Caliper recommendations

[Benjahmin]

My Carrera has Lyra mech disc brakes. Out on a ride today I noticed that I was having to pull hard to get what I needed from them. Not sure if it's contamination or pad wear. However the front static pad definitely needs adjusting, and here's the problem. The inboard adjuster is masked by the flange of the hub motor. The only way to adjust it is to drop the wheel out, it's a guessing game. So I thought I would take the opportunity to upgrade the caliper. These caught my attention as they have two pistons, therefore self centre:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brakes/160-trp-spyke-mechanical-2-piston-disc-brake-caliper-rotor/?geoc=US
Has anyone used them, are they any good - 'cos they're quite pricey?
There is the TRP Spyre which are cheaper, but they seem to be for drop bar levers, not sure if they'll work with straight bar levers.

Ideally I'd like to keep my two levers with switches in them but will go hydraulic if that works out best. Seem to remember there being a caliper with the hydraulic reservoir mounted on the caliper and operated by cable. Anyone know what it's called?

I know BB7's have been the go to mech caliper, but not sure if it would help my adjustment difficulty. Are they really any better than what I got?
Help me spend some money wisely - Ta

 

[Woosh]

I bought one for testing. It's good and dead simple to install but not as good as normal hydraulic brakes. You remove the old caliper, install the new one exactly the same way. 5 minutes.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

A good hydraulic brake costs about £40. You can get a good used one on Ebay for £20. None of the other options will be as good or as cheap. It should be a no-brainer.

To adjust your cable brake, it's a lot easier to remove the caliper than the wheel.

 

[awol]

Have you got brake HWBS cutoffs on the brake cables?
My BB7's are very good and have an adjusting disc on the front and back which is easy to get to without tools but difficult to adjust with your fingers when they get a bit stiff.
They were a good step up from my Tektro Novella brakes I had before.

 

[Benjahmin]

Yes I do have cut offs.
I'm new to hydraulics, I've only fitted a Magura rim brake to my daughters bike. What would you call a good'un?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

All the branded ones are good: Juicy, Tektro, Shimano, Magura, Avid, hayes. Hope. They're dead easy to install, Take your grip off; one screw to slide your present brake off; two screws to take the caliper off; slide the new brake onto the bar and tighten the screw; slide the grip on; two screws to fix the caliper. That's it - about 5 minutes max. No adjustment necessary. Enjoy 4000 miles of excellent braking.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avid-sram-Elixir-3-Front-Hydraulic-Disc-Brake-/252823641769?hash=item3add769ea9:g:nhQAAOSwax5Y0T9j

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hayes-Sole-Hydraulic-Brakes-/122404737268?hash=item1c7fe410f4:g:CHQAAOSwTM5YzqAS

 

[Warwick]

IME BB7s are as good as hydraulics (I've had both). The trick is to grease the adjusters' threads before fitting them. They are prone to seizing up if you don't do so.

My Tektros (hydraulic) were transformed by fitting some decent, Clarks, pads.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

IME BB7s are as good as hydraulics (I've had both). The trick is to grease the adjusters' threads before fitting them. They are prone to seizing up if you don't do so.

My Tektros (hydraulic) were transformed by fitting some decent, Clarks, pads.

BB7s are nowhere near as good as hydraulics. it would be a complete waste upgrading to them. Trust me!

All brakes are good when you first fit them, but only hydraulics give consistent good braking without adjustments. also, you see the difference if you're heavy. If you're light enough, you can stop by dragging your foot.

 

[Woosh]

you should be careful when choosing hydraulic brakes for bikes fitted with PAS magnet discs because you may still be pedaling while you brake and the motor keeps running on for a second or two after you stop pedaling.
Only a few models have built in sensors. They are expensive because they are made in small volume. If you fit external HDB sensors which require 5V supply, you need to make sure that the socket of your brake sensors has 3 pins.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You only need to fit a hydraulic to the front, which is the one that actually stops you. Keep your cable back brake with the switch. You only need one switch.

The KT controllers are very fast. If you have one of those, there's no significant run-on, so brake switches are not necessary, especially if you have no throttle. Without brake switches, a broken throttle can cause your bike to run at half speed.

