Are cable disc brakes really this bad?

[upsidedownmark]

As many have said is that cable discs require a bit more TLC and adjustment than hydraulic. Not overly so, nor really more than a caliper brake in my experience.
Otherwise they are not intrinsically 'st', therefore the logical conclusion would be that yours are not working as designed.

Does the lever come back to the bar?
Does it feel firm, but no bite?
Have you washed or otherwise put anything other than water near them or the disc while cleaning the bike?
Any signs of uneven pad wear?
Anything inhibiting the movement of the lever at the caliper end?
Cable outers fine, properly installed and seated at the ends?

[colin_p]

I rate Avid BB7 cable disc brakes as good as hydraulics. They've been around a long long time and have not been bettered, that is if you want a cable disc setup.

[Devil2575]

Jimboka said:

Interesting thread. I'm looking at getting a new commuter bike - cable disc bikes will be off the menu!

Why? There's nothing wrong with them.

[Devil2575]

upsidedownmark said:

As many have said is that cable discs require a bit more TLC and adjustment than hydraulic. Not overly so, nor really more than a caliper brake in my experience.
Otherwise they are not intrinsically 'st', therefore the logical conclusion would be that yours are not working as designed.

Does the lever come back to the bar?
Does it feel firm, but no bite?
Have you washed or otherwise put anything other than water near them or the disc while cleaning the bike?
Any signs of uneven pad wear?
Anything inhibiting the movement of the lever at the caliper end?
Cable outers fine, properly installed and seated at the ends?

A good post.

[Madness60]

I've got TRP spyres cable disc brakes on my Giant and I'm very happy with them. In the wet, they can make a bit of a noise at times but the consistency and ability to brake hard (easily enough to lock the wheels) in all conditions or being able to brake on long descents without worrying is great.

OP's brakes, as others have said, seem to be knackered rather than all cable disc brakes.

I wouldn't want to go back.

[anonymous-user]

Devil2575 said:

Jimboka said:

Interesting thread. I'm looking at getting a new commuter bike - cable disc bikes will be off the menu!

Why? There's nothing wrong with them.

This thread suggests that a degree of faffing about is often required.
I'd couldn't be bothered with it on a daily bike TBH.

[Steve vRS]

TRP Spyres on my Giant TCX and the day I changed the rear calliper for a hybrid hydraulic was a revelation. It now works without a daily adjustment and I'm saving up to replace the front for next season. As has been said, they work well but the endless adjustment for an off-road bike is a pain and the drop off in performance when the pads are a bit out is alarming.

[JQ]

upsidedownmark said:

As many have said is that cable discs require a bit more TLC and adjustment than hydraulic. Not overly so, nor really more than a caliper brake in my experience.
Otherwise they are not intrinsically 'st', therefore the logical conclusion would be that yours are not working as designed.

Does the lever come back to the bar?
Does it feel firm, but no bite?
Have you washed or otherwise put anything other than water near them or the disc while cleaning the bike?
Any signs of uneven pad wear?
Anything inhibiting the movement of the lever at the caliper end?
Cable outers fine, properly installed and seated at the ends?

Levers drop back about half way and are quite squishy. When they do grab it's pretty weak and akin to riding my road bike in the wet. I can now at least lock the wheels but that requires a significant degree of pressure, far more than would be required on either my road bike or MTB. Can't see any issues with the pads or cables. I've driven to work today and will be contacting Wiggle today about sending it back.

[Devil2575]

Jimboka said:

Devil2575 said:

Jimboka said:

Interesting thread. I'm looking at getting a new commuter bike - cable disc bikes will be off the menu!

Why? There's nothing wrong with them.

This thread suggests that a degree of faffing about is often required.
I'd couldn't be bothered with it on a daily bike TBH.

No more than with rim brakes in my experience. You need to adjust them as the pads wear but it's no big deal. However if you are going to be riding is poor weather all year round then discs are a lot better.

[IREvans]

JQ said:

My wife got me a hybrid bike to cycle to work on for Christmas. (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-division-2-2016/) It's got Shimano Altus with 160mm rotors cable disc brakes. Today is the first proper ride I've had on it, 8 miles to work and the brakes are shocking, far worse than my road bike with standard caliper brakes and a mile behind my MTB with hydraulic discs.

The pads just don't seem to grab the discs. Is this because the bike is new and the pads and discs need to bed in, or am I stuck with it like this?

Cheers

Not the news you'll want I imagine, but I have riden a few bikes with cable operated disc brakes, and even if they are setup correctly, they are quite troublesome to maintain, and in my view, lack the power of a well setup rim brake. I have Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes on 2 bikes, they hardly ever need adjusting, and give superb feel and power.

