Questions about converting to hydraulic discs

[NHAero]

Still thinking about possible alternatives to the Avid road disc brake calipers that I originally built up my Anderson with, which I dislike. A riding buddy got me thinking about using the Di2 hydraulic shift/brake levers and calipers. My drivetrain is Shimano 9 speed using DA barcons and a custom cassette a la Sheldon and currently a 50-36-24 front set-up, so I am not interested in converting to 11 speed at all. The Di2 shift/brake levers (ST-R785) would just be used for their hydraulic brake lever feature, not shifting.

Beyond cost (the whole set-up these days is $500), is there any reason why this won't work? Are there Shimano hydraulic brake-only levers? I'm not interested in the SRAM versions.

No need to tell me why I shouldn't want discs or why I need 11 speeds please :)

[saab2000]

Interesting thought. See if you can find some used 785 levers on eBay?

[eippo1]

Or you could save a bunch of money and just get these TRP Hylex:

http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1207&catid=206&subcat=0

[oldpotatoe]

Still thinking about possible alternatives to the Avid road disc brake calipers that I originally built up my Anderson with, which I dislike. A riding buddy got me thinking about using the Di2 hydraulic shift/brake levers and calipers. My drivetrain is Shimano 9 speed using DA barcons and a custom cassette a la Sheldon and currently a 50-36-24 front set-up, so I am not interested in converting to 11 speed at all. The Di2 shift/brake levers (ST-R785) would just be used for their hydraulic brake lever feature, not shifting.

Beyond cost (the whole set-up these days is $500), is there any reason why this won't work? Are there Shimano hydraulic brake-only levers? I'm not interested in the SRAM versions.

No need to tell me why I shouldn't want discs or why I need 11 speeds please :)

It would work fine and no, shimano doesn't make hydro brake levers only for road Hbars.

[NHAero]

That's interesting, didn't know about these. Anyone here using them?
Thanks
Or you could save a bunch of money and just get these TRP Hylex:

http://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1207&catid=206&subcat=0

[foo_fighter]

You could also try the HY/RD or the JuinTech X1 cable actuated hydraulic calipers.

[eBAUMANN]

That's interesting, didn't know about these. Anyone here using them?
Thanks

yes, they are fantastic. used em for a season of cx racing.
hoods have a long/weird shape that i prefer to just about anything else out there.
great brakes, highly recommended.

[d_douglas]

That's interesting, didn't know about these. Anyone here using them?
Thanks

Theyre supposed to be great. Seems like a perfect solution. I even think there's a used pair on my local Craigslist for some reason.

[gpendergast]

Another thumbs up for the Hylex. Hoods are real long but braking modulation/performance is fantastic.

Just replace the stock pads!

[NHAero]

How does the hoods being extra long affect reach to the levers? Like Mr. Trump, I have small hands :-)

[eBAUMANN]

Another thumbs up for the Hylex. Hoods are real long but braking modulation/performance is fantastic.

Just replace the stock pads!

been meaning to look into this, which pads did you stick in there?

How does the hoods being extra long affect reach to the levers? Like Mr. Trump, I have small hands :-)

probably like 1cm longer than a sram lever hood.
that is a guess off the top of my head with no real data to support it.

[NHAero]

The Hylex levers appear to be interchangeable front to rear like mechanical levers, whereas the newer Hylex RS have a clear bend to the outside of the bike that makes it so there is a right hand and left hand lever. Is that correct?

Thanks for all the help!

[NHAero]

I looked for photos of Hylex levers mounted on bars, to see what the longer hood might mean. This attached photo has bars that have quite short ramps leading to the brake lever hood, which effectively shortens the reach. Any idea what bars these are, or what bars are like them?

[QUOTE=eBAUMANN;

probably like 1cm longer than a sram lever hood.
that is a guess off the top of my head with no real data to support it.[/QUOTE]

[eBAUMANN]

if you are worried about reach, get some compact ergo drops (fsa wing pro compact, for example) and call it a day. or any other bar with a short reach number.

[NHAero]

Thanks all - ordered a TRP Hylex front to try it out.

[NHAero]

After Mike Zanconato got my mounting adapters sorted last week, my full set of TRP Hylex brakes arrived Saturday and I got them mounted. Thanks for the recommendation! It was easy (maybe just beginner's luck) to shorten the hydraulic hoses to fit and I didn't have to bleed them afterwards. One small bummer is that the Jagwire adapters that clamp into cable stops don't fit right on my Anderson cable stops so the hoses are, at least for now, held to the frame with a few zip ties.

As eBaumann said, the hoods are long and I got some Origin8 bars with short reach and drop to compensate so the reach didn't increase on my bike. The hoods are quite comfortable. The levers have a screw to adjust reach which is very nice.

I kept the stock pads, at least to begin with, and broke them in, then went for a 3 hour ride. These brakes are a significant upgrade over the Avid BB7s that were on there, and don't squeak either! All in all they seem like a very good change. Thanks all for the help!

[Gummee]

That's interesting, didn't know about these. Anyone here using them?
Thanks

I have the newer version Hylex RS (https://www.trpbrakes.com/category.php?productid=1302&catid=206). Now with Drillium!
Ridden em once warming up for Charm City. Seem to work like hydro discs should so far

M

[gpendergast]

been meaning to look into this, which pads did you stick in there?

SwissStop Organic & IceTech rotors. And now I need a thru-axle fork!

[eippo1]

Take some glamour pics so we can see your setup!