Growtac Equal // Ridiculously Strong Mechanical Disc Brakes

Long term review of the Growtac Equal mechanical disc brakes. A true rival to the Paul Klampers, but with some key differences.

Growtac Equal Brakes

Growtac Equal US Distributor:

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[chazwarpdrive]

I've got Growtacs on my touring bike and my fat bike, and I love them. I ditched my Yokozuna hydro-mechanicals for them. They're strong and easy to set up and adjust, but like you said, you do need to read the directions. I also lost the little plug for the pad adjuster hole on one brake, but fortunately it's tapped for an M4 bolt! I replaced the plugs with bolts on all 4 calipers. It does mean you need another tool to get at the pad adjusters, but so far that hasn't caused any problems.

[recacar]

Switched from XT hydros to these after a caliper developed a leak at the piston and have not looked back at all. They are a breeze to set up, and no bleeding or hunting for leaks when something goes wrong. I don't feel like I am giving up much at all and the ease of maintenance and reduced noise are welcome changes. Makes internally routed stuff so much easier as well. They are MUCH better than most previous cable discs that I have tried (spyres, BB7) and lighter/slimmer but just as good as the Klampers. Was thinking of going back to rim brakes on all my bikes but these have changed my mind.

[lauig]

I love your content, there's a bit of no nonsense approach to things and in the same time a good level of thoroughness in your analysis and comparisons and you always go for componentry that many of us, all over the world, would be much more susceptible to use than what you'd see on those GCN wannabee channels. So thank you for having our back !
Had never heard of those but now I'm intrigued, very intrigued. That price point ain't to steep for such an important safety feature.

[slantedorbit]

Getting the BB7s on my city/touring bike to work properly is a full-time job, so I often think it’s only a matter of time before I spring for these. But then I adjust the BB7s well enough to continue deferring, especially since I already have a gravel bike with 105 hydros for when I want more performance-oriented actuation. Maybe the next time I build a steel frame up from scratch I’ll go with these. Thanks for the useful review!

[solobellimino]

I believe quality mechanicals are so underrated. Nice to see quality stuff are still out there.

[robertwyland]

For cable actuated disc brakes, I love my Juin Tech Gt-F . Of course they hydraulic at the calipers.

[thebrowns]

we have Paul components to thank for these, and competition is great for consumers. exciting

[danielkamberelis]

Hey Nolan, at the end of this video you mention "cable stretch". I've always wondered about what is actually happening when people refer to "cable stretch". I'm no engineer, just a humble bike mechanic, but from my basic understanding of steel it seems unlikely that a steel cable could "stretch" enough to account for the amount of slack that's created right after installing new cables and housing or the slackening over time. I've always assumed that the slackening over time was caused by other parts in the system like the housing compressing or the ferrules being pressed on all the way under the force of braking. I was hoping as an engineer you could shed some light on what was actually going on when folks talk about "cable stretch". Many thanks, love the channel, keep up the good work!

[hardmtnbiker]

They definitely look premium and go perfectly with your super dialed in Ritchey Outback. Another amazing review. I don’t have any experience with mechanical disk brakes but they have come a long way from the Avid mechanical brakes from years ago. Hydro brake calipers with cable lines seem to be the happy medium.

[antoinedoinell]

Nice review! love that these exist. Don't get me wrong the Klampers (ive only ridden post mount) look and perform great but you really can't beat that price point. I want these on my next bike.

[velo_orange]

Terrific review Nolan! Glad you're enjoying the brakes. Sick bike, too btw!

[rohangayle]

Thank you for your great review, i run trp spyre and happy with them, but always was aware other mechanical disc systems, but now i have the knowledge of your review, i know what path to take, fine work again Nolan

[christopherharmon]

Great review! I just purchased an aluminum Topstone with SORA, because I like the simplicity of cable actuated brakes. Growtacs are a serious consideration. High-quality mechanical brakes are grossly underrated, IMO, and so is compressionless housing. Want to "wake up" mechanical brakes? Try compressionless housing. The levers, housing, cables and calipers are a system. The housing is the weak link.

[paulschmidtke]

Thanks, hadn't heard of these brakes before, I have my touring bike set up with mechanical brakes ( who needs hydraulic problems in the middle of nowhere) so all I do is carry a spare inner cable, weights nothing takes up no room, I went with the scram bb7 I am extremely happy with the power and modulation, actually just as powerful as my hydraulic MTB set up or nearly so could not imagine needing more and at a substantial amount less price wise than the clampers and grotacs, but I do like their look so I will give them a go as soon as the misses isn't looking

[weareallbeingwatched]

This might be the best mechanical brake ever made.

[GFCMilitia]

I would like to see you review the TRP Spyke dual piston and TRP Spyre dual piston. They're a lot cheaper. I have them both on my MTB and Gravel bikes. No issues.

[TheMachoGabacho]

My favorite endurance bike came with Tektro mechanicals and I love everything about the bike except for the brakes. I’m not ready to change out the whole drivetrain yet, so I think I’ll give these a try. Thanks for the review. I’m enjoying your channel and your style of presenting information.

[renegadeflyer]

The tensile strength of duralumin is higher than aluminum, although its resistance to corrosion is poor. I wouldn't want to use it in the winter.

[tomreingold]

When you say, "the ride feel is just dandy, " you became my favorite bike vlogger. Good video again. Please keep it up.

[orsations]

I used Paul Klampers and then Growtac Equal on the same bike. Much prefer the Growtac Equal. It's lighter and feels like the top end power is higher, with no downsides I can tell. I did not lose any of the plugs.