Mechanical Disc Brakes | Juin Tech F1, Zrace, Nutt | The ultimate guide

Head-to-head test, & long-term review. Which of these mechanical disc brake callipers will come out on top?
AFTERSHOKZ - bit.ly/tracevelo-aeropex - Use code 'Tracevelo5' for £5 off your order
Mechanical disc brakes on road bikes are a bit of a hot topic right now. They are disliked by many, but as disc brake becomes the new default in the road bike industry, we are seeing them more and more, as many entry to mid-level bikes are shipping from the factory with them. But are they a valid option for the budget minded cyclist, and what are they like to live with day to day? Well for the last year, and over 3000 miles, I have been testing a variety of different types on my Chinese carbon road bike.
The Nutt calipers from AliExpress are a dual sided flat mount variety, much like the TRP Spyre, Avid BB7, or Tektro C550 brake calipers. They are the cheapest and heaviest ones I have tried, but while the braking performance was ok, the build quality and general feel of them was distinctly lacking.
The Juin Tech F1, and ZRace callipers on the other hand are a dual piston hybrid hydraulic design, very similar to the TRP HY/RD brakes. They are cable actuated, but rather than a mechanical camming mechanism, they use a hydraulic piston mounted to caliper itself to provide the stopping power. These are a better choice in my opinion, but how much better are they?
Well in this video I will be comparing the three calipers, putting them head-to-head in a braking test, and showing you some of the issues I faced using mechanical disc brakes day to day.
Got any questions or comments, stick them below 👇 and I'll try and get back to as many of you as I can!
Noah and Theo brake pads: www.ebay.co.uk/str/noahandthe...
Timestamps:
00:00 - Start
00:31 - Sponsor segment
02:11 - Intro
04:31 - Juin Tech F1 calipers
06:00 - ZRace calipers
07:36 - Nutt calipers
08:33 - Caliper weight
09:01 - Why choose mechanical disc?
11:37 - Testing methodology & setup
16:47 - Testing results
20:12 - Caliper Durability
24:16 - Living with mechanical disc
31:09 - Final thoughts
34:09 - Bonus test
Intro roll:
Created by Dev Joshi - www.go2dev.co.uk
Music:
Birocratic (birocratic.lnk.to/allYL)
Fresh Healthy Perspectives,
Lakey Inspired ( / lakeyinspired )
The Process, In my Dreams
Noir Et Blanc Vie ( / billyocean2185 )
MydNyte, Still Not Rite, QuangerineCream
NoMBe ( / @nombe )
Take Me Down to The Fashion Show
R.LUM.R ( / @r.lum.r )
Copycat
About Trace Velo:
I love cycling, and I love getting pro cycling kit for less. If it’s cheap, from China, and made of carbon fibre, I’m interested!
Instagram:
/ tracevelo
Email:
[e-mail]
Please note:
With the exception of Aftershokz, all other products demonstrated in this video have been purchased by me, and I have no affiliation to any of the sellers or vendors shown.
In addition, 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!!!

[@deskelly9313]

My favourite YT cycling channel - zero snobbery, zero shilling and really engaging

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Des, appreciate it!

[@boots8683]

lmao woke

[@aveedub7403]

Fab intro, made smile. At last another vid to watch, as eagerly anticipated as my monthly sub to cycling plus and the 'comic' . Excellent Luke keep up the good work!

[@TraceVelo]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@crbondur]

I know, right? =D

[@michaelstevens4641]

Been running the Juin brakes on my gravel bike for the past 6 months without a problem (mine came with 160mm discs). I don't ride hard (older rider) but I do weigh 240lbs (108kg), live in the foothills of a mountain range and no problems stopping. Also switched from flat bar to drop bar once I got some flexibility back and redoing the cables was easy.

[@rickgreham6559]

This sheer amount of content and details are just great. Thanks Luke for the hard work. You're the common bikers' hero.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Rick, what an awesome comment!!!

[@iMadrid11]

Still waiting for a first ever budget Power Meter review Luke.

[@milandavidovic5723]

I use an old Power hub, they Are cool and cheap.

