So, how many people have actually got Spyres and how are you finding them? They certainly look a lot more svelte than BB7s but in the initial pre-production phase I read reviews ranging from them being great to be a bit underpowered.

And HYRDs? I’m not convinced by the idea since it seems the benefit of hydro (for me at least) is in the hose (eg removing cables) but would be interested to hear real world experiences.

I’ve got HyRd’s on my Whyte CX bike (replacing BB7’s), better feel and a bit more power if needed, the lever travel is quite long but overall I’m pleased I switched.

I’m running Spyres at the moment and I was hoping for much more. Been mucking around with new pads and rotors after the initial ‘mheh’ feeling. I personally don’t think they’re much better than my old mini-vees with Swissstop pads.

The benefits will less rim wear and hopefully better performance in the wet, though it’s tricky to compare them against my old cx bike. Deffo underpowered compared to the hardtail but that is rocking a larger front rotor and hydros.

Certainly low-profile to the extent I didn’t need to modify the mudguard stays to get round them.

I’m tempted with a hy/rd to see if that really makes the supposed difference.

Posh Spyres for me on the roadbike, they do this job adequately and to be honest I wouldn’t want much more power. Seem well made but time will tell if they have bb7 reliability.

Normal Spyres for me on a Tripster.
Very nice with Ultegra STI’s.
Much less faff to set up than Avids.
Much nicer in use IMHO.

Normal Spyres. Not ridden yet. I have gone with compression-free la-dee-da outers, though.

In what way “nicer”, Tim?

Normal Spyres for me, just gone on and first outing yesterday on the commute. Too early to tell but they feel OK, pads need to bed in a bit more hopefully as there’s not much bite there yet. All in all should be ample for commuting duties though, which is what I got them for (replacing totally overkill Hope V-Twins).

Very easy to fit and set up, I’m using them with Versa brifters. These are the first cable disc brakes I’ve used though so I’ve nothing to compare to, I’ve only ever had hydro discs on MTB and various rim brakes on MTB/road.

Ultegra sti/hyrds combi since June. Very nice (modulation, power)but the crap weather I need some sintered pads. Suffered a bit early on with cable stretch but seems to fine now.

Being an ex mechanic they were much “nicer” to set up :O) I HATE Avid brakes be it hydros or cables. The Giant Revolt uses BB5’s with Claris STI’s and suck to set up. The suicide levers make the BB5’s feel great but it’s near impossible to get them to feel sharp and tight on the STI levers at the same time. Too much cable pull with an interupted cable run IMHO. Giant supply Jagwire inline cable tensioners but it didn’t make a great deal of difference.
The Spyres are svelte, they work well from new, get better once bedded in and so far have been faff free. (oh and from a design side they just make sense to me having both piston moving rather than having a slave)
My Tripster is a commuter/evening night ride bike. It’s always dirty but it’s set up to work and these brakes just work for me. I’m using less lever to slow down and it feels controlled. Not had to do an emergency stop yet but I’m more than comfortable with the performance for how I use them.
Might be worth getting some feedback from a CX/MTB user as well though as I’m not abusing them 😆

Thanks Tim, really useful. Any CXers?

On the cx I can get plenty of power on the hoods, which is great for quick scrubbing of speed in mud/wet.

HyRd up front on my Pro6 to replace an aging BB7. Power is grand now they are bedded in. Not noticeably more powerful than the BB7, but I haven’t noticed them which I think is a good compliment for bike parts.

I found that in really muddy CX races the BB7 pads would wear down too quickly and the lever would go to the bars (only happened once or twice). One muddy race this year had the rear lever (still attached to a BB7) going noticeably closer to the bars, and I still had plenty of power up front.

Only a few races on them, but seem good so far.

As above, lever travel is fairly long, but feels fine when braking from the hoods (as I normally do).

Edit:- another advantage of the HyRd is that you don’t need an inline adjuster as I had on the BB7. One continuous cable is a benefit IMHO.

Finally getting round to installing mine tonight. Just wondering, does this look right? Cable looks a bit close to the rotor. Can’t see any other way of doing it though, so assume it’s ok.

Cable tail is too long. 20mm maybe is nice

should that qr lever be on the otherside?

Cable tail is too long. 20mm maybe is nice

Agreed. It’s going to be trimmed down, but just wanted to check nothing else was amiss first.

should that qr lever be on the otherside?

Nah, it’s reet.

Think I had one of the very first sets of Spyres to land in the UK and put them straight on my Tripster ATR. I’d run BB5s on my old Tripster for a lot of miles and whilst they did the job, they’re chalk and cheese in comparison.

The Spyres are a doddle to set up and install. Running mine with Ultegra 6700 STI levers and the TRP 160mm rotors.

In use – and I’ve put over 1200 miles on them – they’ve been very good. Quiet, no rub, lots of feel and reliable. The pads (the originals still on the rear) are wearing a bit, as you’d expect and when they do, a nip of tension helps. I think because they’re so easy to live with, there’s proportionally less fettling, so I’ve probably let mine drift out a bit; they’ll get a look at at the weekend. I’m 13.5 stone kitted up and have done light touring / loaded commuting and been really very pleased.

HTH.

Been using normal Spyres for a couple of months having replaced the BB7s before.

