BB7s are my reference point – had the MTB ones for donkeys’ years (big fan) and the road ones for a while (somehow less enthused).

How do BB5s, CX77s and Spyres compare? (anything else? Tiagra?) I suspect HyRds are over budget. Will be used for a mix of stuff: all terrains, all weathers. Need to work with 5700 STIs and Centerlock rotors (I assume they all do); decent pad availability would be nice; etc. What’s the winning choice?

BB5s are crap IME, as much as they should be as good, I’ve never been able to set any up as well.

Spires on our display bikes feel good, but I’d still go for BB7s, mine feel ace, thy are eating through the arms on my old xtr rotors tho.

TRP Spyres out of that lot. Although Hayes CX Expert/BB7 are both ok.

Not BB5s based on my experience, unless you want to be chuffing about with cable tension during every ride. I will follow this thread with interest for a replacement.

Have used BB5 (which work really well if setup properly but aren’t that easy to setup easily), BB7s which are easier to setup and work well and am now using Spyres. Prefer the Spyres to the Avids as both pads are actuated so pad wear is even and gives a slightly nicer lever feel (IME). All cable discs benefit from using compressionless outer cable although I’m not bothering as I like the green cables on my cross bike.

HyRd’s bought in a canny offer. Worlds apart from my old BB7s – a joy. They are also considerably improved since I replaced my cables and bodged the frame to get a continuous run. Worth breaking the budget for.

Just switched from BB7s to Spyres and I’d second what SimonDB says – neat design, even pad wear, similar power to BB7s, nicer feel – although in general terms I’d not trust the judgement of anyone using green cables on a cross bike or any other bicycle fwiw.

I did think about the hybrid cable/hydraulic TRPs, but the price put me off and I was a little concerned by the potential for boiling fluid sat in a reservoir on the calliper, though to be fair none of the reviews I found suggested it was an issue, so I’m maybe just paranoid.

Are the Lyras really that bad or is it the usual case of Internet exaggeration?

So, a further question, then: Do Spyres come with adapters for IS mount tabs? Teh internets seem a little vague on that.

Yes spyre come with adapters for front and rear. Limited availability till end of month…
Just got a set to try on the >x< and might replace the bb7s on the day 1, if successful

Are the Lyras really that bad or is it the usual case of Internet exaggeration?

I used a set on a borrowed bike for a few weeks and they were genuinely awful, possibly the worst disc brakes I have ever used – weak, hard to adjust, stupid pad design and replacement procedure. I don’t know if that’s an exaggeration and it was while back now, but I have very bad memories of them…

Meant to add to my comments on the Spyre above that the standard pads don’t seem to be great in the wet, but they use a Shimano-compatible pad, so there should be plenty of aftermarket options. I also came across a forum post somewhere, where someone, I think, on a tandem, had one of the carbon-armed SLC Spyres fail on them apparently because of the heat generated on a long road descent.

The gist of it was that the carbon ones might be best suited to cross racing where they wouldn’t cop quite so much sustained use, but I have no idea whether that’s the case. Might be worth considering if you’re planning on lots of alpine road descents I guess.

TRP Spyres +1

Another vote for trp spyres.

Did have bb5 on before.

I now have:-

Lever feel
Modular and more power
No disc rub at all
Less weight
Much better looks – the caliper is much smaller and lower profile than bb5

Are the Lyras really that bad or is it the usual case of Internet exaggeration?

My Lyras are fantastic brakes (ultegra levers + compressionless housing) but then i do know how to set them up – genuine and very quick braking response from two finger use on the hoods or just one finger when in the drops.

If what i have learned in the bike shop is anything to go by then 10% of riders happily admit to no knowledge of how to maintain a bike and are happy for you to do it, the other 90% breaks down as 80% who believe they know how to maintain a bike but in reality they are just fooling themselves, more often than not they just fcyk things up and then throw a hissy fit and blame it on poor/faulty equipment, the final 10% are perfectly happy wielding spanners and know perfectly well what a B-Tension screw does.

Making sure the calliper sits perfectly with relation to the disc for maximum pad contact is essential, otherwise one edge of the pad will contact first and most likely start a reverberation squeal, good quality brake housing and cables, doesn’t have to be compressionless housing either is essential, and adjustment of the brake actuation arm is helpful as you want to gain the maximum leverage ratio from a set cable pull, finally set the pads up to barely clear the disc and keep all fingers and oil away from the disc and pads.

Now’t wrong wi Lyras at all apart from poorly set up examples.

Now’t wrong wi Lyras at all apart from poorly set up examples.

That’s me told then. The ones I used were on a test bike from a reputable bike brand, I’d have hoped they’d have set them up properly, but what do I know. I didn’t realise that a B-Tension screw had anything to do with setting up brakes at all, just goes to show eh…

That’s me told then.

Yup. Go stand in the corner. I can’t even bear to look at you!

We used to get test/demo bikes in for customers from very reputable/expensive brands (not naming them) and the majority of them would practically need a strip back to a bare frame and rebuilt before i’d be happy with them, the manufacturers/importers do not have the time nor the will to carefully examine every single bike that goes out the door or that comes back from a demo where they are often ridden to death, many of them seem to operate on a that’ll do mentality which is not on for a demo fleet and it used to piss me right off.

I used to treat every bike build as if it was my own personal bike and if i wasn’t happy wi something i’d work on it till i was satisfied.

Been using Lyra’s for a while here too and getting the pad to hit the disc flat is key. Do that and they give good feel and power.

If what i have learned in the bike shop is anything to go by then 10% of riders happily admit to no knowledge of how to maintain a bike and are happy for you to do it, the other 90% breaks down as 80% who believe they know how to maintain a bike but in reality they are just fooling themselves, more often than not they just fcyk things up and then throw a hissy fit and blame it on poor/faulty equipment, the final 10% are perfectly happy wielding spanners and know perfectly well what a B-Tension screw does.

Weirdly those percentages mirror almost perfectly the competency levels I’ve experienced amongst most spanner monkeys I’ve come across working in shops 😉

Now’t wrong wi Lyras at all apart from poorly set up examples.

My take would be that well-designed kit is easy to set up and maintain. The fact that you apparently have to be some sort of mechanical god to get a cable disc brake to work properly says it all really.

I’d take either Spyres or BB7s over them every time.