable, after that pretty much all adjustment is done with the dials, I don’t tighten the cable after original setup

Agree – don’t use the adjuster at the lever to adjust the brake after the initial setup (where you do use it just to make sure the actuator starts to move as soon as you start to pull the brake lever). If you do it pulls the actuator into its travel even before you touch the levers and it risks using up all your available actuator travel before the pads make proper contact.