Paul Klamper - Worth the 💰💰💰?
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2020
- Paul Klampers are definitely bike bling, but how well do they stop and are they worth it?
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*Brakes provided by Paul Components for review
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Commence complaining about premieres in....3...2... :)
Ugh, premieres. :) Looking forward to this one, been considering these for a while.
Ugh. Premieres are such a tease. If you did them after the episode I bet you'd get less grief about them. ;-)
Brake feathering gang AOOH
Did I miss the premiere 😜
Could you please please please elaborate on TRP Spyres? Or Spyres with compression-less housing combo? Or TRP Spykes maybe?
I enjoyed this review, though one calliper cost more than my bike.
Thank you for doing the hard work, made my decision much easer and eliminated the risk of the unknown- great job
I bought a pair of the Klampers 4 or so years ago for MTB purposes. Have been on three different bikes and taken a serious beating. Still work perfectly, have only had to replace pads and a barrel adjuster. What REALLY takes them to the next level are the Love Levers. Also expensive, but 100% worth it
Neil Graham - Been thinking about upgrading my old Avid Speed Dials to Love Levers. Is it worth it? (Saying “yes” gives me an excuse to buy more Paul stuff.)
What's the benefit of the love lever over their CantiLever?
Compression-less housing should be a must for ANY cable operated brakes; Caliper, V-Brakes, Cantilever, etc. It makes a big difference in lever feel and braking power/effectiveness.
That Crust has already lived many lives. Glad you're getting a lot of use out of it, Russ!
Awesome! Thanks for the review!
Russ,
The interchangeable arms also allows swapping between flat and drop bars on the same frame, without having to resort to long pull, drop bar levers, or some other adapter to make peace between road and mountain components.
I wondered for a long time about these brakes. Currently, I am running them on my dropbar SS mountain bike. They are worth the money for my application. No messy hydraulic fluid or special tools to deal with.
thanks for this review just was introduced to the brand by my local bike shop and watched this video and your factory tour one I'm a fan. haha now to work with the budget
I've tried numerous disc brakes over the years including hydraulic and cable, shimano included. BB7, TRP hylex, shimano hydraulics, TRP spyres....event had that weird TRP converter box thing under the stem. It was the shimano's that finally put me off hydraulics since the seals kept leaking, so went back to mechanicals, plus you have more flexibility and durability without having to have STI. After shimanos went to spyres for a while. Stopping is ok and feel is nice but being in the UK they got filled with water and dirt and you could feel them grinding at the lever. They're really not very friendly for user servincing either. When I eventually got them apart they were corroded all over, including the ball bearings themselves. Got the Klampers and far happier overall. They cost 3 times more as pointed out, but I'd wager they'll last more than 3 times as long and for me that's worth it.
Russ, great review and I love your objectiveness.
Always wondered how good they are and if they are worth it so awesome video!. Thanks for taking the time to make it. Cheers Mike
After striping my hydraulic Sram force brake lever, I ordered these in a fit rage. Best brakes ever! I'm done with hydraulic. Purple are amazing. I didn't know i could change the arm for mountain bikes, thanks Russ!
You two are cheering me up as I sit in hospital here in the UK: had a hip replacement yesterday afternoon! Great review. I went for Juin Tech GTs which seem identical to the Ultimos but much cheaper. Not sure why. I’m really happy with them once I’ve wrestled the compressionless cabling into place. If you didn’t find out, I think Laura’s Breadwinner is Columbus Spirit, triple butted and truly wonderful. Sorry for the ramble but the drugs are good!
Awesome review. I am building a Cross Check with a Crust disc brake front fork and have been thinking about using a Klamper front and Neo Retro canti rear. I think this sold me on that.
I assembled a bunch of klamper brakes yesterday at Paul’s shop
Great review, love my Klampers! 🏔✌🏽
For a certain type of bike, these are definitely a great option to have. I love simple, reliable, durable, will crafted things that do what they say. Having said that, I have Shimano hydraulics on four bikes and have had zero issues.