Not sure whether you really want to, or have time to fiddle and set them up yourself, but If I were you, I'd take the bike to your local bike shop, and get them to bed the brakes in and adjust them correctly. Will be money well spent.

[SixPotBelly]

IREvans said:

Not the news you'll want I imagine, but I have riden a few bikes with cable operated disc brakes, and even if they are setup correctly, they are quite troublesome to maintain, and in my view, lack the power of a well setup rim brake. I have Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes on 2 bikes, they hardly ever need adjusting, and give superb feel and power.

Not sure whether you really want to, or have time to fiddle and set them up yourself, but If I were you, I'd take the bike to your local bike shop, and get them to bed the brakes in and adjust them correctly. Will be money well spent.

I'm a big fan of hydraulic disc brakes but my brief experiences of cable disc brakes have been equally disappointing.

Unlike for a drop bar bike, flat handlebar hydraulic disc brakes are really quite affordable. Rather than pay a shop to set up cable brakes I'd buy a pair of hydraulics. Better feel, better braking and no regular fettling required.

One of the first to reply suggested the Clarks M2. Could be good, but personally I've found Clarks stuff a bit hit or miss. Shimano hydraulics have a good rep though, and I'd be looking at something like these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-acera-m...

£25 per wheel. Spend the money once, and get rid of the problem.

[Pothole]

JQ said:

Cheers for the info.

I've got to say it's pretty disappointing that a bike built and set-up by the manufacturer requires further tinkering to make something as important as the brakes work effectively.

You know this site started as a TVR forum, don't you?

[shouldbworking]

For a hybrid or indeed any flat bar bike I would get a basic set of deore hydraulic brakes.

I have cable discs on my cyclocross/commuter bike and they work great, but they were a pain to set up and require frequent adjustment to stay at their best. It's still a bit costly to change to hydraulic road levers so I persist with them.

[uncinqsix]

SixPotBelly said:

Shimano hydraulics have a good rep though, and I'd be looking at something like these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-acera-m...

£25 per wheel. Spend the money once, and get rid of the problem.

I have the previous version (M395) on my commuter. Put almost 15000km on them in all weather and gone through 8-9 sets of pads (steep hills are hard on brakes). Zero maintenance, and they're still performing faultlessly.

[SteveSteveson]

I found that AVID BB5s were awful on the front of my bike, but fine for the rear. TPR HYRD have been much better. Not as good as full hydro, but better than any rim brakes I have used. I haven't found they need much fiddling once set up. Getting them right in the first place took a bit of adjustment, but not too much. Now I just have to tighten the cable from time to time. When the cables need changing I'll probably switch to compressionless cables which apparently makes a huge difference.

Pothole said:

You know this site started as a TVR forum, don't you?

Lol.

[Barchettaman]

JQ, does the outboard pad have an adjustment dial, or is it fixed?

If they´re a single-dial set up like the Avid BB5 I found this guide very helpful in setting them up:

http://www.the-house.com/portal/how-to-adjust-avid...

[Andy JB]

Jimboka said:

Interesting thread. I'm looking at getting a new commuter bike - cable disc bikes will be off the menu!

Please don't - the pads & discs need bedding in - not heard of the water treatment before but a few sharp stops one after another will soon bed them in.

My daughters Cross Bike and Winter bike use cable disc brakes & they work great. If you think of the punishment a cross race gives the brakes they take far more abuse and work better than any rim brake, so they surely would on road. Dead easy to adjust and IMO more variable & modular than hydraulic disc brakes esp for road use.

[JQ]

Cheers for all the assistance offered. I have arranged for the bike to go back to Wiggle and am just waiting for them to send out a new bike box so I can return it.

I do get what you're all saying about trying to tinker with them to get them working properly and possibly I could make them better, but it just defeats the object of the purchase which was to reduce the amount of time faffing. I've been cycling to work for the last 5 years on a mix of MTB's and road bike and I've never had to adjust the brakes on any of my bikes other than an annual service at the LBS. The plan now is to make my current MTB a permanent commuter bike and I'll pick up a new MTB for weekend duties.

[ecsrobin]

I prefer my cable avid BB7 discs over the cheese that is the avid elixir 1 hydraulic brakes that are fitted to my XC bike. However neither were as good as my hope M4's but the cables are good enough for me not to want to change them.

[Sylvaforever]

if you think about it v brakes on the rims have the advantage of greater rotational speed vs the slower speed of discs on the hub..hydraulic discs on the hub have the advantage of force multiplying but cable discs on the hub have neither...?