Disc brake for ghetto gravel bike

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petermadach
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Sep 13, 2019 4:32 pm

by petermadach

Hey there!

I've been slowly but surely getting the components for my low-cost gravelbike project but came to a halt regarding the brakes. Frame is a Merlin Malt G2X if it's relevant.

Since it is a super low budget project, I pretty much had to give up a fully hydraulic system. Yes, I know, there are some budget friendly options out there, but I didn't like the ergonomics of the RS405/505 shifters, and all the "groupset" options were almost double the price. Also, I had pretty good deal on a pair of Microshift Centos 11 mechanical brifters (pair cost about as much as a single 105 lever), so I went with those.

Now I'm looking for the best possible flat mount disc brake for mechanical. For rotors I plan to use either the 105 or Ultegra level Shimano ICE rotors. My options are:
TRP HY/RD
TRP Spyre-(SL(C))
Juin Tech F1
Some aliexpress cheapo?

My favorite so far has been the HY/RDs, I also saw a pretty good deal on ebay, altho shipping from the far east, but I guess I'm willing to risk it. BUT, I've been reading a lot about cable pull issues, and I'm not sure if my Centos shifters could work well with them. Even tho, they are Shimano 11 compatible, I don't know if they also adopted the cable pull amount from them as well. And unfortunately the HY/RD is already about my price limit, so I'd rather not fork out another 50 bucks for a lever pull conversion arm. Worst case I could go full ghetto, and just cut into the sock arm, to adjust for the pull, but rather not go that far.

As far as the Juin Tech, they are about as expensive as the HY/RDs, they lack the pad wear adjustment feature, but are smaller and lighter, and seem to have no compatibility issues regarding lever pull. Unfortunately, not much I could find online about their performance.

And as an ultimate ghetto, I was thinking of going for one of those supercheap Zoom/Xtech/ZTTO/ZRACE kinds from Aliexpress, which seem to be working the same principle as the Juins, only half the price. But as a downside, theres even less experience with those ones, and I'd rather not be a guinie pig.

So, anyone recommendations on any of the brakes mentioned above, or anything else?

Much appreciate,
Peter

dlj2119
Posts: 56
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2019 2:32 pm

by dlj2119

I switched from TRP HY/RD to Juin Tech F1 due to my underwhelming experience on the HY/RDs. They just felt soft at all times and it didnt give me much confidence on hard decents. Much happier with the F1s, they give a harder bite up front and modulate well. The GTs are a small upgrade from that. If you are patient, you can pick up a gently used F1 pair by watching ebay for a while around $100. Using SRAM levers.

by Weenie


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Discodan
Posts: 406
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2017 2:55 am
Location: Sydney

by Discodan

I replaced some mechanical calipers with the Zoom cheapos from Aliexpress for about $40 a pair. Braking is so much better and saved 100g as a bonus. I've only done a few hundred km so far but no problems, they don't have the outright power of my XT brakes on a MTB but I'm pretty happy with them

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Juin are great.

I'd love to try a set of the super-cheap Aliexpress ones though, just for fun

USAisDOA
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri May 21, 2021 3:39 pm

by USAisDOA

Recently installed a set of the zooms... 150 mile point and I'm happy with her performance. 75 bucks with rotors.. no complaints.
I believe almost nothing I read and 'hear'

I believe roughly half of what I see with my own eyes.. in person.

I do not carbon.. anything


:nospamhere:

UpFromOne
Posts: 1181
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Olympic Nat'l Park, WA

by UpFromOne

Juins have many models now, 2 piston in R1 (basic), X1 (better pistons), M1 (HD), as well as 4 piston models.
I've been modding these for years with ti hardware and good pads.
The only limitations are that Juin has long mounting legs, only for 160mm rotors.

"Pro" or "iiiPro" make a cheaper version, same body but cheaper hardware, and those can be had in either 140 or 160.
eBay for about $40. a caliper:
https://tinyurl.com/33tp388s

Marin
Posts: 4035
Joined: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:48 am
Location: Vienna Austria

by Marin

Got the Ztto, same power as my previous Juin F1. Pads were louder so I switched to Shimano.

Ztto are for 140mm rotors so you need +20 adaptors

violino
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu May 05, 2022 10:30 am

by violino

Hi, do any of you have experience with, what seems like, a new version of ztto caliper:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003103122796.html

greycat
Posts: 20
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 9:14 pm

by greycat

They are trash. Bad cable mount causes binding and pads won't release fully. Plus they don't stop worth having. They are the br002 model.

The new model is br005 which fixes the cable binding and mounting issue. I'm fine with using them on 9-10% decents road or gravel. Use 160s. I use 140 on rear but I'm 60kg. I have used these on about 10 road group rides made tons of hard stops from high pace. I have no rides in the rain or mud with them so no clue how they act when gunked up.

No way I'd feel comfortable with high speed decent on gravel with them. They just are not as grippy as hydros. I've stuck with hydros and 160 rotors on the most difficult of rides.

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nickf
Posts: 1427
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

delete

Aesch
Posts: 332
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2020 10:09 pm

by Aesch

I have a pair of ZTTO calipers lying around that I bought for a project that changed halfway (got a GRX groupset for next-to-nothing).
If you're interested we can work it out, send me a PM.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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