[@TraceVelo]

Me too chris... me too. But in all seriousness I do need to look into this. The thing which is holding me back, is that it's no good just getting a few cheap ones, I also need to baseline them against a well respected power meter from the likes of Quarq or Garmin, and they are $$$. But I'll see what I can do, maybe i can rent one....

[@abedfo88]

@@TraceVelo Hey Luke i can recommend the sigeyi axo power meter, it runs beautifully with a Z-race crankset.

[@micahsherer7189]

I got a magene one on their Kickstarter, and that's been pretty good for me.

[@jamble7k]

most of the cheap ones fit shimano cranks

[@greigmackay8465]

Used Juin Techs for a few years now, had them on a gravel bike initially to replace a set of TRP Spyres mechanical brakes. Now got the Juin Techs fitted to my titanium winter road bike with semi sintered pads and good quality shimano rotors and decent inner and outer cables, end result, awesome brakes for the road. They never squeel and the power and modulation is more than enough. For reference, on my other 2 summer road bikes I have sram force hydraulic and shimano duraace hydraulic brakes. Both using ice tech rotors. I would say the sram force are most out and out powerful. With an initial sharper bite compared to the dura ace and juin techs. Durability wise, I have had zero issues with the Juin Techs. I also had TRP Hy-rds for a while and they never felt as good or were as reliable as the Juin Techs. In terms of Shimano hydraulic brakes. The calipers are very poorly made got them in 105 and GRX on other bikes. Had 2 replace 2 calipers in the space of less than 2 years. Piston seals leak very easily and also the calipers themselves corrode very quickly. Up here in Scotland where it is wet a lot and we have salt on our roads for about 6 months of the year! The shimano's are not robust. Sram are much better quality in this regard. So are the Juin Techs. Overall I 100% recommend the Juin Techs. They also make a 4 piston caliper model if you required more stopping power 😂 Great video as always Luke 👍😎

[@greigmackay8465]

@HuskyOps the Hyrds leaked fluid. And are not as robust as the juin techs. Also they hyrds are really bulky in post mount format and as a result they don't fit all frames due to lack of space at the rear caliper. A friend of mine also had hyrds and he too suffered from leaking pistons. He uses the clarks version of the ones tested by luke in this video. No issues other than the one he highlighted due to the pivot arm not being as well sealed as the juin techs are.

[@greigmackay8465]

@HuskyOps overall, I would say the Juin Techs appear to be a better design, and by using them with quality semi sintered pads and shimano rotors. They work really well in all situations. For reference I use them with current 10spd Tiagra shifters and Jagwire brake cables.

[@itstheterranaut]

Thanks Greig. Firstly, I agree with what you've said re Shimano. One thing I would add: grafting on Shimano MTB callipers to 105 hydro or GRX is easy and is a great fix for leaky callipers. The MTB callipers are easy to find and relatively cheap. In fact, my wife's 'adventure' bike is built around a 5 year old Planet X XLS, with 105 hydro shifters mated to basic Deore MTB callipers. Handy as its a post-mount frame, and reliable so far.

[@libraryofpapel]

Thanks for detailed post. What make of semi-sintered pads / cable outer/inner do you use?

[@greigmackay8465]

@@libraryofpapel I just use them with Jagwire cables and uberbike brake pads 👍

[@stevenmoore6783]

I have a solution for your back brake not returning to normal position. Use a coil spring between end of cable and cable tightening nut. Basically, spring over the exposed cable.

[@TraceVelo]

Steven... you nailed it, what a great idea, that would totally have worked!!!!!

[@szurketaltos2693]

Damn, that's galaxy brain. Going to have to do that.

[@ActivityPhoto]

Or maybe its the severe angle on the rear brake cable thats the problem.

[@Andy-co6pn]

I had the same thought watching the video, but the downside is how much it might increase the amount of force required to pull the lever

[@Fatbutnotflat]

@@TraceVelo i do agree with hoggdoc that the severe exit angle from the frame is problematic. One way to check is just loosen the cable from the caliper and pull with your hand. Notice the difference between rear and front housings friction, as front housing should have minimum friction.

[@WillBeebe]

I recently picked up a Yokozuna front road (direct mount) and I love it! It has four pistons and no more messy brake fluid when swapping cables and honestly it's minimally less sensitive. Dramatically worth nixing the hydro tube.