I love how you started in on the cons and then just pretty much tapered off into more pros about it lol
They've also got fantastic customer service and the rebuildability always puts it above anything else in my books. If you need any of the small parts, just contact them and they're more than willing to help you out.
On target review. I installed mine today -- took 5-10 minutes per brake (already had new cable and housing on the bike). Haven't finished bedding them in, but braking power is impressive and "modulation" (range of result from varying brake squeeze) was better than my TRP Hy/Rds. Thanks PLP.
I run my klampers with yokozuna compresionless housing and ultergra sti levers. The performance is awesome. Super responsive. highly recommend!
Compressionless housing is the only way to go with mechanical discs. Especially short pull road levers that barely have enough lever throw. Even more so if you use Shimano brifters which have a very short throw. They're actually designed for dual pivot side pull brakes. There are simply very few effective cable discs for road brakes in my opinion, not to mention gravel or loaded touring.
I use compressionless on all my cable actuated brakes - discs, v brakes and cantis.
Ive had customers who wanted to upgrade to hydros but balked at the high price. I installed compressionless housing and they were plenty happy with the increased power. Cut apart some standard brake housing and you'll see there's a steel coiled wire in it. This acts like a spring and that wastes lever travel. Compressionless housing has linear wires like shifter housing and it's wrapped with Kevlar to resist bursting. NEVER EVER USE shifter housing for brakes! It will burst!
The timing of this, coupled with the comments, couldn't be better timed for me, personally. I'm building a custom, lugged gravel-bike, and have been flopping back and forth on the Paul's for the last six weeks or so. I agree with your analysis, Russ. And, I'll just sit back and watch the show in the comments. Great content, as always.
Thanks for the info...
Klampers for life! Agree 100% with the video. Avid BB7s are a good alternative for budget brakes with similar design. Pauls offer more versatility while probability to last much longer.
Impressive to see there is still products I 2020 that are designed for durability.
I splashed out on these last month after having the guys from my local shop show me them up and stopping on their custom builds. I have been through the TRP catalog and had very limited success, so bit the bullet and placed the order.
Yes it was a few pennies to part with in one go but now they’re on the bike and starting to settle in, I can safely say they are well worth the investment!
Having a brake that is serviceable, powerful, and will probably out last me cannot be underestimated. Highly recommended.
For the record to anyone that may be wondering what sort of testing I have done to come this conclusion, I do Audax/Rando riding, so very long distances, sometimes loaded, in all weathers. They work brilliantly with my gravel wheelset too 👌🏻
Have you used the trp evo? I run the evo on my enduro but my commuter / lunch ride / bike packer needs new brakes and I’m looking at klampers.
I run the TRP Spyres on my gravel bike on 160 rotors. I'm amazed how well the work, especially considering that my main discipline is MTB and I run SRAM Guides on 180/203 rotors.
A guy in California makes these parts in California. You can meet him at the Philly Bike Expo. Buy 'em if that is cool or important.
Another thing worth mentioning about Klampers, or any other mechanical brake, is that they have far more power if you use them with levers that have variable leverage- SRAM 9.0, XT M737/ 739/ 750/ 760, XTR M900/ 910/ 950/ 970, LX M570, Altek Sharkfin. Using these levers gives a night and day power advantage, and gives you more pad clearance, too. Combine those levers with compressionless housing, and you will have a top-notch brake.
Thank you for the review, Russ! Top-notch as always!
I love the idea of the Klampers but that price! For my recent Cave of Bad Ideas-inspired mullet upgrade, I went with the JuinTech R1 mechanical+hydraulic hybrid brakes with compressionless cable housing. The R1s can be found for $125-$150 per set from some US-based Ebay dealers. Far superior compared to my old Spyres and BB7s in terms of feel, modulation and stopping power. Just a remarkable value.
