I bought a Genesis CdF 10 a few months ago and it came with TRP Spyre brakes. I was particularly pleased with this as I’d heard they were good and they look very neat, both cosmetically and mechanically.
But they always felt wooden and lacking power, and I was left feeling rather disappointed by them.
A colleague had some Avid BB7 roads up for grabs so today I went to fit them. I took off the TRP calliper and offered the Avid up, but it was MAHOOSIVE and interfered with my mudguards (Fnaar Fnaar…) so I decided to put the TRP back on and swap the pads for some new Shimano ones I had hanging up, hoping this might make a difference. As I put the calliper back on I noticed something odd:

This is the rear calliper, but the front was the same. Can you spot the issue I saw?
[url=https://flic.kr/p/rcPRTy]
TRP Spyre[/url] by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

Thats right. The cable is entering the calliper above the bolt, not below it. I didn’t know if this was right, but it looked odd, so I investigated. Again, this is the rear calliper, and it was set like this out of the box, (I know because I built it myself) and if you look closely at the paint, the cable has never[/u] been secured below the bolt
[url=https://flic.kr/p/qi7k7f]
TRP Spyre[/url] by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

And if you look at the washer under the bolt, it’s plain the cable should run below the bolt as that’s where the serrations are
[url=https://flic.kr/p/reYQnx]
TRP Spyre[/url] by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

So, (Front calliper now) the cable should be routed like this:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/reYCYa]
TRP Spyre[/url] by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

Now, on test, this makes a fair difference. There’s less leverage but more travel at the lever, so they feel less wooden but still quite firm, and there’s definitely more power (Stock pads, not the Shimanos I’ve got) Quite a bit better…. No surprise really!
So yeah, fair cop, I built it, maybe I should have noticed…. But you’re not looking for tiny details like that when you build a bike, even your own. And I’m picky when I build my own bikes up: e.g. I strip and regrease hubs from new, all sorts of stuff.
And if you look at the average mechanical disc, all you generally do is loosen the bolt and trap the cable under it, there’s no need to thread it through anywhere, so it’s a natural reaction I suppose.

Hey ho. All fixed. Just a heads up: Worth checking for if you’ve got TRP Spyres. 🙂

So yeah, fair cop, I built it, maybe I should have noticed…. But you’re not looking for tiny details like that when you build a bike, even your own.

Don’t you go tarring the rest of us with your tardy brush!

it’s really quite incredibly obvious just by looking at the caliper where the cable should go

Don’t you go tarring the rest of us with your tardy brush!

Hear hear

🙂

it’s really quite incredibly obvious just by looking at the caliper where the cable should go

Indeed it is. Why it wasn’t assembled correctly at the factory is quite odd. I’m gonna check another one or two when I get back to work tomorrow.

The stock pads on my spyres seemed quite good until exposed to mud, when the disappeared quickly.

I now have RWD sintererd pads and I am very impressed with them – the only time they (slightly) squeal is just after being dunked with muddy water, which is a lot better than any other sintered I have tried.

Oh, and it must be great to be perfect like you lot… 😉

It’s hard,but we manage 😛

I’ve got these spyres fitted to my brothers alloy tripster, cable in the groove for me when I built it I’m afraid Peter…. 😀

Two things: the standard pads are made of soft cheese. And compression less housing makes a significant difference with Spyres. And it helps if the cables are clamped correctly 😉

TurnerGuy – Member
The stock pads on my spyres seemed quite good until exposed to mud, when the disappeared quickly.

They do mention that in the instructions – the pads are not suited for offroad. Easy fix though.

I have never liked the way cables are secured on mechanical disk callipers and my Spyres are no better. The cable should be secured in swivels for a far better action and to minimise the risk of fatigue. The current system means there is always a bit of curve in the cable, which has to be flattened by tension before the brake can actually work.

If a manufacturer was to do that and combine it with a similar design of lever, then all that would be needed would be an incompressible outer, and there would be no need for hydraulic brakes.

I’ve got these spyres fitted to my brothers alloy tripster, cable in the groove for me when I built it I’m afraid Peter….

