Hydraulic Intro for a Roadie

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dvincere
Posts: 198
Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:40 pm

by dvincere

I have a new frame and I am considering putting RS685 Shimano brakes and calipers on it. I've previously dealt with TRP Spyres mechanical disc brakes. I'm a roadie and I've never touched hydraulic anything.

How difficult is maintenance with hydraulics? Do they require more/less/the same amount of maintenance?
Tell me I'm an idiot for considering this or tell me it's a great idea, please!

efeballi
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by efeballi

Depends on the riding you're doing. If you do a lot of riding in rain, or ride where brakes do a lot of work (read: descents) discs are a good idea.
Disc brakes, especially hydraulic ones require far less maintenance than rim brakes IME. The system automatically adjusts for wear, and all you have to do is inspect brake pad thickness and replace when necessary. To put things into perspective, I have to re-align brake pads every ~2000 km on my road bike as the contact point changes with pad wear, but all I have to do with hydraulic disc brakes on my commuter is change brake pads. Front changed at 7500 km, rear near the end but still okay at ~9000 km.
OTOH if things go wrong with hydraulic brakes, you're in bigger trouble. Changing hoses and bleeding the system is definitely not doable if you don't have prior experience.


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dvincere
Posts: 198
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by dvincere

I'm definitely doing discs. I have several nice wheelsets fro my previous disc frame bicycle. The question is hydraulic vs mechanical discs. I'm an engineer so theoretically I'd be able to learn to maintain hydraulic quickly. I just have no idea if I'm trading some headaches for even bigger headaches or not. Like I have no idea how often one bleeds brakes or why air can get into the closed system.

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Fixie82
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by Fixie82

If you can afford the initial outlay go full hydraulic, the closed system from Shimano is excellent. Bleeding of the brakes is a simple affair and you will receive instructions and tools with the purchase, being an engineer I wouldn't even be concerned about it. It would certainly be no more difficult than getting your cable tension and Spyres set up.

I would say they would be less maintenance due to the closed system, I've never used cable actuated brakes but my Shimano XTs on the MTB haven't been touched in 18 months.

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CBJ
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by CBJ

I have the Shimanos and they are simply amazing. Great strength and modulation makes rim brakes feel like crap. I have had several sets of brakes on my mtb bike that has required zero maintenance for several years. I see no reason why this would not be the same for the Shimano brakes.

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TMz
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by TMz

I recently got a new build for cross/touring/commuter duties, replacing a similar bike I've had for 4-5 years.

The original bike started with BB5s, which were crap, upgraded to BB7s, which would work for a day or 2 after careful setup then be crap again, the moved onto HYRD, which once setup carefully and bedded in, were pretty good. (no comparison to MTB brakes though for isntance)

The new bike is running RS685 and I have to say, they are great. I never got the use out of the last bike I wanted, in terms of using it off road, because I could never depend on the cable discs 100% (I know the spyres are better than BB7s once setup correctly though) I did get alot of commuting miles out of it however.

Now that I can depend fully on the brakes it's really made me more likely to grab the cross bike for a ride over my other bikes, I wouldn't want to go back to cables. They took a bit longer to bed in than I expected, but they are now predictable and dependable, consistent bite point, I'm a big guy and can get enough power to rolling endo with 2 fingers from the hoods... Fearsome power from the drops. just awesome.

I will say I have 7800 caliper brakes (swissstop pads) on my road bike, which are just as powerful in the dry (obviously different story in the wet), but we're not discussing caliper vs. disc...

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eliflap-scalpel
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by eliflap-scalpel

why talking about shimano road disc set on this WW forum ?

weight weenies is dead ?
http://eliflap.it/

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TMz
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by TMz

eliflap-scalpel wrote:why talking about shimano road disc set on this WW forum ?

weight weenies is dead ?


imagine being able to run lightweight carbon clinchers without fear of explosions?

and all those bolts on the calipers/disc that are screaming to be replaced by ti?

Lightweight hosing?

Carbon brake discs? (trickle down from F1 soon surely)

this opens a whole new world of weenie possibilities, no?

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eliflap-scalpel
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by eliflap-scalpel

@TMz :you are completly wrong ... like Shimano , not able to do a light set of disc brakes for road
http://eliflap.it/

maxxevv
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by maxxevv

Ehh... so what's the best in terms of weight at the moment ?

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eliflap-scalpel
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by eliflap-scalpel

Sram Red
http://eliflap.it/

maxxevv
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by maxxevv

You've used them ?

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eliflap-scalpel
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by eliflap-scalpel

i had for 6 months the S700 brakes

10 speeds , low budget but similar to Red in power, modulation and funcionallity, only a bit heavier.

now i am waiting to receive next week a CX1 brake set and a Red 22 brake set for my next 2 project ...

but probably one of these 2 sets will be laying in the garage, replaced by Formula RR1 set.

currently I am using a RR1 set with 1x10 Di2 set up.

the new RR1 will be mounted hacking the Di2 mode, to use new Etube Di2 generation.
so i will pair the brake with XTR Di2 and 10-42 cassette in a 1x11 set-up for a 2016 Trek Boone.

(and the RR1 is the lightest set at all) ... unlikely out of production :noidea:

the Red22 disc set will be joined to a XX1 rear der and another 10-42 cassette on a Caad10 disc frame kit.
http://eliflap.it/

efeballi
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by efeballi

TMz wrote:
...

Carbon brake discs? (trickle down from F1 soon surely)

this opens a whole new world of weenie possibilities, no?


Carbon fiber brake discs were actually made for cycling, popular opinion says they're crap. In F1 the discs are reinforced carbon-carbon, a different material, which also requires heating up before reaching optimal performance. F1 drivers frequently describe braking as:
*gently slowing down*
*gently slowing down
*gently slowing down*
*brakes reach working temp.*
*IMMENSE BRAKING AT 5.5 G*


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2015 Giant Propel Advanced
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2013 KTM Strada mod. (totaled)
2011 Pinarello Dogma 60.1(loaner)
2011 Scott SUB 45(sold)

Politecnico di Milano Ingegneria Meccanica

by Weenie


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eliflap-scalpel
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by eliflap-scalpel

popular opinion is a thing, I want to have my opinion in every thing I can ... I used for 10 months Kettle Sicc rotors , 160mm sized.

the only bad thing in their behaviour is the missing bite at the end of the stopping procedure.
other are only good things.

they slow down you from 50-40 km/h to 8-7 km/h in a great way.

steel rotors from 8-7 to 0 km/h are great, instead Kettle don't give you the feeling of power in this step ... so you need 1-2 meters more to be at 0 speed.

knowing it, you have only to use brain while braking.

in august 2014 on holiday, done 2500km in a big cycle group ( every ride with 50-70 riders, on 15th aug we were 150 guys) with 1200 meters of climb/descent every ride as average, every day without rest : Kettle were great, no zing zing noise , no stopping noise, only a bit when wet.
http://eliflap.it/

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