I may upgrade to Juin Tech GT-P (the Yokozuna Ultimos are rebadged GT-Ps) at some point, but I could not be happier with R1s.
I use the Reaction housing with the Paul Klampers. I use Jagwire insert end caps and this Allows the spring to bring the brake handle back quickly. I currently have the crazy bar and the paul canti levers. The Klampers are very solid this way.
Paul stuff is awesome
Figured it would've been fair to bring the BB7s as a comparison here rather than the Yokozunas. The BB7s are single sided actuation like the clampers but for 5x cheaper. $43 on jensonusa right now. No doubt the Clampers are a better brake, but 5x better than a well adjusted set of BB7s? I don't think so.
Disclaimer: it's long been my biased opinion that Paul's Clampers are some of the biggest wastes of money you could ever attach to your bike.
BB7s are fine. Ran them on touring bikes and the stopping power was ok when loaded. Hate replacing pads in them. Finicky to get the spring pads to sit in right sometimes. For a throwaway brake BB7s are great. I expect the Paul’s to last the life over multiple frames however and pad replacement is easier.
For a waste of money: SRAM AXS. Would rather splurge on brakes that will last a lifetime rather than AXS and $100 chains.
@@elektrozwist Haha, different targeted buyers? Haha! Good joke! Marketeers in all sorts of business love believing there are suckers born every minute. And it's just so true!!
No bike or component makes one more fit or more skilled!! That's up to the rider, the operator and the motor!
My rules:
"A fool and his money are soon parted".
There IS a sucker born every minute!
My own quote: "YOU WILL ALWAYS PAY for what you get, one way or another."
Be wise with your money. Maybe especially in regards to brakes. YOU'VE earned it. Someone else always wants it.
Love mine
I love the klampers. Made in USA, easy to service, and they work great. When I bought my Crust Evasion, I felt the splurge was worth it.
I'm using TRP Spyres with 5800 105 shifters. They're mighty and bring a loaded bike to a skidding halt *provided they are set up correctly* --- common cable brake complaints of sponginess and softness are due to the housing and how well the ends are prepared. Although using normal brake housing --- not compressionless --- I used a grinder to make the cable end completely and perfectly flat. Correspondingly brake performance is excellent.
Agreed! Cost 3 times less too.
The levers can also feel soft and spongy if the pads are not set correctly, and one side contacts the rotor way before the other one. I also found that you get much better performance if you change out the stock pads. No need to go with expensive pads, even ancient and cheap Shimano B01S pads are better.
I use TRP Spyres with 7000 105 levers. These are the easiest to adjust disc brakes I have used. I prefer modulation over power and these are fantastic for that. I set the pull so that the pads contact earlier in the lever pull so they feel like my rim brake bikes. This may have to do with them working well with the Shimano levers. I wouldn't use any other disc brake caliper.
Definitely wanted a set of these on my recent build, but in the end I just couldn't manage to pull the trigger on the price. The cost of the build was getting a little out of control and I had to put the brakes on - pun intended.
I use spyre and bb7 brakes in my bikes. Set up correctly, they work really well.
BB7s are fine for the money. I hate the finicky pad replacement. Spyres are 💩 with certain Shimano brake levers.
Used to have a Rasta rear derailleur from Paul.
Any mechanical brake will work better with Yokozuna housing :)).
I'm running the Yokozuna brakes, albeit with the manufacturer branding as Juin Tech. The worked with cheap housing, but it is a night/day difference to use Yokozuna. At this point, I don't think I'd willingly set up any mechanical brake system with anything else. Nice thing about using Juin Tech is that even with buying the Yokozuna housing, the price is still about the same as a single Klamper caliper. Plus, you can get the Juin Tech brakes can be purchased in all sorts of gaudy colors.
They do make a big difference. FWIW Paul actually recommends not using compressionless.