Did that come as a complete bike? (I’m guessing not)

Oh, and it must be great to be perfect like you lot…

yes, but aren’t you the trained one 🙂

yes, but aren’t you the trained one

Every day is a school day. Today I learned something. Today is good as I’m now off out for a ride 🙂

EDIT
Scrub that. Ride this afternoon.

There’s less leverage but more travel at the lever,

Geometry would suggest that the opposite must be true in terms of lever travel .

Ah just read that again , I assume you are not talking about the brake lever .

If the pads in the Spyres are anything like the pads in the Hy/Rd callipers then they seem to erode almost instantaneously. OK they are not meant for use off road but UK roads in the winter are almost as mucky as trails. I stuck some Shimano pads in and have had much better performance.

… But you’re not looking for tiny details like that when you build a bike, even your own

adds to list of bike shop “professionals” I wouldn’t let anywhere near anything I ride 😛

Did that come as a complete bike? (I’m guessing not)

It did come as a complete bike (2nd hand anyway) but in true STW fashion as soon i picked it up i stripped it back to bare frame and removed the BB7’s, Crankset, rear mech, cassette, shifters, cables and fitted TRP Spyres, Yokozuna housings, Ultegra crankset (from my old tripster build) 105 shifters, mechs and cassette.

Prob would have been cheaper to buy a better build/2nd hand bike to start with but he needed a bike sharpish for a fire service sponsored cycle.

epicyclo : The TRP Spyre SLC model has a sliding grub screw barrel to secure the cable that can self adjust for position as the actuation arm moves through it’s travel

EDIT : The amount of incorrect cable routing regarding the cable clamping bolt on front mechs that i dealt with in the shop was pretty high – changing cables is easy…as long as you refit them in the correct position.

The amount of incorrect cable routing regarding the cable clamping bolt on front mechs that i dealt with in the shop was pretty high – changing cables is easy…as long as you refit them in the correct position.

Indeed it is. Some mechs have quite odd routing (Ultegra front mechs, I’m looking at you) and when presented with a bike and “The gears don’t work properly” it’s right up at the top of the List of Standard Things to Check!
Alongside bent mech hangers (the second most common) and knackered cables (the most common) I’d say it comes in a close third…..

This is just one of those things. It came out of the box like that from Sportline, and the brakes worked, so I never looked for a fault, but when I found one it was pretty obvious and thought it might be worth sharing just in case anyone else has bought a bike with Spyres on. That’s all. 🙂

Ah just read that again , I assume you are not talking about the brake lever .

Yup, I meant the ‘lever’ on the calliper. The cable is closer to the pivot, so less leverage.

somafunk – Member

epicyclo : The TRP Spyre SLC model has a sliding grub screw barrel to secure the cable that can self adjust for position as the actuation arm moves through it’s travel

Thanks, I hadn’t noticed that model.

Now all they need to do to get full marks is to apply the same principle to where the outer is clamped. 🙂

Well guess what? My Giant TCX’s Spyres were exactly the same!!! Sorted them out now. The brakes feel a lot better.
Cheers Peter 🙂

I look at my Spyres last night and the front was correct and the rear wrong – new Genesis Day One disc. Never noticed this before!

Ahh. Good to know, and glad it’s been useful to you guys

For the record I checked the two other bikes we have in the shop today. A CdA and a Spesh. The CdA was wrong the Spesh was fine.

I wondered about this when I got mine as I kept reading online that they had 2 options for cable pull and thought above or below the bolt might sort the brakes for different brake levers, could never see how in the instructions, be fair it doesn’t actually say how to route the cable either…

I had never even thought about it TBH. I just kind of got used to them 😆 I’ll probably face plant on the first ride.

Oh, and it must be great to be perfect like you lot…

The perfect people are easy to spot we have a P in front of our names 😆

Good little thing to check, must admit my bb5’s have nicer feel than the spyres even with the cable routed correctly.

Peterpoddy, I checked my spyres and both were set up incorrectly as you describe. Corrected them and a quick check and they seem much better. Fair play to you for highlighting this.

Today I went to a well known brands HQ. They had a bike there with Spyres on. Incorrectly set up Spyres…… I pointed it out politely and we swapped the cable over. Hopefully they’ll look into it, but it’s certainly not just one brand or one mechanic getting this wrong. 🙂

In that case the abuse that bike shops get for shoddy workmanship is well founded, it shows a lack of basic mechanical aptitude/knowledge, whether that be from the factory initial build or on PDI checks instore.

