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Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Are you wanting more power out of your road brakes, but don't want to fully change out your brakes and levers? Check out TRP's HY/RD disc brake calipers. They offer the best of both worlds of mechanical and hydraulic. Our friend, Garin, has been running the calipers. See what they think!

Overview

I recently decided to upgrade the stock brake system on my Poseidon X gravel bike. I primarily use this bike for a paved group ride while pulling a bike trailer with my son in it. It's a social ride at a moderate pace, but I did not want to be a liability to anyone by having sluggish stopping power. I already take up a lot of space and this kid is not getting any lighter!

Between the weight of the trailer and my son (along with whatever else might be in there), the trailer usually exceeds 70 lbs. 70 lbs attached as a trailer adds a lot of momentum behind me which can really push me forward when trying to stop (and the trailer is effectively a parachute when trying to accelerate, but I digress lol). The stock brake system simply wasn't designed to handle that kind of force/inertia and struggled to stop effectively. In hard braking efforts, the bike would shutter and would eventually stop, but I just did not like how hard it was to do so when cycling with a group of this size. Lower effort braking scenarios yielded not much of anything. It was really all or nothing.

After some research, I found that the TRP HY/RD calipers seemed like the easiest and most cost-effective upgrade that accomplished my goal without adding in the complication of changing equipment to adapt to them by being entirely hydraulic. Being a cable-actuated hydraulic caliper I wasn't required to upgrade or change my shifters, but I was still able to benefit from the added strength of hydraulic calipers for all-out stopping power as well as significantly gain more modulation in my braking efforts. This is an absolute GAME CHANGER for any cyclist with a disc brake-equipped bike that needs better braking but also doesn't want to drop several hundred dollars on upgrading their shifters or even the entire drive train.

I added TRP HY/RD Calipers, thru axles from quick-release upgrade, and Jagwire Pro Brake Compressionless cables simultaneously. The cables and thru axles may have been overkill, but I didn't want to leave any crumbs on the table plus the orange cables matched wonderfully with the color scheme of my bike. The installation and configuration of the calipers were straightforward. Nothing world-changing, but not problematic either.

I have now ridden just under one hundred miles with these brakes so I think we have been through enough to speak to their performance. The braking has improved substantially over the stock system. I can now stop the bike and trailer train VERY quickly if needed, but the modulation has improved to where I can change how hard I want to brake. No longer do I have to dive bomb the brake levers every time I need to slow. Being able to tap the brakes for a quick drop back or even a gradual stop trying to time a traffic light makes group riding so much less stressful.