Debating on ordering these for a new touring build in the works. It will come with TRP Spyres/Spykes (whatever is for alt bars) and on my Cutthroat I am not impressed with the Spyres for reasons Russ has mentioned and that bike is pretty light. I emailed Paul so I would buy the right items the first time and got this response. "Our favorite combo is Canti Levers and short pull Klampers. They have a tad more power and less friction." And here I was under the impression I needed long pull for an alt bar application. Now to hit the checkout button for $625 of brake bling
I almost bought these when I built my bike, but so glad I was talked around to some XT hydraulics lol
If I were still riding backcountry in Alaska, I would go for these.
If you want to keep your favourite levers try to convert to the giant conduct brake unit. This has cable actuation to the central hydraulic unit mounted on the stem and hydraulic pipes to the standard brake on the frame. Much easier to maintain than cable. Used in my giant for 3 years. The upgrade price is about 150 uk pounds. Full hydraulic feel plus the levers you like.
Ewww, no way. That box on the handlebars is hideous and takes up too much space. There are excellent cable actuated hydros with all the hydro built into the caliper. Much better solution.
Ha - I had to doubletake when I saw this- good timing! Just finished installing a Klamper on my Surly LHT fork upgrade from rim brakes last weekend (local shop/suppliers were out of Spyre Spikes (long pull) which I would have gone for in a heartbeat if they had em').
I wish they'd use metric instead of torx, that decision doesn't make much sense to me (I don't think you get a good interface between torx and the bit which leads to easier stripping out esp. since the Klampers require a pretty high NM spec rating which is hard to meet with a standard multitool in the field), and pad alignment is more difficult than some since they are 100% flat mount instead of using a conical washer to give even finer axis control between the frame and the brake body. Also had to get very creative w/fender stays since the brake bodies are huge compared to most others on the market, but it worked out in the end.
My experience thus far after bedding the pads has been "ambivalent, but they do look pretty and I like the idea of supporting smaller companies". I'm happy to have a front brake again, as to whether Klampers represent the dream, time will tell.
8 months later TRP Spyres are still no where to be found...meanwhile had to get some Tektros to hold me over.
Really cool product I've never hear of, but was hoping you would talk about the adjustment knobs.
You turn them and they make the brakes tighter or looser.
Awesome review, a fellow IG'er suggested these to me yesterday - Your review was spot on. Makes me wonder :) $$$$
Love these brakes! They really are the "forever brakes" I run mine with the PAUL canti levers incase I wanted to swap to to drop levers.
Nice shirt!
Big fan of Paul components but I prefer the Ultimos, largely because they are better looking to my eye. Beyond that, Ultimos are quite a bit lighter and I picked mine up new with Yokozuna compression-less housing for $160 per brake.
Which yokozuma calipers were you comparing this to? The 4 piston ultimas or the 2 piston version? Also, how do the Paul’s feel with the yoko compressionless housing?
Paul most anything is above my paygrade, but I've had great results with the dirt cheap Zoom cable pull hydro breaks. Actually bought the roll of compressionless housing. It didn't seem to make a difference. The only downside is they are a one piston break, so not selfadjusting.
Excellent review. I was on the fence about these brakes and like magic your review appeared and convinced me. I installed them today and wow! The stock mechanical disk brakes on my Marin Gestalt X10 were dangerously terrible but the cost of the Klampers seemed more than a bit crazy. You got me with your 'forever brakes' comment as I can completely relate to hanging on and reusing bike stuff that works regardless of age (I still ride a couple of 90's mountain bike frames with parts that look like a timeline of bike component evolution). Immediately, the Klampers are an incredible difference. The feel and power is so much better and the ability to hard brake from the hoods is wonderful. So yeah, thanks for the helpful and spot on review.
just looked at this bike and it looks awfully overpriced. Renegade Expat is cheapet, has Cr-mo frame, better brakes and Tiagra groupset
Russ, great video! I'm totally sold and plan to install these on my new Surly Ice Cream Truck. Question: Can you convert post mount to flat and visa versa? In order to be truly adaptable to multiple bikes, seems like the mounting could be the limiting factor.
