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So I just installed some HY/RD calipers to replace my slightly lacking Spyre's. But unfortunately, they are unuseably slack despite me following the installation instructions.
Having spent an hour googling for potential problems, I finally found it -- TRP RRL levers, which I have, aren't compatible with the HY/RD brakes.
This is infuriating and confusing. TRP RRL are road brake levers, I was running them with with TRP's road cable-pull Spyre's, and the HY-RD are also designed for road levers. I have no idea why TRP have designed their own levers to be incompatible with one of only two cable brakes that they make -- not to mention how they've managed to do this.
Anyone faced this or a similar problem with HY/RD's?
TRP only make two road cable brakes and one road cable lever --
Sorry, not the same problem and likely not what you want to hear but I had a set of HY-RD and they were the worst for doing any maintenance on. Ended up getting Spyres!
It might be the same as with campy levers where there isn't enough throw in the levers to pull the brakes on correctly. What I did was file a very small groove on the other side of the clamp bolt on the HY/RDs so I could move the cable closer to the pivot point and hence need less throw to pull them on. You also have to pull the cable quite tight before clamping to remove any slack but remember to have the locking screw in place when you do it otherwise the brakes will never fully open when you release them and they won't be able to compensate for pad wear. The brakes won't work as well as with the correct levers but they should work. YMMV and of course you might not want to do this as you are messing with your brakes and that always comes with some risk.
The brakes are fantastic when mated with the correct levers but are a real pita with the wrong levers.
So what is the solution - use levers with MTB pull ratio? I never got Spyres to work properly with Shimano levers; they ended up better (but still not great) with V-pull Cane Creek levers.
Weird, I've just installed a new set of RRL levers to use with my Hy/Ed brakes, only used them a few times but the braking seems really good. Assume you're using decent compressionless brake housing?
I had them with 105 levers and they were OK but I did the same hack as leffeboy to try to improve performance.
Thanks all, I'm a bit unsure how to sort this then.
It seems I either have to:
1) Shorten the caliper pull, either by filing a new cable grove as @leffeboy suggests, or buying expensive aftermarket actuator arms from JJP. I don't really fancy the former, but may consider the latter (begrudgingly).
2) Buy some Sram single speed levers (probably the S900), as TRP do say the HY/RD are compatible with all Sram and Shimano levers.
3) Buy some cheap long-pull Tektro dropbar levers.
I'm not convinced Sram levers will sort it (or even the aftermarket arms), as my current levers pull basically to the bars before contacting the rotor (that's with Jagwire compressionless housing and stretched cables, @steezysix). This suggest that long-pull should work, as @montgomery suggests, given the cable pull will be twice my current levers, which will mean pad contact half way through the lever stroke.
However, if your HY/RD's work with RRL's, @steezysix, that kind of suggests something weird is going on with my calipers. I don't want to buy more levers and faff around installing them only to still have problems...
that kind of suggests something weird is going on with my calipers
Did you remember to push the locking pin in when initially tightening the cables to the calipers and setting everything up? If you didn't then the arm on the caliper may never go out enough to open the port that lets extra fluid in or out to compensate for pad wear. It's an easy thing to miss and if you are pulling the cables tight by hand it's possible to set them up a little too tight if that locking pin isn't in place
@leffeboy, yes I did it with the locking pins in. I could probably sort them by (over)tightening them without the locking pins in place, then loosing them off every few weeks to let them compensate for pad wear. But if that required undoing the cable it would be a pita, and may leave my cable at risk of snapping as well I guess.
Ah bummer. They are a real pita to get adjusted just right if you don't have matching levers. Those replacement short arms look really nice but I'm not sure they are available at a sensible price outside the US
Mine were a never ending faff with Shimano 105 levers. Ended up with a leaking \ dead one after a year or two of commuting. Put Shimano hydraulic on and night and day improvement.
Ah bummer. They are a real pita to get adjusted just right if you don’t have matching levers. Those replacement short arms look really nice but I’m not sure they are available at a sensible price outside the US
@leffeboy, yea, it's a shame as they definitely would be all the brake I needed, but if I'd known they'd require new levers, I would have just gone for full hydraulics (or stuck with my Spyres)
I run a set on one of my bikes with Dura Ace 10 speed levers and Jagwire cables.
I am happy with them,but I ignored the locking pin method and set the pad gap by feel with some shims.
Will have a look when out in the shed later.
Oh oh, I think I just discovered another potential fix.
The RRL levers have a quick release button to loosen rim brakes enough to squeeze a tyre out. So I just reset the cable tension on my rear HY/RD caliper with the caliper locking pin in, but also the lever's quick release on (so with extra cable slack).
The brake now seems to work (I'll have to ride it). Obviously the cable is too tight for the auto pad adjustment to work, but hopefully all I have to do to rectify this is click the lever QR in and squeeze the brake a few times. That can even be done on the move on flat ground.
It's not ideal, but def easier than winding the non-self-adjusting pads in on a Spyre caliper.