Ti Muk 2 Maintenance

Recent test ride after fixing up the Ti Muk 2

Ever since I've had the Ti Muk 2 (My second titanium Mukluk, thus "Ti Muk 2), it never has had a very good rear brake. Not that it mattered a whole lot since I haven't been mountain biking the Ti Muk 2 but rather just using it as a poor weather commuter. 

It isn't very hilly where I go and so both brakes didn't need to be 100% efficient. It was something on my mind, but not anything I needed to get to right away. It also did not help that I primarily use the front brake. 

However; this Fall I knew I had to give the bike a once over. Check sealant, refresh that, and maybe take a closer look at that brake. I knew what the issue was. It had been compromised by contamination emanating from the shifter box/hub connection for the Rohloff 14 speed internal geared hub. 

Like many things, there is always more to the story once you dig into it. I had never addressed the rear brake on this bike before, so I wasn't aware that the Avid BB7 caliper was not able to center over the Rohloff rotor. I could not move the caliper inward enough to get the inner pad to quit rubbing the rotor slightly. I probably did not notice that before because it was lubricated by the internal gear hub oil! Finding that out was kind of a bummer. 

The mess had been cleared up, after several applications of degreaser and isopropyl alcohol. But now what? Well, I had somehow acquired a single TRP Spyre SLC caliper along my travels, and I noted that the caliper mounting holes were larger/longer than the Avid's were. I dry fit the caliper and was able to get a good result. So, that fancy-pants caliper is now doing the job of braking in the rear of the Ti Muk 2. 

I know....it is a drop bar lever caliper. But I do things you should not do. So, don't follow my lead here. It is not recommended. That said, it is working really well for me. So, that problem has been solved. 

Bring it on Winter! I'm ready.

Brake Talk

Image courtesy of Paul Components

I was riding my King Fabrications "Honeman Flyer" the other day when I was struck by how much better my brakes were working compared to when I first put the bike together. Back at that time, I was pretty displeased with how they were working, or better said, not working! 

However; post-Mid-South, they started working really well, and now I would be hard-pressed to change them out for any reason. I had one stop the other day on that bike where I grabbed a bit too much front brake and I lifted the rear wheel off the ground. That's enough braking power for me! Especially when I think about using brakes on gravel. 

This brought me to a remembrance of conversations I had with Ben Witt of Heath Creek Cycles and also some of my research into flat mount calipers at that time. I thought that, perhaps, some of you might benefit from my thoughts on brakes and Ben's suggestions as well.

Growtac Equal Brakes. (Image courtesy of Velo Orange)

My comments and thoughts here are based upon my need for a mechanically operated flat mount caliper only. I may compare to a fully hydraulic system, but this is centered around cable operated brakes for the most part.

"Bougie" Brakes:

I did look at some expensive options for this custom bike because.....it was a custom built frame? I guess that I thought maybe a "high end" brake was fitting in this case. You know, kind of like wearing a silk tie with a tuxedo. You just don't do it any other way. 

But the prices for those calipers was, and still is, eye-watering. Wow! The Paul brakes would have been over one third the price of the frame alone. That didn't make sense to me. The Growtac Equal brakes were another high end offering that also gets rave reviews, but again, those were still pretty expensive. A little over one hundred dollars less than the Paul brakes, but yeah.... Why? 

You might say that "they work almost as well as hydraulic brakes and far better than other mechanical options.", but a fully hydraulic system, (With no shifting needs. This was for a single speed bike) like the TRP Hylex, which comes with levers and hoses, costs under $400.00 for a pair. So, right in line with Growtacs , which do not include levers, and less than Paul's which are caliper only. 

Shimano RS305 mechanical flat mount calipers. (Image from AliExpress)

Secret Weapon?:

Ben informed me of a mechanical flat mount caliper that I was unaware of previous to his telling me about them. The Shimano RS305 calipers, which Ben spoke pretty highly of, are dirt cheap. I've seen these for under sixty bucks for a pair! 

They come with resin pads with Ice Tech fins. Ben says they work very well. His word is good enough for me to say that I probably would have liked them on my new bike as well. That said, I wasn't 100% on-board with putting a cheap Shimano caliper on my custom bike. Yeah, probably a little bit of snobbery going on there, but mostly it was the look of that brake that turned me off. Too plain for this wild looking build!

