TRP Spyre SLC Mechanical Disc Brakes

At the moment, buying a mid range disc brake equipped road bike or cyclocross bike means that there is an extremely high chance you'll end up with a pair of TRP Spyres bolted to it. In the tidal wave of new disc bike drop bar bikes appearing on the market, the Spyre has become the benchmark for ease of setup, use and reliability.

We tested the original TRP Spyres back last year, and it's fair to say we were impressed. For the updated version of the Spyre tested here - the Spyre SLC - the aforementioned set up was very easy. To get the most out of the SLCs, TRP suggest you use their supplied inner and outer cables. For the most part these cables are the same as any others you would use. The main difference is that the cable designed to run from the hoods under the bartape is made from an articulated metal pipe, and is noticeably stiffer. This is presumably to reduce the amount of deflection you get in the outer - which often leads to a cable disc brake feeling spongy.

My only gripe with the cable set up was the clamp used to secure the cable at the updated carbon calliper. It's a very small Torx screw, and essentially squashes the inner cable into a barrel. This system needs to be done up tight, otherwise sharp pulls on the brake can lead to the cable coming free from the calliper and the rather alarming result of having no brakes available. (Admittedly I didn't use a torque wrench for this job, but I have no doubt using one to TRPs settings would prevent this happening). Doing up the cable this tight deforms it quite a lot, and in fact made it fray at the rear slightly when secured.

Another slight let down for the SLCs were the rotors provided. I found that out of the box, the rotors were not true when bolted to my hub. I had to spend a bit of time giving them a bend with an adjustable spanner, in order to get them perfectly in line to prevent the dreaded ching of rotor against pad. Having got them true now, I haven't had an issue since.

Out on the road and trail, braking power seems to be a significant improvement over the regular Spyres I have on my main CX bike - although this can't be taken as a perfectly fair test due to the fact that I wasn't using the same levers on both bikes. I use "old" 10sp 105 levers on Spyre SLCs, while I use the new 105 11sp levers for the regular Spyres. In terms of reliability, the SLCs have been excellent. I have used them for a hell of a lot of road mileage, along with 4 cyclocross races now, so they've been through conditions ranging from dry roads to squelchy grass to full on bog races - and they've been as reliable as any hydraulic system I've ever tried. There's a clear bite point and plenty of modulation for when you are looking to just scrub a bit of speed, regardless of being on or off road. The cables and actuation arms still move smoothly and freely, despite several race-then-wash cycles of mud, grit and degreaser. Pad life also seems to be excellent, I'm nowhere near needing a new set of pads yet.

Possibly the biggest question for me on these brakes is 'Are they worth it over the standard Spyres?'. For me, its a bit of a toss up, but I'm not sure I could justify spending an extra 20 quid an end for what is essentially a very similar brake to the original Spyre. The SLCs only provide 8g worth of weight savings at each end, and while they may be noticeably more powerful than the original Spyres, it's not as if I was particularly underpowered before. The aesthetic of the SLCs is slightly nicer, but again, not £40 nicer in my eyes.

Overall these brakes are excellent. Our previous verdict of the TRP Spyre being the best mechanical solution out there, still rings true with these callipers. But for a penny under ninety quid, the marginal improvements in the SLC over the considerably cheaper version just don't seem practical to me.

Verdict

Quite possibly the best mechanical disc brake solution out there - more expensive than its predecessor but less expensive than a hydraulics