Klampers rock, best mechanical calipers, period. Even better than any hybrid I've tried. Combine with segmented housing for increased feel.
Running a set of blue klampers on my crust bombora. Also worth noting they play nice with buying options for the bombora post and flat mount setup.
On my touring Surly I bought Gevanelle shifters with long-pull MTB-type brake levers instead of short-pull road levers so I had more (and cheaper) mechanical disc brake calipers to choose from. I'm running Tektro Aquila which are terrific despite being literally one tenth the price of these Klampers. Great stopping power with semi-metallic pads fitted. Surely the brakes in this review are vastly overpriced.
TRP HY/RD comparison with these 2 would be really interesting to see given their price difference.. see how a more budget friendly option performs
I will never not recommend the Trp Hy/rd , great brakes! Great price/value
agree! also throw in the Yokozuna Ultimo onto list 👍
I can not get the rear caliper to clear my 160 rotor with the 160 adapter? What did you use so that the rear cleared the rotor?
Wonder how they perform compared to hydraulics with stretch-less cables, like powercordz.
Living in Seattle, my purple kampers steel parts are slightly rusty. Granted i never wipe down my commuter, but thought id put that out there
These came on my custom built cyclocross bike - High speed run at night, did not see curb until too late, None of my other bikes would have made it. Locked up back, skidded around inches from curb. Love these now, way faster stopping than BB7s - I will buy them for my other bikes soon. I can fix this on the trail, not true on Hydro.
Thanks for the review! I’m thinking of getting a set used and they have the short-throw arms installed. This’ll be for a bike with mountain bars, so I could go with short or long throw levers. Is there any leverage advantage between short and long throw bar levers when using these?
Between myself and clients we have used every mechanical disk caliper on the market and today only recommend the Klampers and TRP Spyke and Spyre. The Klampers are certainly better performers and a lifetime product if folks are willing to do a rebuild occasionally. TRP mechanicals don’t give up much performance over the Klampers but are susceptible to failures from silty water and thin mud. If you don’t ride in those conditions and want to save money go TRP. If you like the idea of lifetime cycling products go with Klampers.
I have Klampers and have to say that the outer pad adjuster is very hard to use compared to the one on a BB7. The Paul one is stiff and hard to move, even after breaking in, while the BB7's clicks oh so easily, making it a lot easier to tune the brake very quickly. Now, the Klampers do have a barrel adjuster on them which does much the same thing as a pad adjuster knob and is also easy to use, but it makes me wonder what the pad adjuster is on there for; it's wide and adds weight. Klampers are great brakes, but this issue with the outer pad adjuster IMO is a flaw worth mentioning.
They say that as the pad wears you should turn in the pad adjusters rather than the barrel adjuster. That's all I know.
Have you tried the JagWire Elite Link cable housing and the mandrel-drawn super-slick cable? I find they have dramatically improved both shifting and braking on my road bikes. The housing is expensive, but with Klampers, the expense is lost in the noise.
😮
The TRP Spyre still have its upper hand, with the dual sided clamping actuation.
But we should look at the aesthetic since PAULS does look good.
Spyres have two pistons but what good are they if they suck? Have had the worst luck with them.
You should check out Paul's video on why they use single-sided clamping. I have Spykes on one bike, and Spyres on another, and they're pretty good...but I don't think they perform as well as the Klampers do.
@@PathLessPedaledTV I am new to the disc brake, would like to hear more how they actually perform compare to each other.
