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I’m partial to a hydro, had 105s on my old 2019(?) Enigma Escape and they were frankly unrivalled in terms of modulation and bite. I buy the minimal to zero advantages over hydro (field-serviceability is overstated IMO), but what makes cable discs fussier? Cable stretch, wear etc.?
Other than installing a headset and building a wheel (which I have zero appetite for when there are so many competent bike shops and wheelbuilders out there), installing and bleeding a hydro disc is pretty much the only other bike thing I haven’t tried. So I’ll get them, but probably next winter when I tinker more and ride less.
Browndonneur-
My experience with cabled discs is more stretch/wear and, contaminated or fraying cables affecting the smoothness of the cable pull, and manually having to adjust the pads and cable every so often. Granted I did a lot of riding and can be a heavy braker.
Bleeding isn't too bad when you've done it a couple of times. I do think Shimano is easier/safer to bleed, but the SRAM bleeding edge port (on brakes that have it) is a nice improvement.
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@infmz covered it well but:
- Adjusting for pad wear is a pain
- Initial setup is a lot more fiddly than hydro brakes
- Modulation is generally poorer
- Truly good mechanical discs cost considerably more than excellent cheap hydros
FWIW, I rode with BB7s for 1,000's and 1,000's of KMs on several bikes. They were fine, and the additional maintenance they required was hardly onerous, but hydros are just so much better that I wouldn't consider mechanical brakes outside of very niche applications.
If you're after brakes that look a little different to Shimano, my colleague really rated these. They look quite nice in the flesh: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/brakes/disc-brake-systems/clarks-crs-4-brakes
- Adjusting for pad wear is a pain
infmz
JacqueLucque
Modern affordable hydro disc brakes are superb. My partner has run the same cheap SLX brakes on her commute every day for six years and I've only ever changed the pads. Mechanical disc brakes are fussy and offer so few meaningful advantages.
Signed – an industry nark who's pushing the pro disc agenda