 

[Woosh]

If you have 2 pins in your brake sensor and don't want the glue on HDB sensors, get a £2 kill switch.
The benefit of HDB is consistent performance and very low maintenance. They will pay for themselves in a couple of years.
if you are changing over to HDB, just as well get a pair if only for the look of the levers.

 

[Trevormonty]

All the branded ones are good: Juicy, Tektro, Shimano, Magura, Avid, hayes. Hope. They're dead easy to install, Take your grip off; one screw to slide your present brake off; two screws to take the caliper off; slide the new brake onto the bar and tighten the screw; slide the grip on; two screws to fix the caliper. That's it - about 5 minutes max. No adjustment necessary. Enjoy 4000 miles of excellent braking.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avid-sram-Elixir-3-Front-Hydraulic-Disc-Brake-/252823641769?hash=item3add769ea9:g:nhQAAOSwax5Y0T9j

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hayes-Sole-Hydraulic-Brakes-/122404737268?hash=item1c7fe410f4:g:CHQAAOSwTM5YzqAS

Two lower price Tektro brakes I have both gave me grieve. While Shimano have been faultless.

Just be aware when buying sets over Internet's, they maybe configured with front brake on left. If you buy front and rear set they can be swapped but you will need to bleed them. Easy job if you have bleed kit, which is good idea for annual maintenance. See YouTube.

 

[Trevormonty]

.

 

[Warwick]

BB7s are nowhere near as good as hydraulics. it would be a complete waste upgrading to them. Trust me!

All brakes are good when you first fit them, but only hydraulics give consistent good braking without adjustments. also, you see the difference if you're heavy. If you're light enough, you can stop by dragging your foot.

We'll have to agree to disagree. BB7s are simple to adjust and as simple to maintain as you get. They are responsive and - if the adjuster screw is greased as I mentioned - easy to keep in good trim. No bleeding required and most adjustment in the early days is done by taking up cable slack with the lever adjuster.

I'm not necessarily saying they are an upgrade, but they are a worthy contender and vastly superior to any v brake.

 

[Woosh]

I disagree. The hose won't corrode, fray or bend like the cables.
I fit Avid brakes to my bikes because they are good but I much prefer HDB any day of the week and I wish all my customers agree with me to.
HDB are superior to cable operated brakes in many ways: consistency, performance, very little maintenance. You don't usually need bleeding unless you disconnect the hose for some reason. About every 1,000 miles, the oil reservoir may need topping up and/or burping because the wear of the pads may create a little space for air in the reservoir, it's a 10 minute job and usually does not require special tool.

 

[Benjahmin]

Wow - started a debate
I will only change the front and get new pads for the rear.
So no-ones got the Spyre or the Spyke then? Looks like HDB it is.

 

[tommie]

Fitted this Promax front kit to my BBS conversion, left the rear as is.

£20 at the time

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PROMAX-Mountain-Bike-Front-160mm-Hydraulic-Disc-Brake-set-Right-hand-lever-/282256644729?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

 

[Benjahmin]

Thanks for the link Tommie. However I went for a Deore 615 in the end, plus a new disc in case the old ones contaminated. Also got new pads for the rear Lyra.
Went into local town yesterday and there's a 1:5 downhill last stretch to a miniroundabout. Brakes were on absolute limit, just about slowing me, there was no extra stopping power left. That kinda freaked me into buying.
I'll post when fitted.

 

[Benjahmin]

Just spent a pleasant afternoon in the sun prepping the bike for summer.
Fitting the Deore 615 (complete with new disc) and setting it up, was a doddle and is awsome straight of. We are talking near stoppys here, even with my rear rack battery.
I cleaned the rear disc and put new organic pads in. Initially it was absolute carp but, after a bit of downhill dragging, seems to be bedding in. Hope to get a full ride in tomorrow.
Thanks for all the advice.

 

[awol]

I disagree. The hose won't corrode, fray or bend like the cables.
I fit Avid brakes to my bikes because they are good but I much prefer HDB any day of the week and I wish all my customers agree with me to.
HDB are superior to cable operated brakes in many ways: consistency, performance, very little maintenance. You don't usually need bleeding unless you disconnect the hose for some reason. About every 1,000 miles, the oil reservoir may need topping up and/or burping because the wear of the pads may create a little space for air in the reservoir, it's a 10 minute job and usually does not require special tool.

Do HDB need bleeding or anything if you turn the bike upside down ?