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

[@deskelly9313]

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

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Des, appreciate it!

[@boots8683]

lmao woke

[@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!!!

[@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.

[@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 👍

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@Hoggdoc1946]

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.

[@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.

[@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 👍

[@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!

[@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 .

[@vlogsbyakkas343]

intro was absolute boss! content is awesome!

[@TraceVelo]

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

[@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 🙏🏾

[@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 🤣🤣🤣

[@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!

[@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.

[@Hoggdoc1946]

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.

[@irvvine]

I just bought a set of Zrace brakes, but their newer version, the BR-005. There are two revisions, the older one using Shimano road brake pads, and the newer (that I bought) with XTR marking on its body, accepting Shimano MTB brake pads (the same as SLX/XT). I noticed it has several improvements and two drawbacks over the BR-002 reviewed in this video. 1. Zrace moved the piston to the inner side of the caliper (on the wheel side of the rotor) so much less bending of the compressionless (stiff) cable housing is needed in bikes with internal cable routing, 2. There is now a plastic sleeve in the barrel adjuster as well as a rubber boot (somewhat similar to ones used in v-brakes) to minimize water ingress into the cable housing, 3. There is a silicon gasket covering the piston entrance, similar to JuinTech F1, 4. Better mounting hardware selection is now included - front and rear adapters, caliper bolts and 3 sizes of mounting bolts; I don't like the messy markings on the adapters though so I kept using the Tektro ones. 5. Zrace claims they now have 40% more raw stopping power, so I guess they should be more in line with JuinTech F1 in terms of performance, but half the price. There are three related drawbacks caused by new piston position: 1. Caliper is no longer compatible with brake pads that have cooling fins (minor drawback IMO), 2. Brake pads may only be removed/inserted from under the caliper with the wheel removed, there is no way to change them from the top side (bummer, but no worse than Tektro MD-C550 (OEM cousin of TRP Spyres, similar to Nutt calipers reviewed in this video), that I replaced with Zrace, 3. Slightly heavier than BR-002. I only rode once since installing them and the brake pads are still bedding in and I kept the mediocre Tektro rotors, but I am already amazed by their performance, they are fantastic. Tektros were awful and I didn't trust them... The rear Zrace is already much stronger than Tektro was at the front wheel with the best working brake pads I could find. There is also new JuinTech F1-S, with the new actuation arm position to make it more compact and minimize the need to bend the cable housing but its price is a joke, it is more expensive than TRP HY-ROAD (HD-C710) which is already overpriced... One more thing - 🥖🥖🥖

[@TraceVelo]

Juin Tech F1-S... Going to have to check that out for sure. I mean the GT's were bad enough, I think I paid close to £300 for a set of those. But yeah I do like the Zrace BR-005 calipers, for the price, performance is great!

[@OmarCalderon01]

@irvvine , thanks for this awesome list of issues. i recently bought a set and i'll be installing them on a velobuild frame shortly. it appears that only one side of the caliper moves in the pad, correct? I am only seeing movement from one side of the caliper. Is there any adjustment on the caliper itself? i see at least a couple of places where one coudl"dial" in but not sure if these screws i am seeing will affect any change in the caliper. any feedback appreciated.

[@irvvine]

@@OmarCalderon01 Hi Omar. Zrace BR-005 move both pads symmetrically. If only one pad is moving, there might be something wrong with it - stuck piston or air bubble in the oil. Adjustment screw is on the end of a piston rod sticking through the actuation arm, and it adjusts for pad wear of both pads. There is no separate adjustment of each pad, that I know of.

[@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.

[@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…

[@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.

[@casperixion]

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]

@@casperixion 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.

[@Jaydad4701]

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

[@TraceVelo]

Thanka Jason, glad you think so!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@matthewavignonpetersen5893]

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

[@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.👍

[@valmorell]

No clue if you still get comments from this video, but if you do, you may remember I recently recommended trying the latest mk 5 ZTTO calipers. With these, the master cylinder is moved to the inside of the caliper which dramatically reduces the very tight bends where the cable exits the frame (and also the fork). This eliminates the issue of the cable not fully resetting.

[@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 !

[@cryingrocknathanaeledwards1828]

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

[@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.

[@Conanbomber5952]

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

[@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!

[@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

[@ZizBauer]

Classic Trace intro 🤣

[@TraceVelo]

CS 1.6 flashbang.wav

[@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.

[@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...

[@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 :)

[@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....

[@nmonye01]

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

[@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

[@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!!!

