Epicus07 

Hey guys,

Rocking a new Jamis Renegade Expat with Tiagra 4700 shifters and TRP Spyre brakes. The build is new and the brakes were properly broken in and don't squeal at all.

The issue is this is my first road bike with disc brakes and I find the braking kind of lack luster. I have them adjusted tight off the rotor so there is little gap there. The cable tension is adjusted so that they grab about 1/4 pull and are fully engaged by 3/4. Cable housing is compressionless. I have heard that upgrading pads and rotors makes a difference but i'm hoping for some improvement on the stock setup.

They work pretty well from the drops but braking from the hoods requires much more hand strength than even my old canti's to get a good stop.

I didn't think that disc brakes were going to be leagues better than my rim brakes but I thought that they would at least be equivalent. My centaur brakes on my other bike blow these out of the water.

What's the best way to optimize stopping power without sacrificing modulation and ease of use?

Photok

Did you ever figure this out? I have the same bike and thought the same thing about the brakes. Just wondering if you found a solution to make the brakes feel better?

fietsbob

TRP Spyre is made for road , short pull brake levers.. did not fulfill your expectations? Oh, well..

So, did you read the manual on setting the individual pad to rim clearance, & pad wear compensation?
or just use the cable adjuster that effects Both pads ..


FWIW, I liked the replacement disc pads, another Kool Stop product, better than the original ones in the BB7 MTB calipers I have.

dwmckee

Have you tried teflon coated cable cores? They reduce friction in the housing somewhat which improves feel and lightens lever pressure. I use teflon cables with the TRP Hy/RD calipers and am very happy with the setup.

Andrew R Stewart 

I wonder if this thread is an example of the trade offs between lever pull range, mechanical leverage and system "stiffness". Over the years I have read many articles about caliper (as with rim brakes) and lever mechanical leverage numbers. Yet many riders find that stiffer but less leverage advantaged systems work better for their needs.

I am one of these. I test ride many bikes a week after assembly or servicing. While a well set up disk brake set up CAN feel nice and be powerful a poorly achieved disc brake system can be worse then a average rim brake one. I like a stiff lever feel and as a wrench don't suffer form a lack of hand strength to use a low leverage but stiff system. Andy

Scooty Puff Jr

I've found with disc brakes that they tend to get better over time. Breaking them in is important, but it takes a while for pads to completely bed in with the rotors, and depending on how much you use your brakes on your rides, it may take more or less time. Just my 2¢