[Closed] Mechanical or Hydraulic discs?

I personally was really pleased with a set of BB7 brakes i had on my charge, BUT i'd get hydro if the cost wasn't much more.

I like shimano 105 so i'd get those if i was going to buy a full 11speed groupset.

Yeah I guess the price is about the same..hydro maybe heavier.

+1 for the BB7s on my Pinnacle.

It's not like you'll be wearing pads down so quickly you need the self adjustment of hydros.

Strongly recommend the TRPs. Always had the avids and then got some spyres and wouldn't turn back now. You can adjust both sides and they are shinier 🙂

hydro every time - they feel the same all the time (bloody superb) and cable only feel like slightly better canti's.
Bought Ultegra myself as I preferred the look of them over the 105's don't think there is any performance diff

Feel the same in dry or wet.

Buy hydros

Hydros are fantastic - can single finger brake even in pouring rain.

I wouldn't use anything but if I was going disc.

(have the 105s - they work fantastically and predictably)

Had Hayes mechanical on last CDF. Now have 105 and Ultegra hydraulic ones. No comparison. Whatsoever.

cable discs are really no better than decent rim brakes in the dry

and they work just like that in the wet too. WIN.

I'll prob have hydraulic discs one day but it's behind di2 in my league table

(then again, my "mountain" mtb has BB7s on it so I'm obviously a luddite)

Hydraulics every time if you can afford it, i have Shimano RS685 on Roubaix disc and they are in a different league to the BB7 they replaced, brilliant brakes and did in excess of 9000 miles before they needed bleeding

Hydraulics if you can afford it, I couldn't but found BB7's fine...

Cheers, Steve

Always had the avids and then got some spyres and wouldn't turn back now. You can adjust both sides and they are shinier

BB7 calipers also have an outboard adjuster and they are available in a shiny version.

I've got Spyres on one bike and Rs685s on another. There's no contest - the hydros are brilliant and much, much better. Worth the money IMO.

I bought Spyres for the reasons you've outlined OP. And for that they are fine. Not really any better than rims brakes in the dry, better in the wet though.
They don't work particularly well with Campag levers either, although I've tried some with Shimano levers and they were better (although who wants to use Shimano?!)
Don't really see the need for hydro brakes on a road bike TBH.

My 105 Hydros just work.

I've got the TRP Spyres and changed to Uberbike race matrix pads a few weeks ago. I managed to lock the back wheel up from the hoods on the first ride which had never happened with the original pads. Don't think I'll ever need more to stop me but I'm not the build of the average STWer so others may need more stopping power. 🙂

I'd always poo poo'd the idea of disc's on road or cross bikes but was one of the 1st with Hope V-Twins on the cross bikes as at the time no hydro shifters were available.

Now, having Sram hydro shifters with Hope RX4's on my Cross bikes and having just bought the Mrs a bike with R785 Hydro's, I'd quite happily never ride a bike with a cable actuated brake again, cross or road.

My only problem with that being is last year I bought my forever road bike, a Colnago C60 with DA callipers, maybe I should have bought the disc option!

Hyrdoooooooooooo

Thanks all..seems to be conclusive that hydro is the way to go...

I love my TRP Spyre C's with 5800 levers.

I'd prefer hydraulic, obviously- but it's a lot of extra expense for a bike I view as more 'utility'.

It'll probably go hydraulic if I ever swap the levers though...

Another vote for hydro. I've done 2000 winter miles with some Shimano RS505 (their entry-level model) and I've not had to adjust anything in all of that time. They just work.

Sram force 22 hydro r - fantastic; no downside.

ibnchris - Member
Strongly recommend the TRPs. Always had the avids and then got some spyres and wouldn't turn back now. You can adjust both sides and they are shinier

+1 nailed it, especially the shinier bit. 🙂

Cable brakes are only as good as the cables though - use crap cables and you'll get crap braking even with good callipers.

Hydros for the mechanically incompetent.

Yes, i'm mechanically incompetent 😀 and my engineer dad would turn in his grave at hearing that - if you can't fix it, don't buy it.

TRP spyre is THE mechanical disc brake, that's pretty universally accepted.

But if you can afford it, go hydro, it's better in every way apart from weight.

I have hayes cable discs, they are absolutely fine, been fettled to the max, plenty power, good feel, no faff etc.
Nothing negative to report at all.
BUT . . .
And there is that dreaded word, but.
Hydros are just a bit better in every way, more power, easier to control, easier to set up, better feel.

BB7s here. They give enough power to lock up the wheels on my drop bar commuter cum road bike. Someone at work has the same bike with SRAM hydro's and they are nicer. Did cost him £200 more though and not sure if they're £200 nicer but if price was a close call I'd go hydro, no question. Interestingly I've only had to adjust the BB7s twice in 4,500 miles and the second time was because I gave the bike a complete strip down, clean and rebuild.

I had TRP HY/RDs for a while. Those were nice. Not had full-on hydros though. 🙂