What problem did you guy found on the TRP? Maybe a long downhill section in terms of breaking power, exhausted fingers etc
@@ysllsy6624 they just sucked. I could be in the drops applying the brakes and the rear wheel won't stop. Apparently there is some cable pull differences between shimano levers that don't play well with TRPs so that might have been the cause.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Did you do a bit of research on adjusting Spyres? Did you bin the stock pads that are garbage? Even cheap Shimano B01S pads are way better (and Klampers come with Kool Stop sintered pads, which cost about $20 per wheel). Did you run compressionless housing? (No need to get crazy expensive compressionless housing, the Jagwire Road Pro kit costs $30, you get 3m of compressionless housing, and two great quality cables)
I feel like Spyres get a bad rap because of bad pads and user error. You read reviews and they go like this: Spyres are the best, Spyres are the worst, Spyres are the best.
You say you can't lock up the rears from the drops, yet I do skids all the time (even when I don't want to) when i'm descending on the hoods. How does that work? 🙃
Spyres are not my favourite brakes, they are not better than Klampers, and they have their issues. But if you can't lock up the rear even from the drops then something is wrong there.
I wouldn't mind an install/adjustment video if you have the time (I doubt you haha).
I can't seem to get good power/bite without rubbing and I followed their installation instructions. I really do like them so far but want to get them dialed totally.
Make sure your frame and fork mounts are paint free and square. They should be bare metal. Brake adapters can also be problematic. This is often a quality control problem on production bikes.
Pro Bike shops have a tool that can machine the mounts correctly so it's 'easier' to get brakes sort of rub free. Some frames are so bad they can't be repaired.
Road discs all have very minimal pad clearance. So they're harder to get just right and some rubbing is almost inevitable. Its just the nature of the beast.
I won't use road discs.I only use mtn discs. I know from experience, wrenching in a shop, road discs are mere job security! I'm not a fan! My caliper brakes have plenty of power and never caused me all these fit and adjustment headaches.
Let me know if you have struggles. Ive got lots of little tips.
If you can find PAUL reraaillers buy! Just installed pair of Klamper on my electric cargo bicycle. Oh my, worth the money.
Have you tried the zoom cable actuated hydro brakes? I think its good upgrade
When planning my “builds” in my head, they always start with some form of Paul’s brakes. It’s the only component that isn’t up for discussion.
So I figure a frame price and factor in Klampers or Minimotos as my start point.
Then it goes from there.
Simple.
Same! I've got Klampers, Touring Cantis, and Racers on my bikes. Why would you trust anyone else?
Something to note: it looks like the Klampers only klamp down onto the rotor from one side. Compared to a brake like the TRP Spyre where both pads move. No personal experience with the Klampers but just comparing 2 brakes I've worked with (Hayes CX and TRP Spyres) having both pads move makes setting up easier and I think brakes better too. Granted on the Klampers you get the independent pad adjustment you don't get on the Hayes CX, but setting up you have to run the non-moving pad super close to the rotor to get good braking, which can get annoying if your rotor is out of true.
I have had crappy experiences with Spyres. Apparently they don't play well with certain Shimano levers.
Hey man, no really... how’s the modulation on the Paul Component Klampers? Lol! Would you recommend another for modulation (mechanical only)?
Do they recommend compressionless cables and housings? Did you use them? And if you did, does the Compressionless feel any differently to normal brake housings and lines?
No. No. No.
I’m intrigued. I only have one disc bike but the brakes are very average (early mechanicals). That is spendy but I see no reason I couldn’t start with just one. The reason I like rim brakes is how easy they are to service - looks like these solve that. As a side note - you don’t think the Crust is a forever bike? That’s the point of steel! I’m heading off on a 360 mile bike packing trip on my ‘83 Trek 500 Saturday (all components are upgraded).
It would be a forever bike if it weren’t a Frankenbike to make videos for the channel.
Path Less Pedaled yeah - it’s your job so a different story - makes sense.
I recently replaced the Origin8 mechano-hydro Vise calipers on my Jones with Klampers. For all those serviceability (and adjustment) reasons. Lovely brakes, easy set up, looks fine with a pair of Love Levers, but.... You're asking the wrong question. The question to ask, is: "Are Klampers better than a pair of BB7's"? I think they are comparable, but Paul is a super nice guy, their customer service is fantastic, and who doesn't like a little jewelry on their bike?