😀

….Runs and hides behind tree

WARNING !!! I had a far worse experience due to incorrect cable routing (clamping on the wrong side – as described above) than that described above. My bike, (with TRP Spyres) bought new from a well known cycle chain had the front cable incorrectly routed from new, which resulted in the cable slipping after a few months of use, which caused a scary “no front brakes” scenario when the cable suddenly slipped in the midst of hard braking, fortunately not whilst on the road in traffic.

Took the bike back to the shop to get a replacement cable as it caused fraying wen it happened, emailed their customer services and the distributor, discussions ongoing. In my opinion there are 3 contributory factors, 1. the design, which has a place that looks like it could be the correct place to clamp (but clearly isn’t in practice), 2. the shop mechanics not being diligent enough, and 3. the instructions, which should be more specific.

there may be a fourth factor too, though??!

I mean, at what point after purchase should we, the rider, actually be responsible to ensure our equipment remains safe to use?

DrP

In my opinion there are 3 contributory factors, 1. the design, which has a place that looks like it could be the correct place to clamp (but clearly isn’t in practice), 2. the shop mechanics not being diligent enough, and 3. the instructions, which should be more specific.

Also the assembly company – they tend to be build in the factory with the cables fitted. PDI should pick it up but not always.

DrP – Fair point, in the his defence all bike manuals say check your bike, get a 30 day service done, etc, but that doesn’t really remove the responsibility of setting a bike up safely from new, can’t assume everyone’s a reliable mechanic.
But in this case, the cable fitted to the wong side of the clamp can still be safe and secure, I’ve set up my Spyke brakes like this on an MTB to tweak the brake feel, was fine for a good few 100 miles, many of those loaded up. It seems no different in clamp security to most v-brake cable anchor bolts, but the cable flex/rotation here w/o the ‘fang’ support may be risky eventually.

Thanks for the tip, now any idea how to stop the ones on my Genesis screaming like a banshee in the wet?

there may be a fourth factor too, though??!

I mean, at what point after purchase should we, the rider, actually be responsible to ensure our equipment remains safe to use?

DrP

But surely your not sugesting that there comes a point where I should refer to the fitting instructions for each safety critical component of my bike?

Yes its my duty to maintain a bike. But I don’t see how I could ever know something had always been incorrectly assembled

Evening. Are these right?

looks right to me from what Peter has said – I have the SLCs where there is only one option to clamps the cable.

But I wonder if the SLC position is actually similar in leverage terms to the middle of the two clamp possibilities on the normal version?

Tip for improving performance on these brakes (after you align the calliper using feeler gauges or the hayes calliper alignment tool) is to wind in both sides of the pads using the pad adjustment by one full turn then activate the actuation arm so the pads contact the disc then attach the cable – loosen off the pad adjustment to avoid any disc rub and go ride.

There is a specific point in the actuation arms stroke that enables maximum leverage to the pistons, this method gets you close but there’s usually room for experimentation depending on your preference for lever feel/brake modulation.

RE: But in this case, the cable fitted to the wrong side of the clamp can still be safe and secure – I wouldn’t count on it……

Response from the UK distributor of TRP :

Everything you have mentioned is correct, if the cable is run incorrectly when built, then the cable can possibly slip. We can communicate this to most workshops, however with many of these brakes original equipment on bikes, we hope trained mechanics know the basics; we cannot hold their hands with all builds, its impossible.

I will note this, and forward to TRP to see if they can include this more clearly in their instructions.

Just seen this thread so popped out to the garage to check bike, front and rear both have cable clamped behind top of bolt.

Off back out there to change in a minute.

Based on my experience it can be fine for 100’s miles and then suddenly fail without warning or it can just fail a day after installation. After my first incident I took the bike back to another branch of Evans and the mechanic replaced the cable, again routed it incorrectly and it failed (slipped) again the next day. When I went back for the second time he routed it correctly and its been fine since.

In response to all those who insist how obvious it is which side of the bolt the cable should be fastened I say how come so many are asembled incorrectly ??

Noticed a genesis day one disc outside work last week, both front and rear were incorrect. Left a note , saw the bike again yesterday, still the same………