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I just got my first bike with disk brakes (TRP Spyre) and have problem using them. When I jam the front brake, I get very little stopping power. To compare it, when I jam the front brakes of my other bike equipped with Campy Athena skeleton rim brakes, I can easily fall over the handle bars.

Upon closer inspection, it seems that I can not brake fully due to the rubber sealing (?) visible just below the barrel adjuster in the picture.

TRP Spyre caliper with rubber seal

Is it safe to remove them? The TRP Spyre installation video available on their website does not show this part at all.

EDIT: To clarify some of the questions. The metal part with "Spyre" written on it is moving towards the fixed black part with barrel adjuster. By moving, it compresses the rubber boot. From the feel in wheel brake levers, I'd say that there is still movement possible, but the compressed rubber boot does not allow it as it is fully compressed.

The bike was bought in Wiggle, so no first month adjustments. I will try to ride a bit for pads to break in and then adjust the 3mm adjustment screw to see if it helps.

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  • Was the proper bed in procedure completed? Generally new brakes require a bed in process and braking will gradually get better as this progresses. I wouldn't think that little rubber boot would prevent any of that from moving like it is supposed to. The boot is intended to keep dirt and contaminants from entering the cable system, but it probably will have little effect if you remove it.
    – Nate W
    Aug 8, 2016 at 20:26
  • You could remove the noodle, but it won't make a difference. I agree with @NateWengert's approach, but note that some reviews say the Spyre could use a bit more power; if you're still not happy with them and are sure they've been properly adjusted, you may want to get a better disc brake and/or rotors.
    – Batman
    Aug 8, 2016 at 21:15
  • You should be able to use the 3mm adjustment bolts on each side to reduce the required travel. 40s video or text with photos
    – Móż
    Aug 8, 2016 at 22:14
  • You bought it new from a bike shop? Every good bike shop offers a free tuneup at 4-8 weeks, to fix things like cable stretch. Take advantage of that.
    – Criggie ♦
    Aug 9, 2016 at 2:55
  • If the boot is bottoming out then something is not properly adjusted.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Aug 9, 2016 at 3:03

2 Answers 2

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If the brake power is not very good, you should check the caliper alignment. The rubber sealing is certainly not the issue.

To do the alignment, it’s quite easy with the Spyre. Just release the two 5mm screws on the fork, ensure that the caliper can move from left to right, brake, then tighten the screws while braking.

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  • Welcome to Bicycles @guilc. Nice first post. We recommend all new members take the tour to get the best out of the site
    – andy256
    Aug 14, 2016 at 8:37
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You can remove it completely if you want, but if the brake is set up correctly it shouldn't cause any such problem. If that looks like what's happening, the brake could be set up presently with too much of it's armature travel already used up by where the cable has been clamped. What can happen then is you pull the lever and the armature gets pulled as far as it can go and bottoms out before the brake is properly engaged. This is a fairly easy setup mistake to make on mechanical disc brakes. The fix, if this is what's going on, is to loosen the cable anchor bolt, use the pad adjusters to get the pads closer in to the rim, and re-fasten the cable anchor. Or if a bunch of barrel adjuster has been used, you might just thread it back in and then move the pads in with the pad adjusters. If it's from a shop they should fix it for you (true regardless of what the problem is actually).

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