I ended up with TRP Spyre calipers

So, I ended up with TRP Spyre calipers in the end. I already had them on hand, so that was a big reason why I went that direction with the brakes. As I said, they were not very impressive at first. So how is it that they are so good now? I think it all has to do with two things: Set up and bedding in of the pads with the rotors. 

Most of the issues with mechanically activated calipers, in my experience as a mechanic and personally, have been with how the brake caliper was set up to begin with. It is ultra-important to get this correct. The piston, or pistons, have to be set up so that the pads don't deflect the rotor when the brake is applied. Get that right and you are more than halfway there. 

Secondly, it is now my belief that getting your pads and rotors bedded in really well will bring your brakes to life. In my case, with the Honeman Flyer, I believe it was the abrasive red dirt of Oklahoma that helped get the pads and rotors happy with each other. That and the long descents which saw me dragging the brakes a bit more than I would in Iowa. 

Whatever the case may have been, it took a good bedding in to bring out the best in these brakes, and now I wouldn't change them out for anything else. And if I had to buy the Spyres? You can get a pair right now on eBay for under a hundred bucks and they are around $150.00 or slightly less for a pair at many online retailers.

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.

Friday News And Views

The Geezer Ride:

Okay, a week from tomorrow is the Geezer Ride. I have a few tidbits about the course to share with all that may be showing up for this casual group gravel ride. 

I mapped out the course I have in mind which will head Westward out of Amana on their fine bike path. Then we'll turn Northward and a gently climbing grade will take us out of the town. This is all on pavement, by the way, so it shouldn't be too tough. We will have to be single file and mindful of car traffic as this road goes by the golf course and several "finer homes". Then we top out and hit gravel heading more or less Westward. I expect we may have to stop along the way for some imagery, or at least I hope so. Then after a few miles we will hit the B Road that was featured in Trans Iowa V10 last spring before Checkpoint #2. Only this time we'll be going into that in the opposite direction than the course ran in the Spring. The descent is pretty straight forward, and the climb is long and a bit windy. It is a big one, so we'll regroup at the top if need be.

Further on we'll have a super cool descent and then a slight climb up to a road which will take us a long way back eastward. This road will be full of gentle rollers. It shouldn't be too bad. However; we'll get to finally turn South and the fun will begin! A big descent will be followed by some awesome views of the Iowa River Valley, but then we climb, and climb, and climb right back up again to hit a road the will be the last B Maintenance road on the course. If you are outta gas by the time we reach that last big climb, and want to skip out, there is a direct bail out back to Amana. The rest that make the climb and do the B Road will enjoy a long, gentle descent back to Amana.

That's it! Almost 40 miles, and hopefully the Fall colors will show up big time along with some beautiful weather.

 T.I.V11 Lodging:

Normally every year we get a discounted rate on some rooms for Trans Iowa. This has been the case since T.I.V6 in 2009. Ya know, now that I think about this, we had something along those lines in Williamsburg for T.I.V5 too. Anyway.....The Comfort Inn and Suites of Grinnell stepped up and made the offer again. Not more than five hours after I announced the lodging details and I heard that the block of rooms had already been filled, and that a few more might be added.

This is all before registration, mind you. The Trans Iowa folks are all nutters, I tell ya! Anyway, I thought I would mention this here as many of you are probably waiting to see if you get on the roster first, and then you may be looking for a room. Since this may be the case, (I am guessing most Rookies looking to get in are in this camp), there is an effort underway to see about extending the offer, or possibly bring in another motel. Stay tuned........

Best mechanical brake I've tried.

TRP Spyre Mini-Review:

Many folks have asked me over the time I have had my Tamland Two about the brakes on it. The TRP Spyre calipers are a unique brake and are a direct competitor with the aging Avid BB-7 mechanical brake. 

Okay, let's cut to the chase right away. The TRP Spyre brakes are definitely better brakes than the Avid BB-7's are. I have used almost every variation of the BB-7's since 2003, and I have owned several sets of them. They were unapproachable in terms of feel and performance by any other mechanical brake, and if you were lucky enough to find a good mate in levers, they outperformed many earlier hydraulic brakes. However; SRAM has done pretty much zero in upgrades to this design which has now put them off the back to TRP's Spyre. (The mtb version of this caliper is the "Spyke", by the way.)

The dual activated pads give these brakes a far smoother feel, in my opinion, than BB-7's, and the power is a bit better as well. Matched with my Ultegra 11 speed levers, the Spyre brakes have great modulation, feel, and take less effort to operate than any BB-7 set up with drop bar levers I have used or worked on. The pad contact feel positive, not mushy at all, without being "on-off" or grabby. Some of my BB-7 set ups feel okay at first, but mid-braking performance shows a sudden tendency to grab, making modulating them a chore. Not so with the Spyre. 