[@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.

[@InfallibleDogbert]

Basically allowed me to rethink my entire China bike build. And wouldn't have known about the F1s without you Luke! Legend.

[@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. 😁

[@hankamania]

Big thumbs up to Aftershokz! I have complete conductive hearing loss on the left side, but can hear really well with my Aftershokz. I think I've owned 6 pair over the last 10 years, and every new model is better than the last. I'm wearing the OpenCom model to watch this video.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah thanks Hank. I've definitely been really impressed with my set so far!!

[@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.

[@lesthedog]

This is the most insightful, balanced video about mechanical disc brakes ever! I like the way you explain to the newbs and the nay-sayers exactly why someone would want to try mechanical discs. There are also some great tips there, so thanks for the info. I have tried a couple on my gravel bike (first Avid BB7s, not great, then TRP Spyres, much better). They stop the bike when you need, they're easy to maintain. Like you say, they're no big-name hydro, but they are A-OK.

[@TraceVelo]

Glad it was helpful!

[@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...

[@eLpELoNdeJaPoN]

😂 I love the fact that everytime I Found myself in some troubles there's a Video from the Buen amigo Luke! I remember seeing Luke using that Giant Conduct SL system but now I need to get rid of it so I'm looking for alternatives and been honest I'm not in a need of going full hydrologic coz that will mean incurring in new levers so I'm contemplating this option but nowadays there's the good L-Twoo option so thanks Luke for all this Cyclingpedia😂

[@suburban_matrix6206]

The intro got me XD

[@TraceVelo]

'Counter Terrorists Win'

[@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!

[@hjphan1030]

3 minutes ago! and dat intro XD

[@TraceVelo]

Flashbang.wav

[@paulmarshall4403]

This video came up with perfect timing, I've just ordered a pair of Juintech R1s (old bike with IS/post mounts) after my Shimano CX75 callipers seized and the pad adjusters wore out last winter. I've been following JuinTech for a few years and waiting for the excuse to buy them, so it's good to hear you preferred the F1s. On another note, I've only tried Noah and Theo pads once on my mountain bike when I was in the Alps. Fine when dry, but got a little wet from snow and they lost all friction. Straight in the bin and back to UberBike.

[@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

[@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!

[@janmitvora4510]

Rim brakes are the best for roadbikes

[@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!

[@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

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Yet another great video Luke. Your intro was brilliant. My mates just brought a Canyon Aero £7k and I cannot believe how heavy it is compared to a non disc bike so I will stick with my old brakes for now.

[@TraceVelo]

Well you might be interested in this, literally just weighed my bike few minutes ago. As it is in the video, with both bottle cages and pedals, 7.26KG. That hoenstly surprised me, I thought it was over 7.5. Anyway ill weigh it again after i install the full hyrdo, and see how much ive added

[@2wheelsrbest327]

@@TraceVelo Thanks Luke looking forward to seeing it. Just bought a part for my motorbike on ALIEXPRESS and I,m sure only because of your experiences of buying on there 😉

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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!!!

[@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!!!

[@PauloSerra]

I got some Juin techs a while back to replace a set of TRP Spyres (similar concept to the Zrace), after changing the stock pads to something better they are awesome brakes ! (I was also running swiss-stop pads on the TRP's). I can't imagine the small differences you measured, either the pads make a world of difference, or it FEELS much nicer than it measures. I was at a sportive and in a road bottle neck the bunch almost stopped, I grabbed the brakes and though "I am going to hit the guys in front and down we go", but no ! It stopped without a faff !! With the TRP's for sure I would've gown down. Also had a slight scare on a descend where after a tight corner a van was stopped in the middle of the road, again, hand full of brake, no issues. For me these are awesome brakes !! ( and I am using Aliexpress "floating" rotors! ) It has completely changed my road bike to feel much safer and much less force needed on the levers. (I like them so much, I got a pair of the GT-F for the gravel bikes, WOW those things stop you !)

[@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!!!

[@mohamedismail777]

Thank you so much for this review, I didn’t know about these hybrids brakes! Based on your review I bought the JuinTech R1 (suitable for my bike) and WOW what an amazing product. It’s as good as the full hydrolic brakes on my other bike!!’ I have a Cannondale Synapse 2014, I love the frame but my biggest issue was the mechanical brakes (rubbish) now the bike with the new JuinTech is just perfect - definitely best upgrade for your bike. Thank you so much 😊

[@olafbollrath5086]

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

[@TraceVelo]

Awesome, thanks Olaf!!!