My road bike has a 105 5800/RS505 hydraulic group. Never thought the hydraulic's were any better than mechanical discs I've had, just more of a PIA. I've bought a Rival 22 mini group for rim brakes to replace it and I think I'll go all out and get the Paul's. I do wonder how it would feel with the longer MTB arm. You think it would be more powerful? Anyone see a problem with that?
i have a crust bombora frame im building up and have a set of paul klampers coming with 160 rotors and i need some help with the adaptors and screws i need?
I have the Yokozuna calipers on my cyclocross bike and I think they are amazing when you compare them to the TRP Spyre. But I bought the Yokozunas because I like saying Yokozuna. Yokozuna, Yokozuna. See what I mean.😁😁
Yes, yes they are. Beautifully made in California, stops on a dime, and no hydraulics. I keep the mechanism packed with synthetic marine grease to handle nasty New England winters. Never had a problem.
Is that an SKX I see? Nice
A con for me, and this goes for all calipers, is the lack of pad service through the top of the caliper. It may sound like a small item but I like not having to remove and realign my calipers to access pads.
You can pop the pads out from the top. No caliper removal necessary.
Personally I would just by hydraulic brakes for my mountain bike
They look like you can't pull the pads out from the top (without removing the wheel). Which I can do with my current setup
What’s your drop bar?
Run campy. Don't want to run hydraulic. These are my best option. Plus I like bling.
Dude you run Campy, for shure you link bling
Interesting stuff as always, Russ! I wonder how these compare to BB7s in terms of pure stopping power. I mean they both seem to employ the same mechanics and I don't see why Paul's should perform considerably better. If that is the case, it is a bit difficult to justify the price, unless you want a US-made product or some blingy parts on your bike
Wondering how the Klampers function, as in work and feel compared to BB7?
@@jefftoonstra5087 just if they have more stopping power than BB7 and, if yes, why?
Mechanical caliper performance depends greatly on machining tolerances and design strength. Any flex in any part hurts, which is why these are built like a piece of mining equipment and machined with the precision of a Swiss watch. Compared to BB7s, design and construction are on a completely different level.
@@dkessler14 this absolutely makes sense, thanks!
Have u tried the trp hy-rd they are quality much better than the trp spyres . If u use compressionless housing they really are a worth while upgrade and they are £55 in the UK from decathlon not sure what that is in us $ . You should check them out . By the way love the content keep up the good work dude quality as always 👍🚲🚲
Ha! I didn't know my shimergo monstercross needed custom cable pull. Honestly though that's a brilliant feature and goes a long way towards justifying the price, if you're a hopeless tinkerer and your "investment" calipers can follow you from bike to bike.
Did you set up the Paul's with like some decent compressionless jagwire housing? Or just basic off-the-roll spiral brake housing? In my experience that's the number one factor that makes mechanical disc brakes perform well.
Paul actually recommends using cheap housing and not compressionless.
I Setup my TRP Spyres several time. Now it is ok but not nearly as good as my Ultegra rim brakes regarding the stopping power.
I wonder if this is due to a different pull ratio of my Sora to a 105.
What kind of compressionless housing do you use?
For the Yokos, I used what came with it and the stopping power was awesome. After multiple drive train changes for the channel I picked up some Jagwire compressionless and its not as a good with the Yokos. For the Pauls, they actually recommend NOT using compressionless housing
Changed from Jagwire to Shimano and it is a little bit better. I just want to try a swisstop brake pad and see if it makes a difference. There some voices that say so.
How would you compare this to a Hope? Theyre in the similar price range, easily workable for flats/cruiser bars, non-china/Taiwan CoO, and similar nukeproofness.
No idea.
I was inspired to get the Yokozuna Ultimos from your video- do u like the Paul or Yokos Better?
They’re both great. Different value proposition. Same braking power. Yokos have better modulation. Paul’s probably will last a lifetime.