[@Fugedibobo]

Hey Luke, awesome video as always! You have pretty much solved your own problem with using a shifter cable for braking although there is a more definitive (and actually safe) solution. I have the TRP HY/RD mechanical disc brakes and had the exact same issue with sticky rear cables. First I thought the spring was just too weak in the rear caliper but even new cables and very expensive compressionless cable housing didn't solve the issue. I took it to the amazing bike mechanic who fixes my bikes and he said that cable diameter is more important than slipperyness. A teflon coated cable is good but it makes the cable thicker. He said apparently there are 1.5mm and 1.4mm brake cables and he used a high-quality polished brake cable, preferably 1.4mm because after polishing it becomes a tiny bit thinner as well (maybe like 1.35mm so nothing groundbreaking) and this noticeably reduces the total friction in the brake housing. So the solution is high-quality compressionless housing and thinner, polished, high-quality brake cable.

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

You can get cable kickback in the housing though .

[@johnbuxton3841]

When it comes to mechanical disc brakes, the best by far are TRP Spyre. They are pure mechanical and I have been using these for over 2 years on my gravel bike with no problems whatsoever. The fact that many pro teams use them on their time trial bikes should speak for itself. Hope this helps any potential buyers out there.

[@mikesiemens4145]

Two years on my flat mount Spyres as well with only one complaint, the rusty rear cable.

[@casperradil]

I have used Spyre and Juin tech. Juin tech are far superior.

[@feedbackzaloop]

I found out shimano cx77 to be more powerful, even though moving only one pad. IMO, Spyres are the best as being most balanced for all requirements and features

[@simonchambers4052]

I'd argue the Hy/Rd is slightly better than the Spyre - simply because the pads self adjust which for a regular use / long distance bike is great. I used Hy/Rd front and Spyre rear for a few years on a commuter before the frame failed and I replaced it with a new bike with hydraulics. Hydraulics definitely have a better feel than cable brakes - on long rides they are easier to use but a set of decent cable disc brakes are much better than rim brakes for all weather riding.

[@stinkyfungus]

@@casperradil agree, I ran spyre on my wifes gravel bike, and they are very good - mechanical disc has come a looooong way since 1999... But on my monstercross rig... i run yokozuna ultimos. (Its a rebranded juintec gt, but comes with vented rotors, and some really gucci compressionless housing) Those things will rip yer eyeballs right out your head when you get on the binders.

[@mavericksikat5650]

Thank you Luke for always serving us your quality contents. Love your effort in every videos man

[@grantnyenes3742]

Another quality production from trace velo. I can only imagine how much work goes into making a video of this length and quality. It’s such a pity that so much if the mainstream cycling media including media in YT just doesn’t give honest feedback, good or bad…

[@rosomak8244]

For your piston problems: add a spring on to the piston pusher to increase the back force compensating the increased friction of the overlong cable housing.

[@wcoastbo]

I've been having the same issue. Where are you sourcing such a spring from?

[@alexjohnstonjohnston5374]

Sponsored by Aftershokz!!! Nice work boss - I’m on my second set of Aeropex. Another masterclass in making an interesting , informative, entertaining KZbin video - always get a pre-watch like as you’re always in point!

[@TraceVelo]

Amazing, thanks Alex!!! But yeah ive been really impressed with the Aeropex, i genuinely use them every day now!

[@alexjohnstonjohnston5374]

@@TraceVelo I use mine on every ride, and every run - other than races. I find I’m pretty good at keeping moving without the music when I’ve paid to run!

[@recreationaltreeclimingwit6370]

Excellent video Trace, I’ve been waiting for a caliper video for ages. Lovin your work buddy 👍

[@wbelsom]

Great run down on these three brakes. I enjoyed the presentation. You have a great sense of humor you never disappoint on keeping my attention. Keep it up, Luke!

[@TraceVelo]

Cheers Will, appreciate the comment!!!! Always trying to keep the edits tight,so glad its coming across well!

[@Fuego065]

Number of times Luke managed to say the brand name "Nutt" without a giggle right before and/or after during those 36 minutes: 0

[@TraceVelo]

GOTIM!

