Lightest mechanical disc brake caliper?

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alcatraz
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Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

Hi WWs....

Last time I checked around it was a kcnc caliper that was lightest. Whats the status?

Also has anyone done a WW comparison between hydraulic vs mechanical disc brakes? What WW stuff is there out there in the terms of brake hoses and calipers? Does hydraulic always lose bigtime? (100+gr extra)

/a

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mpulsiv
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by mpulsiv

Are you sure KCNC released mechanical caliper? I only see hydraulic http://kcnc.com.tw/allproducts_list_25.html
If available, precise weights are listed https://fairwheelbikes.com/kcnc-razor-disc-rotor
Last I checked, Spyre SLC flat mount was pretty light https://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php? ... &catid=206


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wheelbuilder
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by wheelbuilder

Avid BB7 Road Superlites are a decent weight for mechanical disc. Very good power and modulation as well. Just like their mountain counterparts.
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alcatraz
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by alcatraz

mpulsiv wrote:Are you sure KCNC released mechanical caliper? I only see hydraulic http://kcnc.com.tw/allproducts_list_25.html
If available, precise weights are listed https://fairwheelbikes.com/kcnc-razor-disc-rotor
Last I checked, Spyre SLC flat mount was pretty light https://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php? ... &catid=206


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You were right. The kcnc are hydraulic.

Thank you for informing me on the trp spyre slc. 146gr ready to mount. And something I really like about them is that they are double sided. Should mean less rubbing on a quick release setup.

I'm really excited about going mechanical disc on the front alone now. My curent calipers are around 110gr. It means that this is not much more. Add the extra cable/housing, fork reinforcement, caliper bolts, rotors + bolts and front wheel hub I think I could land at around 120-200gr added weight for going front disc brake. (All depends on the fork really).

/a

alcatraz
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by alcatraz

wheelbuilder wrote:Avid BB7 Road Superlites are a decent weight for mechanical disc. Very good power and modulation as well. Just like their mountain counterparts.


Thats cool. I checked them out before. Didn't know there was an SL version. Saw a review put in on the scale and it came in at 159gr. Probably with the pads.

/a

alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

Sorry for the many posts.

I'd like to ask about mtb vs road. What is the difference? Aren't brakes just brakes? :D

/a

ross
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by ross

Just fitted some Juin Tech R1s to my cyclocross bike and very pleased with the upgrade over my old Avid BB7s

Valbrona
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by Valbrona

Mechanical/Hydraulic

TRP HyRD
Juin Tech R1


Fully Mechanical

Avid BB7
Render R
TRP Spryre


Some of the above available in extra light versions.

joejack951
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by joejack951

alcatraz wrote:Sorry for the many posts.

I'd like to ask about mtb vs road. What is the difference? Aren't brakes just brakes? :D

/a


The differences are in the brake actuation arm lengths. MTB levers designed for V-brakes pull a lot of cable and should be used with MTB mechanical disc calipers. Shimano SLR-EV levers pull a little less cable, with TRP Spyre and HY/RD calipers being a good match to that pull. Campagnolo, SRAM, and older Shimano levers all pull even less cable but are the levers around which Avid BB7 Road calipers were designed. Currently, there is no good option to use any of the latter group of levers with TRP Spyre calipers but I make custom arms to allow use of those levers with HY/RD calipers, which I run on my Hong Fu FM079-F with full Chorus mechanical group. You just don't save much weight running HY/RDs but you do get near-full-hydro braking without the hideous brake levers.

srshaw
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 6:06 pm

by srshaw

I have 105 5700 levers and some Trp hy/rd calipers. The levers certainly come quite close to the bars, more so than I would like, and this isn't adjustable. I'd probably go for the simpler spyres if I was buying again. As mentioned these wouldn't be great with any other levers than shimano.

The braking is good though, much better than my older avid bb7s, and being partly hydraulic, they self adjust.

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joejack951
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by joejack951

srshaw wrote:I have 105 5700 levers and some Trp hy/rd calipers. The levers certainly come quite close to the bars, more so than I would like, and this isn't adjustable. I'd probably go for the simpler spyres if I was buying again. As mentioned these wouldn't be great with any other levers than shimano.

The braking is good though, much better than my older avid bb7s, and being partly hydraulic, they self adjust.


The cable pull of 5700 levers is not a good much for the HY/RD calipers and stock arms (5800 levers are a good match, though), and the Spyre's won't fix that issue either. You do have two options to fix the problem of your levers nearly bottoming:

The 'hack': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aBa3sGUUhs

My fix: https://youtu.be/JoNIqoguOKs

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