[@SiGainey]

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

[@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!!!

[@Swordsman37]

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

[@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!!!

[@Hoggdoc1946]

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

[@cyclingadventure9]

I too have problem with the rear brake not fully released. But my bike is external routing making it much easier to troubleshoot. The cause is dirt entering the housing roughening the cable and making it hard to pull. Same as your rusting cable problem. Thanks for confirming a design problem of mechanical brake. Seems regular maintenance is required for the rear. I'd also recommend rocknroll cable lubricant to make the cable pull more smooth. Its a great product ( not affiliated with them).

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah i've heard lots of people praise the rocknroll lube for cables... might have to pick some up!

[@mavericksikat5650]

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

[@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

[@gertjanlindekens3104]

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

[@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).

[@idwithheld5213]

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

[@recreationaltreeclimingwit6370]

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

[@terencelay6942]

please do a video on bleeding the Zrace calipers!

[@arienzoamadeus6675]

Mine too , i use a gear cable on my rear . Not the front one . Your videos are amizing !

[@boydcombsakaGster]

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

[@TraceVelo]

Glad it helped!

[@Fncontroloptioncommand]

I’m on about 6000km with my juin techs and no issues yet (using on a gravel bike). They don’t compare to full hydraulic for stopping power and modulation, but for road /gravel purposes they’re fine and most importantly reliable.

[@pedrovizuetecastro2400]

the intro is pure gold!!!!!

[@TraceVelo]

Thanks Pedro!

[@JeanFrancoisDesrosiers]

Stopping power is not all that matters, the wheel control is crucial. Being able to precisely fine tune the clamping power at the edge of blocking.

[@robertquantrill]

I have only ever used the spyre mech disc brakes and I really cant complain with the stopping power been in the peaks and they really wasnt a problem even with a 10kg bike with a 90kg rider and 10kg+ of bike packing bags. I have been tempted to swap them out for shimano hydro levers and disc brakes but after watching several videos like this I think i am better saving my money and spending a fraction of it on purchasing some compression-less cables, been looking at the KEB-SL for a while now.

[@VR_Wizard]

Wow how much work you put into this video just to help us make a better buying decision. Thank you a lot. I am on cheap break pads and aluminium rims since I try not to cycle in the rain anyway I thought they should be fine and save some weight as well as money and while keeping complexity of the breaking system low.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah with aluminium rims, you should be fine in the wet. Carbon rims in the wet on the other hand.... dicey

[@VR_Wizard]

@@TraceVelo I definitely go much slower when I have to cycle on a rainy day. But the breaks are not even the main reason that slow me down. The first reason is I don't wanna get wet and dirty because I do not have fenders. Second my tires have no profile so they start to slide even if I break just a little. And only on the third place I start worrying about the reduced breaking performance of my rim breaks.

[@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!!

[@guseppe6934]

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

[@theohiggins9120]

Damn you got the aftershokz sponsorship? They are so nice I bought a set last year for riding and I use them all the time now. Greate for riding solo and still staying aware of your surroundings.

[@williamcrampton394]

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

[@Membrillo81]

28:20 I can only imagine this problem would be more and more apparent with fully hidden cable routing. Current (disc) bikes are designed around hydraulic brakes. The same is true for shifting: hidden and convoluted cable routing is best friend with electronic shifting. Sadly, the price problem is even worse in the shifting area.

[@TraceVelo]

Yeah very true. With a fully integrated cabling system, where the hydraulic lines go through the steerer tube, I think cable disc would be a bit problematic...

[@TheDfergie]

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

[@space.youtube]

TRP Spyke & Spyre callipers are brilliant mechanical brake callipers. I run them on my mountain bike and mid drive ebike with 180mm rotors. They've great stopping power and modulation but would advise a lever with a high pull ratio. Avid levers (speed dial 7 and FR 5) are perfect for this application providing plenty of stopping power and pad clearance. And yes, Jagwire compressionless housings are definitely the way to go.

[@ilikewasabe]

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

[@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.

[@todosepuede]

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

[@rosomak8244]

1. Use stainless break cables. 2. Don't user grease. Apply sealing silicon there. Helps wonders. But the best solution is of course to stay sway from disc brakes on a road bike. When you take the huge weight of disc brake systems in to account you can go classic with aluminium rims for the same weight and far less problems.

[@JWKEL88]

Is there a update video on how to bleed this hybrid brake caliper?

[@OmarCalderon01]

@jwkel88 i'd like to see that also