[@stefanozurich]

Generally I would expect the rotors overheating to be because that low mass rotor isn't able to dissipate heat from having less surface area, rather than the brake housing not dissipating the heat.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah so this is definitely true. They are very light, so do heat up very fast, but as mentioned, using exactly the same rotors with the different calipers, they took much longer to get that bad/hot. Something about those nutt calipers meant they really concentrated the heat into the rotor. I have a feelig the 'pistons' pushing the pads onto the caliper had a much smaller surface area compared to the others, so didnt pull the heat away as well/fast.

[@TheDfergie]

Fantastic comprehensive review, Luke. Love your work. Thanks.

[@Conanbomber5952]

Great video man, I hope this channel blows up in popularity

[@stinkyfungus]

On mechanical disc - premium compressionless housing is a must. Jagwire high end or yokozuna Night and day difference.

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

I replaced cheap coiled steel housing with jagwire KEB-SL and did not notice any difference, to be honest.

[@TraceVelo]

I have to agree. Its a few extra quid, but well worth it! Tends to be a touch lighter too..

[@Fugedibobo]

@@wtfiswiththosehandles I tried a standard coiled Shimano housing and compared to a Jagwire compressionless it was like braking with mashed potato..

[@wtfiswiththosehandles]

@@Fugedibobo Maybe the coiled housing I had was not the worst quality, then.

[@ActivityPhoto]

I replaced stock sable with JAG Wire Pro cables on my 72 lb fat tire eBike and made a big difference especially on the rear brake. I' waiting now for my Juin Tech Cable/Hydro calipers.

[@vlogsbyakkas343]

intro was absolute boss! content is awesome!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Akkas, gotta pay respects to my Counter Strike roots 🤣

[@williamcrampton394]

Well done, Luke. Another great informative video. Great that you consider so many issues and situations. Thank You.

[@eddie_C_]

Stuck around for the whole video!! always top notch quality from you

[@galenkehler]

@34:36 you mention doing a full "gambit" of tests, when I think you mean "gamut" other than that little gaffe, this is a fantastic video, very thorough! Thanks 👍

[@PeakTorque]

These all sound quieter than my brand new Dura Ace setup ☺️. I think you'd be very unlucky to snap the gear inner. Should be extremely strong. And you do get hydraulic losses in bends. But its marginal.

[@anserrizvi3304]

If you got the @Peak Torque sign of approval then all good @Trace Velo! More detail (other than the bonus test) on different types of brake pads would also make a great video!

[@avva4090]

Always feel like I've come across smart content when I see you in the comments. Hello from Texas!

[@matthewavignonpetersen5893]

That intro was absolutely incredible. You have an incredible talent for funny, engaging edits.

[@Swordsman37]

Wow! Great stuff, enormous amount of work for this video. Subscribed!

[@ZizBauer]

Classic Trace intro 🤣

[@TraceVelo]

CS 1.6 flashbang.wav

[@allthenewz]

You have the best sponsors Luke! I love my Aeroplex Aftershox headphones! really love them on the bike. Next sponsor? Pinarello?

[@TraceVelo]

Ha Pinarello! Maybe when I become a GCN presenter 🤣🤣🤣

[@SiGainey]

This could not have come at a more perfect time. Fantastic video, saved me heaps of money, thanks Luke!

[@gertjanlindekens3104]

Brilliant, yet again. Looking forward to your reviews every month. We want more! Thx :) Greetings from Belgium

[@MarkJohnson-wp1pp]

Another great video Luke. Given that in simple performance terms (never mind longevity etc) there wasn't much to choose between the callipers, I would be very interested to see who much difference the choice of rotor makes to the stopping distance. Those ultra-light rotors give up a huge amount of surface area, which must make a big difference to outright performance. Perhaps a comparative test with a common calliper, but different rotors? It is also worth noting rider weight as this is a massive factor in both overall stopping distance & the risk of overheating, where the brake fluid can boil. Having experienced severe brake fade in a car, I wouldn't want it on a bike. Keep up the good work - cheers.