Would echo that they are easier to set up, are better in really muddy CX races and they do look a lot nicer than the BB7.

There isn’t anything in the power compared to BB7s and they are about right for road/CX use. Just changed the pads to sintered which I have read gives them a bit more bite than the semis sintered that are fitted stock.

The only issue I have had is I managed to bend one of the barrel adjusters and it is impossible to get spares. However, it was easy enough to get an adjuster to fit.

Regards

I should add, I got mine direct from Taiwan, as at the time no-one in the UK had stock, and Upgrade had been showing quite long, and prone to moving, lead times. Ended up at £107 all in for 2 sets. Although the first delivery got eaten by a Kraken, or lost, but the seller sent out another set via EMS and they got to me in 4 days.

With the standard spyres, are they 160 front and back or is it 140 when fitted to the back?

If anyone wants a 140 trp rotor, I’ve got a spare one.

Has anyone got one fitted to the back of a Pompetamine? I was just wondering if there’s room for the arm under the seatstay, since it’s already tight with my current BB5?

Being an ex mechanic they were much “nicer” to set up :O) I HATE Avid brakes be it hydros or cables. The Giant Revolt uses BB5’s with Claris STI’s and suck to set up. The suicide levers make the BB5’s feel great but it’s near impossible to get them to feel sharp and tight on the STI levers at the same time.

Is that not more the fault of having suicide levers rather than inherently the BB5’5…? Always found Avid cable discs supremely easy to set up.

With the standard spyres, are they 160 front and back or is it 140 when fitted to the back?

-140mm versions include our L2 (140R/160F) IS to PM adapter

-160mm versions include both L2 and L3 (160R/180F) IS to PM adapters

– http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1199&catid=206

Are there any differences in squealing from the BB7 ?

My BB7s only squeal initially when wet and then only for 2 or 3 applications, just wondered if the normal spyres were any different/better.

I found that in really muddy CX races the BB7 pads would wear down too quickly and the lever would go to the bars

If only there was a speed-dial type road lever, like for the mtb version – with the sd levers you can run a bigger gap betwen poad to rotor and still have decent one-fingered braking, so less problems with mud.

should that qr lever be on the otherside?

Only if you don’t like burning/cutting yourself on a hot/sharp disc. 😆

But isn’t there also something about the disc loosening the QR on that side.

My Hope QRs were always coming undone on that side on the mtb.

I have never really paid attention to QR placement, but think I have always had them both on the non-driveside.

Shimano actually give a warning against fitting the front QR on the disc side, I very much doubt that they would if it was likely to come undone.

would the spyres be ok for a mtb, my gryphon, in place of the bb7s. did wonder about the hyrds but thought they might be a bit delicate for mtb use – with fluid res being close to rocks etc.

Did your lost pair of Spyre’s ever show up Jamie? Looks like you’re nearly ready to tackle the mighty Green Wheel 🙂

would the spyres be ok for a mtb, my gryphon, in place of the bb7s.

I suspect the lever ratio would be wrong, they’re designed to work with road levers. (There a road and MTB BB7’s).

I have run BB7s for 10 years on my commuter. They are good brakes, but I found the single piston design needed a fair bit of fiddling to set up properly, and you have to keep them adjusted fairly regularly or they get slack. In my experience, they don’t stand up to winter conditions very well, corrode badly, and the adjusters tend to seize up.

I have just switched to the Hy-rd brakes instead. I’ve only run them for a few weeks, but they were easier to set up, no disc noise, and the braking is better than my BB7s, so I’m happy so far. Bit of squeal on the front, so I think I need to check the alignment. The self adjustment of the hydraulics is the big advantage for me on the commuter. Because the are lower profile than BB7s, I was able to fit my mudguards and rack with no spacers or bending.
A proper winter will be the real test, however.

road levers (105 sti) on my gryphon.

140mm didn’t work in the rear of the Tripster. The caliper caught the mount so no side to side adjustment.
Go 160mm front and rear IMHO.

The BB7’s on Jones demo’s I’ve played with haven’t been great. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t like them. The suicide lever probably didn’t help but thats the way Giant spec them.

Too many bad experiences with Avid hydros on Giant bikes as well. Avid sent a memo round saying they were “the best out of box performance” in a disc brake. The next paragraph went on to describe how to set them up and pre-bleed them. Best out of box my bum!

We had a bike in with James brakes on, we were underwhelmed and I am glad I replaced my seized BB7 with another. Quality and lever feel didn’t seem as good, but that’s only showroom/test ride stuff.

Did your lost pair of Spyre’s ever show up Jamie?

Taiwan eventually pulled it’s finger out.

Looks like you’re nearly ready to tackle the mighty Green Wheel

Y’know. I have never done it.

Hi,
Just reviving this thread.
Managed to get old of a Giant TCX with some Tektro Spyre’s.
Just a small question on adjustment.
The dials with the 3mm Allen adjustments.
Now the outside adjustments seem to go in and out.
The inside dials on both brakes seem to be locked in position not moving in or out.
What’s wrong?
Need stripping out or something missing?
Thanx,
Max

They need a bit of welly to get them moving, or at least mine always did.

….I am not responsible for any damage you might cause applying said welly.