Mechanical or cable actuated disc brakes are generally hated in the bike industry, especially when it comes to road bikes! But can they match modern hydraulic disc?

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Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure, or depending on which way you look at it, the curse of testing a large number of mechanical or cable actuated disc brakes. I’ve always maintained they’re a viable option when building bikes on a budget, even on a lightweight carbon road bike.

The main drawback is that they tend to fall well behind hydraulic disc brakes in terms of performance, so unless you can afford a hydraulic groupset, most people will tell you to stick with rim-brake. However, there was always a mechanical disc brake caliper I wanted to try but never got the chance, the TRP HY/RD or HY-ROAD.

A few months ago, I saw them going for a song on eBay so decided to take the plunge and give them a go. They have exceeded ALL my expectations, and in my opinion prove that mechanical disc can come EXTREMELY close to the performance of hydraulic disc brakes.

These calipers are extremely well designed, and have a particular feature that sets them apart for virtually all other mechanical calipers available. So in this episode, I'll do a real-world brake test against hydraulic brakes, tear the caliper apart to show you what makes it so special, and with the cost of hydraulic groupsets at an all time low, ultimately answer the question of whether mechanical disc is still a viable option in 2024.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Start
00:35 – Intro
02:56 – TRP HY/RD - Braking performance
04:54 – Real world brake test
10:43 – Siroko sponsor
11:55 – Caliper teardown
16:22 – Is mechanical disc still viable?
19:23 – Bonus frog time

Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - http://www.go2dev.co.uk

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Please note:
I am not a professionally trained bike mechanic. There can be risks associated with using products that are unbranded, untested, or come from sources where the provenance is unknown. Please talk to a qualified bike mechanic if you are in any doubt.

In essence, be careful, do your research, and cycle safe!!!