[@romankarabutin3781]

Thanks for the video Luke! I've been waiting for it for a long time)) I was thinking about upgrading my stock fully mechanical disk brakes but now I'm not sure if I need to do it😄 looks like there is not much difference in one time stopping power. On the other hand the only time I need from my brakes is when I go to the mtb tails on my road bike (with some wider tires). There you need to brake hard often and on long technical deccends your arms get fatigued very quickly. Hydraulic/hybrid disk brakes should deliver at least the same power but with less effort🤔

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah i think that is one of the main differences. Cable actuated disc calipers def require more effort on the brakes for the same stopping power. I can imagine it getting a bit tiresome on a long technical decent...

[@not-a-raccoon]

I always look forward to your videos. They've been very helpful in shedding weight and upgrading my ride without spending a mint

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks dude! yeah thats exactly my jam, so glad they have helped you out!!!

[@jaredjosiah9089]

best day of the week when a new trace velo comes out! you need to do this full time!

[@TraceVelo]

Jared... Asking me to do this full time, that's dangerous talk. But maybe... 🤔🤔🤔

[@jaredjosiah9089]

@@TraceVelo you need to. You have the talent! Live your dream !

[@entername6599]

If it’s your dream, sometimes hobbies are fun because there’s no pressure.

[@Rikcey]

I'm a sintered pads kind of guy, less wear, and more reliable when they get hot. But you have to run quality rotors to not shred them to bits. Nice guide, I'm all set, but I was kind of surprised how well the mechanical brakes worked when setting up my sister's Trek Domane AL 2 disc. Great vid!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Rik. Yeah set them up well, and they can def priovide some decent stopping power!

[@kilianortmann9979]

Also a sintered pad guy. My bike came with 140mm rotors and organic pads. Stopping power was fine-ish, but brake fade was bad (not the lightest person, like to make up slow climbs during the descent). I changed to 180mm front and sintered pads, no more brake fade and a slight increase in stopping power.

[@Rikcey]

@@kilianortmann9979 similar story here, bike (Trek 920) came with double piston sram road calipers and avid 160 mil rotors. Swapped them for 160 rear and 180 front Hope rotors and the calipers for Hope RX4 4pot. Good to have some more umph when descending fully loaded.

[@wasupwitdat1mofiki94]

Sintered pads are superior to resin pads.👍

[@paulmorrison30]

Don’t worry Luke in my over 30 years of cycling I’ve employed many a dodgy compromise to some seemingly unsolvable situations and it’s been absolutely fine provided your sensible about it and fortunately I’m not dead yet! 👍🏾. Keep on doing what you’re doing 🙏🏾

[@carlosvf11]

Really really nice vid!! It covers everything I had in mind with this kind of brakes, and the match up against the fully hydro brakes is the perfect ending for this story💪🏽💪🏽

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Carlos, glad you liked it!!!

[@ActivityPhoto]

Juin Tech also makes a 4 piston cable/hydro caliper wonder how they would stack up to full hydro calipers.

[@suburban_matrix6206]

The intro got me XD

[@TraceVelo]

'Counter Terrorists Win'

[@demon1spence]

wish you had someone with similarly matched rim brakes and full hydro.

[@TraceVelo]

I suspect in the dry, rim brakes would come pretty close tbh....

[@michaelmurray8793]

Wow what absolutely perfect timing. I too am a baller on a budget and I was just about to pull the trigger on a set of the Juin tech brakes. I am glad to finally see a review of them that I know I can trust

[@Jaydad4701]

This is simply one of the best bike channels on the Tube !!! Thanks for sharing this.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanka Jason, glad you think so!

[@Brdaification]

Bought this Z-race based on your previous videos, and I really like them and so far, they are preforming good. But my front brake started to grind my gear, because it doesnt return to null-position and it retracts slowly to it. I have to check if the issue is in the cable or the caliper itself. I doubt the cable is an issue because the front one is really short :) Planning on buying this fancy metal shimano pads - can you tell me how much do they improve stopping power over the standard stock ones? Awesome video btw. Greetings from Croatia!

[@kobold2376]

hey, I (90kg) also have the Z-race based brakes and thought I could improve the braking power too. I installed Shimano J03A pads and changed from the normal Z-race 140mm rotor (that came with the brake) to Sram 160mm (front only). I think the difference is so small that I wouldn't do it again. Greeting from Germany

[@TraceVelo]

So moving to fully metallic pads, you should def notice better stopping performance, but they can be a bit noisy and squeal a bit before they heat up under braking.

