KonaRider125

I'm in the market for a new "adventure/gravel/light touring bike" and they all come with disc brakes, most options have hydraulic brakes. I do all my own wrenching/tuning/repair. I'm wondering how much of a extra hassle hydraulic road disc brakes would to maintain and repair in the long run. What extra tools would be needed to maintain them?

I have also seen cable actuated hydraulic disc brakes that look like they might be a easier option. Compatible with standard road shifters and brake cable and housing is easily replaceable. Would these or even quality mechanical disc brakes be a better option for the home mechanic?

fietsbob

R-T-F-M, first. for the bike and the brakes You Buy.

in addition to the premium latest Gear, There is the TRP Hi Rd Cable to that Hydraulic caliper

and converters that use Hydraulic Hose from a dual Master that goes Under the stem .

dabac

Hydros are a different technology. As such they require different skills, and some different tools. If you have those, working with hydros are perhaps a bit more dribbly and messy than mechanical brakes, but not really outright harder.
I'm betting some years from now, someone who started riding with hydros would be as intimidated by rim brakes as some rim brake imprinted people are with hydros today.

It's true, not all hydros are created equal. With more and more "budget" models becoming available, the number of unsatisfied customers will probably increase. But I've been quite happy with mine.

Mechanical discs follow the same pattern. There is a spread in performance.
But I've seen a lot good said about Avid BB7.

Tim_Iowa

You'll want to get a hydraulic bleed kit that is compatible with the brakes you buy, read the manual/tech docs, and you're pretty much set.

Bleeding is required less often than adjusting pads on mechanical disc brakes, but is more messy and a little more time consuming.

KonaRider125

Thanks for the replies.

Would TRP HY RD brakes be a good option? I'm thinking ease of installing, replacing housing/cable.

TRP

well biked 

If you're using a drop bar/disc brake bike that's a singlespeed or uses shifters that aren't integrated with the brake levers (i.e. bar end shifters, etc) then TRP hylex brakes are absolutely awesome IME. I've got thousands of miles on them, and I rate them as good as really good mtb hydraulics. The TRP HY RD's are a poor substitute if you want hydraulic brakes ( I have experience with those, too), they feel and perform more like a mechanical disc than a hydraulic IMO. If you have a drop bar bike and want/need integrated shifters/brake levers and hydraulic brakes, the stuff from Shimano would be top choice IMO.

JonathanGennick 

Maybe I shouldn't speak, because I'm more of a mountain-bike person. Hydros can be a bit more hassle if you're a wrenching enthusiast who is tearing down and building up different sizes and types of frames. I'm always tinkering with bikes and frames, and it's nothing to run new cable and housing when I'm moving mechanical brakes to a different size frame. It's a little more tedious to replace hydro lines.

The first time you bleed brakes can be intimidating. And it can be a little bit annoying that every brand of brake seems to require some different adapter or screw size or something along those lines. And inevitably I have DOT fluid on hand when I want to bleed my mineral brakes, and mineral oil on hand when I want to bleed my DOT brakes.

Once you've bled a few times, you get the hang of it and it's not so bad.

stevoo

All my road bikes and mtn bikes are Shimano hydraulic.
I wrench on all my bikes.
Have owned cable disks before.
I would never go back to cable.
Hydraulic is very easy to maintain. They just work so darn good.
Quite maintenance free really.
Highly suggest thru axle too. Everything always lines up perfect so no rub. Love it. It is the other piece of the puzzle that makes disks so nice to live with.

Retro Grouch 

Which came first?

To talk about hydraulic brakes in general before buying them is confusing and intimidating. To learn about hydraulic brakes you pretty much have to have one in front of you to look at and mess with. Once you've done it twice, they are no big deal. It's still a simple machine.

Bottom line: You can't learn about them before buying and you're afraid to buy until you learn.

RubeRad

+1

I have only heard good things about the TRP HY RD, and as far as hydraulics go, I have heard TONS of complaints about avid hydraulics, and the most common solution to avid noise problems is to buy shimano

ratell

I have been very happy with the hy rd's. I can't imagine needing more brake, so not sure how full hydraulic would be worth it. Of course I've never used full hydraulic...

fietsbob

I leave the mechanical BB7 that are on there, since they work And are paid for.

alathIN

I do most of my own bike maintenance and some upgrades/rebuilds.
My main commuter/road bike has a Shimano hydraulic road group. So far my experience has been these are actually LOWER maintenance than other brakes, because they're self-adjusting. Even if you have to change the pads, they drop right in and immediately self-adjust.
I did look at the manual for the brake bleeding procedure and it looks like a mid-level hassle at worst... but so far I haven't had any need to do it.

Tim_Iowa

I really like the Shimano XT-M785 hydraulic brakes on my fat bike. Very powerful, but easy to modulate.

My 'cross bike has Avid BB7R mechanical calipers and SRAM road brifters. The BB7R's stop OK, but only if the pads are VERY close to the rotor. If the pads are further away, I can't seem to squeeze the lever enough to get good braking force.
So, I have to mess with the brake pad adjustment dials a lot to keep the pads as close as possible without rubbing. The Shimano hydraulics work great without rubbing after one setup.

I bought a set of TRP HY RD brakes for this bike, hoping to get something in-between mechanical and hydraulic brake power. The guy I bought them from included some compressionless cable housing, which he says are key to getting the most out of the HY/RDs (the same housing would probably improve my BB7Rs as well).

I haven't installed the HY/RDs yet; I'll report once I do.

fastbike

Depends on what you like doing. I've adapted a Hope Evo/V4 to use on my Tandem with Campag Ergo levers. I designed and custom milled a new cam for the cylinder (mounted under the stem) so there is a very short direct cable run, with the long run to the back brake via hydraulic. Makes a huge difference to feel and performance.
As far as maintenance, bleed the brakes every 2 years, and replace the pads when they wear out. Hydraulic brakes are self adjusting for wear