Mechanical discs viable?

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Hey I'm looking at basic flat bat road bike for fitness and commuting. A second hand Trek FX that might suit me is available. It's a 1+ hour drive away though. It's running Tektro mechanical dial brakes. I will assume these are superior to traditional rim brakes? Never ridden a mechanical disc bike. A mate says once U get them dialed they work well but U have to dial them regularly? I'm also big at 110kg and my ride to work is though some gravel and dusty roads which rim brakes seem to hate.. Mechanical ok or should I just keep saving for proper hydraulic brakes? The bike is cheap enough at $375.
 
Mechanical is ok for general duties. You will need to give them a little love every so often as they don't self adjust like a hydraulic system. If it has Avid BB7 calipers you can get nearly any flavour pad you prefer.
 
Avid/SRAM BB7 mechanical disc brakes are ok. I've got them on a hardtail made into a gravel bike. 180mm front, 160mm rear.
Make sure you bed the discs in properly on some tarmac hilly roads first. Most disc/rotor manufacturers have a procedure for this.
 
If the bike is good just get it. If the brakes aren't up to snuff, Shimano hydros can be had for cheap off AliExpress. With good pads and discs they are amazingly good.

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last time I tried you could get complete MT500's a bit cheaper than just the BB7 calipers.
I have BB7's on my DJ, they're fine, maybe even good, but not for the price.

Mechanical are fine, and are my choice for a seldom ridden bike (like a commuter or DJ, maybe not full-on MTB)
 
Ok I think it should be fine, it's just going to be a commuter with some gravel riding. Don't need much bite on slippery roads. Cheers for the help.
 
compressionless housing improves mech performance, worth finding..trp spyre or the cheap mech hydro calipers are better, and r self positioning
 
Daniel Hale said:
compressionless housing improves mech performance, worth finding..trp spyre or the cheap mech hydro calipers are better, and r self positioning
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Cheaper just to get a set of Shimano mt200s then. The compression less bmx cable doesn't come in long enough lengths and the Jagwire kits are $50+ a pop.

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Daniel Hale said:
compressionless housing improves mech performance, worth finding..trp spyre or the cheap mech hydro calipers are better, and r self positioning
Click to expand...
Shit, don't tell @moorey but I agree with @Daniel Hale :eek:

A friend uses compressionless housing and rates it. I haven't bothered and won't due to the price.

I've got a TRP Spyre and a Xtech mech/hydro hybrid caliper on my ugly monster cross. Both work just fine for the riding I do on that bike.
For the money, the Xtech's are surprisingly good. They also have adjustable actuator arm reach, meaning they can be used with short pull roadie levers or long pull mtb levers. I can confirm it works with the former but I haven't tested the latter. I think the brake pads are old school shimano (XT m765 maybe).

Admittedly it feels weird going from hydro to mech after a decade of only using hydro.
 
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Labcanary said:
Shit, don't tell @moorey but I agree with @Daniel Hale :eek:

A friend uses compressionless housing and rates it. I haven't bothered and won't due to the price.

I've got a TRP Spyre and Xtech mech/hydro hybrid caliper on my ugly monster cross. Both work just fine for the riding I do on that bike.
For the money, the Xtech's are surprisingly good. They also have adjustable actuator arm reach, meaning they can be used with short pull roadie levers or long pull mtb levers. I can confirm it works with the former but I haven't tested the latter. I think the brake pads are old school shimano (XT m765 maybe).

Admittedly it feels weird going from hydro to mech after a decade of only using hydro.
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Interesting.

Certainly cheaper then my TRP HY/RDs. Holy shit they are expensive now AU $188.68 35%OFF | TRP Road Bicycle Hydraulic Disc Brakes for CX Road Bike HY/RD Cable Actuated Brakes with Bilateral Brake Pads https://a.aliexpress.com/_mr83XoQ

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mechanical discs are fine for gravel/commuter duties .
In fact I am building a gravel bike at present with a Deore hydro and a BB7.
For serious remote adventures, Oman , Patagonia or Ethiopia some prefer BB7 because they are so easy to repair.
 
Back in 2019 when they announced geoblocking Shimano, I did a bit of stocking up.

It was just over 15 euros an end for MT-200's and just spotted a set of M7000 SLX on this invoice too for 94 euros a set.

Bring back the good times.


389318
 
ozzybmx said:
Back in 2019 when they announced geoblocking Shimano, I did a bit of stocking up.

It was just over 15 euros an end for MT-200's and just spotted a set of M7000 SLX on this invoice too for 94 euros a set.

Bring back the good times.


View attachment 389318
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Remember when T7 used to sell complete m785 and m8000 sets for $179 delivered? Good times.
 
I run BB7's on my commuter and I'm 110kg. They are generally fine, just need adjusting every now and then. I got a pair of BB7 callipers last year for $66 off ebay as after only 10 years using BB5's, I figured that was enough sadomasochistic behaviour for one lifetime. If it wasn't a drop bar I'd have probably just gotten some MT500's. Just got a set for $180 last week (not a bargain, but needed something to replace the wife's broken lever and decided an upgrade from MT200's was in order).
 
I've been using BB7s on the cargo bike, mainly because I couldn't find a long enough hydraulic hose for the front brake (the bike is a Bullitt).
They stop fine, even with a combined weight of 150kg (bike, rider, load).
I'm running 203mm rotor on the front and 180mm on the rear.
 
I ran BB7's for quite some time BITD but with 160mm rotors. They worked just fine and problem free.
The most notable difference for me is that less hand clenchy force is needed with hydraulic brake vs. mechanicals.

Would be an easy set and forget solution for a bikepath / commuter bike.
 
Oddjob said:
Cheaper just to get a set of Shimano mt200s then. The compression less bmx cable doesn't come in long enough lengths and the Jagwire kits are $50+ a pop.
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yep u have to buy it in bulk, 10m at a time, i got it for 90, kits are overpriced, only does 1 bike if i remember

ps i have some if anyone wants to try compressionless
 
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