[@sepg5084]

I think the purely mechanical caliper has great potential if only they were designed/built better.

[@cjohnson3836]

There are some good ones, but they are really expensive, like Paul's.

[@avocette]

@@cjohnson3836 they're not dual-piston tho, which is fine unless you don't wanna faff around with readjusting your pad clearance on the static side every other ride. TRP spyre/spyke is one of the better dual-piston mechanical calipers.

[@cjohnson3836]

@@avocette I said they are good (as in brake well). Never said they were perfect. I couldn't care less as I run hydro

[@JonnyPsyclo]

Best intro yet. I nearly spat my coffee out! Great episode with all the usual techy stuff and humour. Good work!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Jonathan, put loads of effort into this one, so glad you enjoyed it!

[@boydcombsakaGster]

Nice video; also the shokz ad was very helpful. Thanks for comparison.

[@TraceVelo]

Glad it helped!

[@SemeshkoV]

For the rear brake mech not returning to neutral, add a long spring from where the cable exits the sleeve to the nut/bolt fastener. this will provide the added tension to return the mech and help prevent jitter.

[@bigglyfabulous]

That's what I was thinking. I believe that would be safer than switching to a shifting cable.

[@jesus.f.christ]

Any opinion on the Zoom HB100's? I'm limited to post mount, not sure what to get that is road lever compatible.

[@Daidaho]

They are great. I've ran them for 2021 season on the gravel bike through the mud and numerous descends. Never had any issues. Just as Zrace ones, pistons are not fully symmetrical (this is not a wear or contamination issue), which makes initial setup a bit of a pain. I would also advise you to glue the rubber dust covers to the caliper, as they will pop otherwise. Overall, huge update over mechanical calipers.

[@aussie1ben]

The zoom hb100 has been great, I did approximately 3000kms on them before changing the pads and they were like new again with the pad change.

[@simca3747]

Oh my god, such a quality content. I had so much fun watching, first time watching your vid and you earned my sub, looking forward to your next contents mate (y).

[@olafbollrath5086]

Hey Luke, I think this is one of your best videos 👍. Looking forward to your next ones ...

[@TraceVelo]

Awesome, thanks Olaf!!!

[@cthulpiss]

Dear Luke - that beard is worth at least 7W in Power :) Also - have you seen any carbon handlebar with those flat upper parts but additional flare, any any chance, in our favorite ali shop?

[@TraceVelo]

Ha, yeah probably closer to 10 watts i recon! But no havent seen any bars like that. Why you looking to build up a gravel bike with some flared handlebar drops?

[@cthulpiss]

@@TraceVelo 10W? Commence the test! Yes, I looove those flat uppers, and cannot find Chinese carbon with both flats and flare - and there's a LOT of handlebars to search through...

[@gRoberts1984]

"Spraying hydraulic juice everywhere" - I love it when you talk dirty to me. 😂

[@TraceVelo]

Ha!

[@keirfarnum6811]

You should put “dirty” in quotes; makes the double entendres more obvious. 😁

[@jasonreynolds1715]

Awesome quality content - with the semi-metallic on the end you packed enough in here for at least 2 vids!

[@TraceVelo]

Much appreciated Jason!!!

[@guseppe6934]

Finally! Waited long for this review cos I bought the juin but haven't put them on the bike yet, ty!!

[@hjphan1030]

3 minutes ago! and dat intro XD

[@TraceVelo]

Flashbang.wav

[@cccpkingu]

You can't accurately measure a metal (shiny) surface with an IR thermometer.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah this is a fair comment. Luckily the caliper has a pretty matte finish, and the rotors actally have a matte finish on the arms of the rotor spider, so you can get a decent reading

[@jg6845]

I appreciated the through and comprehensive review.

[@ilikewasabe]

Ohh yeahh another trace velo vid! Ive been waiting for this!

[@janmitvora4510]

Rim brakes are the best for roadbikes

[@TL243]

No stigma. Mechanical discs are far superior for durability and ease of adjustment. Don't believe the hype.

[@TraceVelo]

OHHH TL with a hot take in the comments!!!!

