Cable operated disc brakes

[francovendee]

My son has asked me if they are any good as he has an opportunity to get a good deal on a bike fitted with these.
I've never had disk brakes so I thought I'd ask here.
He's had hydraulic discs on mountain bikes but never ridden one with cable disc brakes.
Are they all the same or are some makes better than others?
By the way it's a road bike.

[KM2]

Never had any problems with them, even when ladened. I find them easier to adjust. Make sure the pads are good.

[PT1029]

Provided the bike (and so the brakes) are of a reasonable quality (and well adjusted) they should be ok or better. If the cables feel a bit draggy (or worse), you'll loose a fair bit of braking power in cable friction, and new cables will work wonders.
Not all cable disc calipers adjust in the same manner, so it is usually worth searching for adjusting instructions.
Cable discs will certainly not be as sharp as hydraulic brakes if that is your son's only reference for braking. That said, the cable brakes on my tourer and tandem work well.
Really cheap bikes can have the most appauling cable disc brakes (I have seen quite a few at work!).

[Cowsham]

Really cheap bikes can have the most appauling cable disc brakes (I have seen quite a few at work!).

I've been bit by this one -- bought cable disc bikes for the wanes about 13 years ago and they were crrraaapp!
I don't have any experience with better quality cable brakes but have found the cheap Clark's hydraulic brakes are really good and trouble free ( I assume they're cheap as they came standard on my cheap 2021 Halfords carrera bike )

[Psamathe]

I've been very happy with cable disc brakes both on my DF upright as well as on my tadpole bent. But both have good quality brakes (Hayes on the upright and BB7 on the bent).

Ian

[cyclop]

Have had avid bb7 on my mtb for a few years now.They,ve been fine,no issues.Not quite as good as my previous hydraulics but more than enough power for my brisk Xcountry on non technical trails,majority of which are main forest trails.Rider weight,13st,bike weight 30lbs,full suss.

[gxaustin]

I used TRP cable hydraulic brakes. They were not quite as good as full hydraulic, mainly in terms of modulation. A good upgrade was the fitting of compressionless brake cable outers which made the brake lever much firmer.
It means that you can use a cable groupset on a disc bike too.

[Tiberius]

I used TRP cable hydraulic brakes. They were not quite as good as full hydraulic, mainly in terms of modulation. A good upgrade was the fitting of compressionless brake cable outers which made the brake lever much firmer.
It means that you can use a cable groupset on a disc bike too.

Completely agree with all of that - Great brakes.

[yostumpy]

I have all 4. TRP Spyre on my tourer, BB7 on my touring recumbent , Old Shimano Hydraulics on my mtb, and V brakes with linear pull drop bar levers and travel agents on our tandem.
The Shimano Hyraulics are by far the best of the bunch, followed by the other 3, where there is not much in it really. I found that replacing the cable outers on the Spyres with good ‘non compressible’ones made a big difference also fitting in line lube ferrules, as the outers are one piece. One thing tho , is brake fade. On a club night ride recently, it was wet and dark as about 20 of us came down a very steep lane covered in gravel, veery carefully, and I found that even with alternating the brakes, that by the time I was at the bottom, they were only about 25% good. A bit worrying in such a short space of time.
Recently bought a tandem (Dawes kickback two) that had Shimano cantilevers with original ‘ hard’ pads, these were terrible, so I swapped them for a set of V brakes off my old Orange MTB, and some Tektro RL 340 levers off my old road bike, along with a pair of Chinese copy ‘travel agents’, and new Clark’s ‘thin line’ pads. And I must say, not having used V brakes now for probably 10 years or more, how very good they are. A nice feel, and stop well. If I bought a new frame now, I think I would go back to V brakes, and yes I know that discs are better in the rain etc, but in all honesty, how often does it rain. For MTB though , discs are a must I think, especially in winter. Cheers.

[maximus meridius]

I used TRP cable hydraulic brakes. They were not quite as good as full hydraulic, mainly in terms of modulation. A good upgrade was the fitting of compressionless brake cable outers which made the brake lever much firmer.
It means that you can use a cable groupset on a disc bike too.

Are they these please? https://trpcycling.com/product/hy-rd/

[deeferdonk]

Another happy TRP cable hydraulic brake user here - and would also recommend the compression less housing to be used with them.

That link looks right - mine are TRP hy-rd.

[Cowsham]

If I bought a new frame now, I think I would go back to V brakes, and yes I know that discs are better in the rain etc, but in all honesty, how often does it rain?

You don't live in Northern Ireland then.

[yostumpy]

If I bought a new frame now, I think I would go back to V brakes, and yes I know that discs are better in the rain etc, but in all honesty, how often does it rain?

You don't live in Northern Ireland then.

[mattsccm]

Pick your brakes.
Generally Avid BB7s are regarded as very good as are the double moving pad TRP Spyre. The TRP thats hydraulic but operated by a cable is very good. You ca get Chinese copies of these at a variety of prices but they are all the same caliper. My experience is that they are fine as well.
Other cable operated calipers have a mixed reputation. The Shimanos are Ok, you see few complaints. The Hayes ones less so as with the Clarks. . One TRP, dammed if I can remember the name and I have a set, are dangerous as they go over cam. Cheapy ones are a pain. You really need to be able to adjust the rear, non moving, pad either with a knob as in the BB7s or by itself as the TRP does.
Lets have more details.

[Jupestar]

I find them absolutely fine on a MTB with the longer pull lever. There is a lack of modulation for trimming speed but they work, are reliable and easy to service.

With road bikes (drop levers) I've always struggled. They are a bit finicky and there is generally a lack of STI levers which will work well with the calipers. I find the older rim brake levers don't take mechanical discs particularly well. There are a few which have the longer pull, but identifying which ones is a challenge. Shimano is slightly easier that SRAM.

If you have a set that work I'm sure they are fine. But matching a set is harder than it sounds..