Trp Spykes vs bb7

[Imlach]

So I'm about to order new brakes as I gave up learning hydraulic maintenance and I never, ever want to feel so out of my depth again as it will lead me to leave civilised life and become a knife sharpening tinker, only to realise that I missed the mark by over 50 years and I'd be left with a life under a bridge living bottle to bottle

So. Trp Spykes: people say they're good as they're easy to setup. But they cost more than the bb7 and they don't come with rotors included

Bb7, people say they're harder to setup. But should have equal braking power to the trp

What shall I get?

 

[jonnyboy666]

i hate both to be honest, but bb7's i think work better down the line, older design, easy to set up, did a set today, genuine pads are expensive but the generic ones are fine anyway, i had a pair of spykes on my first fat bike, ok for the first few rides then just lost their bite where as the bb7 if set up correctly seem to retain their bite. that said, i'd buy hydraulic instead of cable any day of the week and twice on sundays.

 

[Woz]

Did we not have a few stabs on this question earlier? When BB7 came out which is actually donkeys years ago, they were defacto type mechanicals. I was disappointed with them. Flogged the lot. My only disk only frame is still in a box but with Spykes in a box waiting for me to pull my finger out and try. By know BB7 are probably surpassed by even low stuff from Shimano knowing how Shimano can tweak stuff.

On the road side, my brother swears by the TRP Spyres as a massive improvement of the BB7 Road version.

 

[Imlach]

Oh yes I've seen plenty of threads on the matter, also on different forums, but I figured why not spruce up another monotonous Sunday evening with an argument that cannot be won

 

[Imlach]

People are saying that the trp wears more evenly due to the fact that both pads engage the rotor. I've got a 160mm rotor on there already, I'm assuming that there is no difference between rotors for hydraulic and mechanical? I could potentially get the Spykes and just use the rotors that are on the bike. But it's still cheaper to get the bb7 with brand new rotors.

 

[Woz]

Yeah. Two posts in, within a 4 min gap. It's gone that way already.

Think you will need to bribe us with drink for a reply that suits your gut feeling.

 

[Imlach]

Yeah. Two posts in, within a 4 min gap. It's gone that way already.

Think you will need to bribe us with drink for a reply that suits your gut feeling.

Let me get this bolognese simmered and then I'll go fetch the bottles

 

[Woz]

People are saying that the trp wears more evenly due to the fact that both pads engage the rotor. I've got a 160mm rotor on there already, I'm assuming that there is no difference between rotors for hydraulic and mechanical? I could potentially get the Spykes and just use the rotors that are on the bike. But it's still cheaper to get the bb7 with brand new rotors.

You can not use rotors with a rigid spider on BB7s. The whole principal requires the rotor to flex because one pad is in a fixed position.

Basically, one pad pushes the rotor toward the other pad.

 

[Imlach]

You can not use rotors with a rigid spider on BB7s. The whole principal requires the rotor to flex because one pad is in a fixed position.

Basically, one pad pushes the rotor toward the other pad.

How does one know if the rotor is rigid? Do I just give it a good squeeze and if it moves then it's flexible and if I'm on the way to the A&E with a nasty cut it's rigid?

 

[Woz]

Well.....This is a rigid spider. Matches cranks with proper 5 arms and shit:





Otherwise, it looks like it was pressed out of one of these or someone had a go with tin snips out of boredom: