4.8 brakes

Mechanical Disc Brake Setup (Avid BB7 / TRP Spyre)

Mechanical Disc Brake Setup (Avid BB7 / TRP Spyre). Step-by-step procedure for bike maintenance — tools, time, and what to watch out for.

Difficulty ★★☆ moderate
Time ~15 min
Applies to Bikes with mechanical disc brakes (older, some commuter, some gravel)

Tools

  • 5mm hex (caliper mount, cable pinch bolt)
  • T25 (sometimes for pad pin)
  • cable cutter

Procedure

  1. Loosen caliper mounting bolts

    so the caliper can move freely.

  2. Set both pad adjusters

    to fully retracted (turn the red dials on a BB7 fully outward — counter-clockwise as viewed from the inboard side).

  3. Squeeze the cable taut

    at the cable pinch bolt and tighten (4–5 Nm).

  4. Squeeze the brake lever firmly and hold

  5. Tighten the caliper mounting bolts

    in this position.

  6. Release the lever

  7. Adjust the inboard pad

    (the one on the spoke side) inward by turning its red dial clockwise until it just contacts the rotor. Then back off 1/4 turn.

  8. Adjust the outboard pad

    the same way — turn its dial inward until contact, back off 1/4 turn.

  9. Test the lever pull and the wheel spin

    Adjust pad dials further inward if needed for a firmer lever or more bite.

  10. For TRP Spyre (dual-piston)

    same idea but both pads adjust via similar mechanism. The Spyre's design self-centers, so bias is already balanced.