Anything better than a TRP spyre as a cable disc brake?

I've just built up a bike with a road BB7 (Microshift lever). Night and day compared to the Spyres I sacked off last year; much better braking, much easier to set up. Haven't bothered putting an inline cable tension gizmo into the system, just put a tiny bit of preload on the actuator arm before clamping the cable. I used BB7s for years on a mountain bike: very reliable, just dial the pads in as they wear. Doesn't hurt to wind out the pistons before use and smear a little silicone grease on them.

I'm assuming you can get adaptors to flat mount.

I’ve spent years on BB7s with decent cables and pads.

I’m now 2 years into running TRP Spyres in both the regular finish and fancier SLC(?) versions on a road bike, gravel bike and a fixie. 160mm rotors all around, 100kg rider.

It would take a lot of convincing to go back to the BB7s for regular use.

I’ve had spyres and bb7’s. I preferred the spyres, just seemed all round better designed.

Bb7s need adapters

Do HyRds count?  Used to use Spyres but the HyRds felt much much nicer

After a PSA on here years back, I upgraded my BB7’s for Juin Tech cable/hydros on my CdF and they have been very good. You notice a difference when using full hydro but much better than the old brakes.

I used Spyres for a bit, I think the marmite reviews are mostly because the OEM pads are awful.

With decent aftermarket pads they were more than capable of locking a wheel. Although TBH so are mini-V's, but the spyres were more consistent.

If I was building another bike though I'd probably get some of the Chinese cable/hydro calipers.

I just wish they would improve the pad adjusters on the Spyres, the clicky wheels on the BB7s are much better.

Otherwise TRPs, purely for ability to adjust voth sides for maximum pad clearance

Slight hijack sorry ... I bought some lightly used flat mount TRP Spyres just before Christmas for another gravel build but decided to go hydro  so available if interested , Just want back what i paid for them ..message if interested

Giant Conduct also works well. Should be compatible with flat mount calipers. 

I have just fitted the shimano ones to a gravel build, they are excellent, better than bb7's and only £30 a clapper

BB7 all the way.

Juin tech F1's had some on my gravel bike for about 5 years, so much better than the spyres they replaced, they are cable pulled hydraulics. Recommended.

I've run spyres ony gravel bike for 5 years and was pretty happy with them. Have only taken them off as upgrades the road bike groupset so the hydraulics off that have moved to the gravel bike. They're never going to be as good as hydraulics but set up with jagwire outers I thought they were pretty good.

Let me know if you are interested in a cheap used set

Juin Tech F1s here too. Much better feel than the "pure" cable brakes they replaced. I'm not sure on availability now other than Amazon or Aliexpress.

I have Growtac Equals on my Fargo.  I haven’t had them on for long but they are much better than the Spyres. They have more power, more modulation and feel generally nicer nicer.  Not cheap tho.

I’m not sure on availability now other than Amazon or Aliexpress.

eBay too

I had Shimano ones for years  which were great, before changing to a Giant conduct SL set up which was really very good. Very underated.

Son had Hayes CX on his road bike for a while and they were very good also.

I really struggled to keep my bb7s working well. I just felt like I had to fiddle with them constantly to balance brake rub and bite point. Much preferred spyres for this but only ran them for a couple of months before I got a deal on some Hy/rds which were a big upgrade on both. From what I hear the other hybrid calipers are similarly good.

Yes, BB7s ime/imo.
Have used BB7s and Spyres for a long time, a couple of years on one, then the other, then swapping back etc. Also BB7 mtn Vs Spykes on an MTB. BB7s are the better brake design - for the same cable pull, a single-sided piston lever and the ball bearings mean the modulation is better and I prefer the lever feel you get from them. The tri-align system is great too. I'd say you can get closer to a hydraulic brake modulation with BB7s. They also don't need adjusting quite as often as Spyres ime for the same leverage ratio reasons (same compound pads used in both). When they do need a click it's a tool-free job, not that it's a big effort to grab an allen key for the Spyres, the BB7 adjusters are just one less faff point on a longer trip with luggage and big descents.
Both need setting up well and having swapped to-fro a few times I'd say part of the 'I went from X to Y and Y is better' may be simply that the set up level was better with the newer brake.

Tip for either brake, use compressionless outer on the rear and standard Shimano outer on the front, then you get almost identical lever feel F+R.

Edit to add, I'd concede that BB7s are harder to set up really well since the static pad needs to be set very close to the rotor and you need to check the rotors are as straight as possible, plus keep that static pad gap consistent so the pads wear evenly.

BB7s are fine, Spyres are also fine. The double sided adjustment for the Spyres makes them a winner for me. I don't miss the adjuster wheel from the BB7s as they're only on one side and so stiff using a tool is easier. 

Major thing to note with the BB7's is they stick out a long way.  If you are mounting them on the chainstay, your heels will probably hit them and if they are on the seatstay then fitting a rack or mudguards can be a problem.  This was the reason I changed from BB7's to Hy/Rd's, but the braking is better with the Hy/Rd's.  The profile of the Spyres is similar to the Hy/Rd's.

This review is pretty much spot in IME

Review: TRP Spyre mechanical disc brake | road.cc

I ran Spyres on a 105 road bike for quite a few years as a commuter, before a Shimano hydro disc bike replaced it. Honestly, there's not a huge difference between them. The hydro discs are fit and forget, if correctly installed; the only maintenance has been changing pads. With the Spyres, caliper alignment and pad choice is critical (and pads are fortunately ubiquitous), along with nipping the cable up every few weeks depending on conditions, but I can't recall a time I felt underbraked - even in the depths of winter on grotty roads battling the motorists and potholes.
They did a great job for me, and were brilliant value for money.

Another vote for Juin tech. I have them on a spare cx bike and Mrs kilo has them on her commuter, neither bike gets much love but the brakes just keep working are far better than the cable brakes they replaced.

I ran Spyres for ages on my cross bike, they were 'okay' at best even with an over-sized front rotor, decent pads and compressionless cable housings. I swapped the front for a HyRd or whatever the TRP hybrid thing's called and that was better, but the single best thing I ever did to that bike was to fit Shimano hydro GRX levers and some old XT brake calipers. Just massively better in every respect bar cost. I've used BB7s in the past and thought performance was similar to Spyres, but more faffy to live with in terms of day-to-day adjustment, 

But yeah, if you don't want to go full hydraulics, the hybrid-type ones that use a cable to activate a hydraulic caliper are better ime.

I had Spyres - OK but not confidence inspiring - replaced them with Juin F1 which were heaps better.

I also tried the cheap Aliexpress cable/hydr ones which were mid way between Spyres and F1s.

Money no object would be Pauls, but really the F1 are the sweet spot for me.

As with all cable disc brakes, the rear cable annoyingly points slightly upwards, which encourages water ingress that then gradually rusts / siezes the inner cable at the lowest point around the BB. You need to try everyghing you can to seal the end of the cable outer/ inner as it terminates at the rear brake, using o rings, cable ends, vaseline etc. And check / replace the inner regularly, or you'll find you have no rear brake one day when hooning down the first hill from home. Apparently.