[@TL243]

@@TraceVelo Coming from a long time bike shop guy and 4 time RAAM'er

[@dygbi]

appreciate the phenomenal amount of effort in this episode

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks dygbi, really appreciate it

[@CheopisIV]

Bought into Di2 a couple years ago and got the cable/mechanical brake shifters as didn't have a disc bike. Now I have a Disc bike and not dropping $1000 on shifters alone. Running the Juin Tech with low compression housing for the past season and they're brilliant. I'm also a fan of the Aftershokz headphones on the road and in the house :)

[@Itsmeaus234]

Having a Garmin is against everything this channel stands for isn’t it ?

[@TraceVelo]

LOL! I mean in fairness it is the 520 edge, one of the cheapest ones they do....

[@TenSapphires]

@@TraceVelo there is always cheaper LOL

[@Itsmeaus234]

maybe a video of ali express options? try the Bryton range

[@marekkozub8957]

Why bother with disc brakes? Rim brakes are still the best for road bike.

[@TraceVelo]

If you ride in an area without too many hills, i would totally agree. But in a hilly environment, disc definitely has an edge, especially in the wet.

[@marekkozub8957]

@@TraceVelo I live in the mountains and I have been riding road bikes for 22 years. I never had any problems with braking. I love my light, 6.5 kilo rim brakes bike. It's very useful in the mountains.

[@TraceVelo]

​@@marekkozub8957 Ok fair enough! Do you mainly ride aluminium rims?

[@marekkozub8957]

@@TraceVelo Yes. They last forever. After 30 000 km on my current bike, they are still in good condition.

[@ronwhite8503]

@@marekkozub8957 What about wet and hilly? Discs are a no-brainer in t'Lake District.

[@robertbonner7469]

Thanks for the great review on these mechanical disc brakes. I am interested in more comparisons, like a TRP or other brands. Also, I use Tri-flow in my brake cable housing with excellent results.

[@mpick9404]

Excellent vid. Very informative👌🏼 I also had the draggy cable issue with my cable hydros. On my bike it was the (also Jagwire) compressionless cable housing, it couldn't cope with sharp bends ie: the 90° from the levers around to the bar flats. Instead of staying 'round' it flattened where the bend was- nipping the inner cable slightly... I ended up swapping the cable run to the first frame stop with standard brake outer, this solved the issue permanently. It did made the brake marginally more mushy, I am considering those alloy, building block outers, to see if they are an improvement.

[@andrewtwentyniner9541]

Great vid as always mate!

[@timdixo]

Rode the Juin Techs for 2 years with Di2 and I rate them highly,far better than the Hayes full mech that I had prior. I had slight brake fade on a couple of long descents but that’s it. The step up from the Juins to full hydro R8070 Shimano wasn’t as large as I was expecting.

[@MyMegaJOKER2]

Finally! Awesome review. I love the hybrid mechanical/hydraulic brakes. Almost hydraulic performance, mechanical price and setup! Def a good option if you're a bit in a budget.

[@TraceVelo]

Absolutely, thats exactly the sweet spot for these types of brakes!!!

[@todosepuede]

What a great video have I found! Thanks brother! Greetings from Mexico ✌🏿

[@TheOJ3]

Got to respect him chuckling literally every time he has to say Nutt

[@markclements6303]

Another advantage of mechanical discs is you never need to bleed them! so theyre much easier to work on and live with. Thanks for the great video trace!

[@williamhalgarth6625]

Great stuff, many thanks 👍🚴

[@normanlindsay4835]

Nutt calipers, if your on a strict budget and hate yourself. Excellent reporting, love it. Whole episode very informative and open as usual. Thank you

[@SniperSnake50BMG]

That intro was excellent!!!

[@gabesalvador]

Hey Luke! Maybe you can also look into reviewing differen brake cable housings -- as it can also affect the performance of cable-actuated disc brakes. Loved the intro

[@DanGleebowls]

Thanks for the budget friendly gear videos! My bike was only £20 more than a 105 groupset brand new and the budget friendly rolling upgrades I've found watching your videos satisfy the gear acquisition syndrome without leaving me destitute

[@TraceVelo]

Amazing, no worries Dan!