Comparison to BB7s? My gravel bike is BB7s and always wondered if there is a better mechanical disc option that's worth the $$$ to upgrade
TRP Spyres have a much better feel and performance than BB7 I have found.
Russ, you got me very interested in Paul klampers for my first build (salsa fargo). But I was planning on running a mix of Shimano GRX components (hydraulic only brake levers). Does anybody have any suggestions on compatible hood shifters that would work with GRX rear derailleur & mechanical Paul Klampers?
Maybe mechanical 105 brifters?
Are you still running Klampers? Do they interfere with any of your racks? I'm looking to install them and appreciate your review.
Yes. Haven't used racks on the bike with them.
I don't know about bling but I know they work and will stop a truck.
Only problem is they won't work on bikes I have with a SP dyno hub due to spoke interference. Damn it. But yes! a very strong, well made brake.
That’s good to know. I have a SON hub up front and clears the spokes.
Ive got to ask! What makes these better than BB7s? For what, nearly 4x the price? Ive used the mountain version BB7s for almost 20 years. Now I use them with Cane Creek's 'V' road levers on my dirt tourer. Ive rebuilt them a few times. They still work great!
I have not used these. But I am curious. Ive seen them once and the aggressive rider was not happy with Clampers on his mtb.
I second that question, Russ. You certainly know BB7 very well. They are so similar in design. Are Klampers worth 4x more? (BTW, BB5 are functionally identical, yet even cheaper.)
@@zbigniewandruszkiewicz7703 I'm looking at the TRP Spyke since that one actuates the pads from both sides
@@zbigniewandruszkiewicz7703
The BB7 mountains are the only Avid disc brakes I'd consider. Ive used 3 on MTBs and touring bikes for 2 decades. Its a great caliper for the money. Its very simple , rebuildable, even out in the field. Im using mine with Cane Creek Drop V levers now. They're Good enough to stop safely with heavy touring loads. But I never take chances out on tour. The BB7 road version doesn't have enough power with most levers. Modern brifters just don't pull enough cable. They're designed for rim brakes. Most cheap road cable brakes simply fit the price point on entry level bikes, (very questionable place to 'save cost') they're sub par, compromised and not strong enough to lock the wheel. The BB5s may be functionally the same, but they're cheaper. Therefore compromised, most likely in their materials. YOU ALWAYS PAY for what you get!! I know for a fact BB5s use a much smaller roundish brake pad opposed to the BB7s larger rectangular pads. The BB5 isn't a horrible brake as bad as the cheap stuff you see on many entry level bikes, but it's not a brake suited to very serious riding at all. Most CHEAP (Chinese junk) road discs are put there so manufacturers can sell a bike with disc brakes. MANY road riders simply don't 'need' disc brakes. Riders ought to learn good riding and braking skill, build fitness, proper maintenance and good mechanics to get the best performance out of their equipment. As always, personal responsibility.
Be very careful choosing mechanical discs. I could probably count the decent models on one hand.
I'm a mechanic. I fix this stuff every day. If you want to get the best out of your mechanicals, use compressionless brake housing, grind the ends square, minimize friction and mind the routing. Take good care of pads, rotor and properly bed them in.
BB7s are pretty good but NOTHING beats the power of hydros. I don't like road hydros, specifically hydro brifters due to their complexity, cost and in the field serviceability. But I'll probably build some sort of hydro hybrid set up with Shimano mountain calipers and some non shifter hydro road brake levers eventually. I'm a tinkerer with some special fabrication skills. I'll keep experimenting until I get exactly what I want.
I'm not sure if it was mentioned or if I missed it, but how would you compare these brakes with hyrdo disc brakes?
I test rode a bike with TRP Spyres and was quite disappointed. My friend's hyrdo brakes were bomb.
Similar stopping power. Less modulation. Much better than Spyres.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Great. Thank you!
Never ever going to have a bike without hydraulic brakes again for my entire life.