Seeing as how the Spyke we saw at Frostbike, and subsequent testing is still very much a prototype, TRP had the latest version on hand in Taipei. We’re told this version is very close to production ready, and in addition to the change in graphics, receives some additional protection from the elements. The brakes will likely have a bit of camouflage of TRP’s own design, though they were still deciding on the final looks. Most likely it will end up as the version to the front, with a black body and a design on the brake arm.
More details on the Spyke plus some cool gadgets from Tektro next…
In an effort to keep the Spyke clean and running smooth in muddy and wintry conditions, the brakes have received a cover over the brake pads and a grub seal over the brake cable. The pad cover is removable after unthreading the brake pad pin, for cleaning or removal of the pads. The protective additions should serve to make an already excellent brake even better.
While Tektro might not be the first company that comes to mind when it comes to brake innovations, they had a number of products on display might make you rethink that notion. Take these EZ Plug in hydraulic lines, as the industry trends towards internally routed hydraulic brakes, OEMs are looking for ways to install them at the factory without having to bleed the system. Tektro is one of the companies offering a hose system that seals the hose once it is removed from the lever. It can then be routed through the frame and reattached to the lever without having to add more brake fluid or bleed.
Another rad brake set up was this HD-E525 system. You have to be a true bike geek to appreciate it (or a recumbent/trike buff) but the system combines one lever for multiple calipers, a parking brake, a rotating reservoir, and a built in brake light. The Tektro Auriga E-Twin is a fully sealed hydraulic braking system that controls two calipers with the same lever – something that could be useful for adaptive cycles as well. Clearly, the hub on display has brake mounts on both sides, so we suppose that if you wanted to build a fork with twin disc mounts that could be done as well, though that isn’t the intention of the system. Flip the small lever once the brake lever is depressed, and you have yourself a parking brake which can be very important on big, heavy trikes that may want to roll away.
The built in brake light is an added bonus, and something that we hope to see integrated into more commuter bikes in the future – both integrated lights, and brake lights. The brake light wasn’t just on the dual caliper Auriga E-Twin though, it was also on brakes like the Auriga E-Tune – basically the same brake but designed for a single caliper. The wire leading off the lower edge of the brake is for the brake light, and would have to be routed to the rear light, but wireless brake lights can’t be far off.