[@pscoop]

I started on ZRace callipers with 140mm discs. All was fine with my relatively flat local rides but with some big rides in Wales coming up I felt I needed a bit more stopping power so started to look upgrade to 160mm. Being a bit of disc brake noob I didn’t realise you could use the same calliper with an adapter and new rotor so I ended up buying a Juintech set. (As an aside one of the great things about zrace, sensah, etc is it allows you to experiment and learn, make mistakes, without absolutely smashing the bank account). I switched over the front calliper, rotor, etc easily enough but just didn’t have enough clearance in for the rear calliper so had to stick wtih 140mm ZRace. I had this brake mullet setup for a few hundred miles but finally sorted the adapters etc needed to be ZRace 160mm front and back. This is working well for me and was super reliable in the Welsh hills in good weather and bad. I’m going to use the Juintechs on a Gravel bike build (AL frame from Aliexpress for 220!) where the superior weather sealing will be needed. I also worried about water collecting in the rear cable so also jammed a load of grease in the end and also nicked the rubber cover (I think they’re called brake boots?) from an old pair of v-brakes to go between the cable stop and the cable clamp (like the Nutt brakes).

[@montanajones8393]

Another great video & thorough as well. Semi-metallic is the way to go. Of course you'll get better braking with either all-metallic or ceramic pads but rotor life will drop respectively by doing so.

[@nmonye01]

Very funny intro. You are an Ali express legend. You really understand how to craft fluid always moving to the conclusion content.❤

[@thomasalison6188]

Excellent review!! 👍

[@cryingrocknathanaeledwards1828]

Bro you don’t even need to worry about the time stamps. I’m watching the whole thing. Entertaining as hell! Lol

[@kylesomerville7078]

Flashbangs FTW. Proper giggled. Bring on the el cheapo fully hydraulic setup review....Great work Luke!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Kyle. Yeah ill be fitting the hyraulics for the next video, stay tuned!

[@alancritchley8835]

Thank you for all your effort!

[@TraceVelo]

No worries alan, glad you liked it!!!!!!!!

[@blackdidi]

Great review, very helpful!

[@TraceVelo]

Glad you think so!

[@DOCWHOK9]

My MX9 VALK eBike came with a different version of Nutt brakes, and I love them. Its the first hybrid cable/oil brake ive ever used and I rate it highly myself.

[@pedrovizuetecastro2400]

the intro is pure gold!!!!!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Pedro!

[@artemmelnik7965]

You answered all the questions about mechanical disk brakes that I had for years. Waiting for a hydraulic brakes video.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Artem! Yeah should have the hydraulics on in the next video, so stay tuned!!!

[@idwithheld5213]

TRP Spyres - very well-known mech disc brakes. Used them for a couple years, and worked very well.

[@EntropyOCD]

Did you make any infomercials lately? Crudely funny yet highly valuable information. I stuck around for the bonus material in the end. I will be looking for the semimetalics.

[@dinodaniel2237]

Hey Luke great video !

[@alexdi1367]

Really stellar video.

[@danielbailey4990]

Cheers Luke, your previous videos inspired me to buy some Chinese hydro mechanical discs after my trp's crusted up. I got a pair (on eBay) of what look like rebranded juin f1's with discs, for only £50, they have been a great upgrade so far 👍

[@danielbailey4990]

'1Set Bike Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Rotor CNC Flat Mount for Road Bicycle' eBay that, looks like they've gone up in price a little

[@MrIanD1]

Love watching these videos even though I own a high end bike.

[@dcv9460]

AWESOME REVIEW! VERY INFORMATIVE! 👏🤙👏👏

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks! 👍 glad you liked it!

[@swray2112]

I love my combo of TRP HY/Rd hybrid cable hydraulic in the front and their Spyre SLC cable only in the rear where the power isn't as needed. Both use the same Shimano M525/515 pads, so huge variety & availability on the replacement pad front.

[@z6t6z6d]

That intro! 🤣 Made me prematurely smash the like button 😁

[@patrickparisienne1917]

Aftershockz are the bomb! I love mine, use them for work as well as play! Thanks for another great review, just another option to simplify life…

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah thanks Patrick. I've actually been really impressed with them so far!!

[@percival3830]

You are, sir, the dogz bollox of bike testers, and best bike channel out there... by a country mile.

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Malcolm, really appreciate it!!!