Finally, these brakes are quiet! They will make a high pitched whistle on occasion, but that is seldom. In fact, I'm almost shocked if they do that. Otherwise, I highly recommend these. Now also available in a slightly lighter "SL" version with a carbon actuation lever.

Okay folks! Get out and ride those bicycles this weekend!

Friday News And Views

The Geezer Ride:

Okay, a week from tomorrow is the Geezer Ride. I have a few tidbits about the course to share with all that may be showing up for this casual group gravel ride. 

I mapped out the course I have in mind which will head Westward out of Amana on their fine bike path. Then we'll turn Northward and a gently climbing grade will take us out of the town. This is all on pavement, by the way, so it shouldn't be too tough. We will have to be single file and mindful of car traffic as this road goes by the golf course and several "finer homes". Then we top out and hit gravel heading more or less Westward. I expect we may have to stop along the way for some imagery, or at least I hope so. Then after a few miles we will hit the B Road that was featured in Trans Iowa V10 last spring before Checkpoint #2. Only this time we'll be going into that in the opposite direction than the course ran in the Spring. The descent is pretty straight forward, and the climb is long and a bit windy. It is a big one, so we'll regroup at the top if need be.

Further on we'll have a super cool descent and then a slight climb up to a road which will take us a long way back eastward. This road will be full of gentle rollers. It shouldn't be too bad. However; we'll get to finally turn South and the fun will begin! A big descent will be followed by some awesome views of the Iowa River Valley, but then we climb, and climb, and climb right back up again to hit a road the will be the last B Maintenance road on the course. If you are outta gas by the time we reach that last big climb, and want to skip out, there is a direct bail out back to Amana. The rest that make the climb and do the B Road will enjoy a long, gentle descent back to Amana.

That's it! Almost 40 miles, and hopefully the Fall colors will show up big time along with some beautiful weather.

 T.I.V11 Lodging:

Normally every year we get a discounted rate on some rooms for Trans Iowa. This has been the case since T.I.V6 in 2009. Ya know, now that I think about this, we had something along those lines in Williamsburg for T.I.V5 too. Anyway.....The Comfort Inn and Suites of Grinnell stepped up and made the offer again. Not more than five hours after I announced the lodging details and I heard that the block of rooms had already been filled, and that a few more might be added.

This is all before registration, mind you. The Trans Iowa folks are all nutters, I tell ya! Anyway, I thought I would mention this here as many of you are probably waiting to see if you get on the roster first, and then you may be looking for a room. Since this may be the case, (I am guessing most Rookies looking to get in are in this camp), there is an effort underway to see about extending the offer, or possibly bring in another motel. Stay tuned........

Best mechanical brake I've tried.

TRP Spyre Mini-Review:

Many folks have asked me over the time I have had my Tamland Two about the brakes on it. The TRP Spyre calipers are a unique brake and are a direct competitor with the aging Avid BB-7 mechanical brake. 

Okay, let's cut to the chase right away. The TRP Spyre brakes are definitely better brakes than the Avid BB-7's are. I have used almost every variation of the BB-7's since 2003, and I have owned several sets of them. They were unapproachable in terms of feel and performance by any other mechanical brake, and if you were lucky enough to find a good mate in levers, they outperformed many earlier hydraulic brakes. However; SRAM has done pretty much zero in upgrades to this design which has now put them off the back to TRP's Spyre. (The mtb version of this caliper is the "Spyke", by the way.)

The dual activated pads give these brakes a far smoother feel, in my opinion, than BB-7's, and the power is a bit better as well. Matched with my Ultegra 11 speed levers, the Spyre brakes have great modulation, feel, and take less effort to operate than any BB-7 set up with drop bar levers I have used or worked on. The pad contact feel positive, not mushy at all, without being "on-off" or grabby. Some of my BB-7 set ups feel okay at first, but mid-braking performance shows a sudden tendency to grab, making modulating them a chore. Not so with the Spyre. 

Finally, these brakes are quiet! They will make a high pitched whistle on occasion, but that is seldom. In fact, I'm almost shocked if they do that. Otherwise, I highly recommend these. Now also available in a slightly lighter "SL" version with a carbon actuation lever.

Okay folks! Get out and ride those bicycles this weekend!