TRP EVO Brakes Explained - What’s the best MTB brake for you?
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- After a mediocre review on their G-Spec Quadiem brakes a couple years back, TRP took the gloves off and came back with what are some of our favorite brakes available. Taking the EVO brake line to the next level, TRP Cycling kept refining the EVO platform and now have a family of EVO brakes to suit a variety of riders and needs. In this feature we’re going to take a look at the three models currently available and the subtle differences and similarities between them all.
COMMON FEATURES
TRP’s EVO brakes share the same dual 16mm pistons in burly 4-piston calipers. These calipers have 360-degrees of oil flow inside with a large internal volume. By eliminating any sharp turns for the fluid, TRP hopes to improve power distribution across the pads and facilitate easier bleeding as air bubbles can purge easier since they don’t have corners or nooks to hide in. A benefit of being able to pull more oil is that heat management is improved as it takes longer to heat up and boil. This also means you have to bleed your brakes less since they’re not degrading as quickly from reaching extremely hot temperatures as often.
The fluid volume inside the calipers is maximized to reduce heat buildup and keep the brakes consistent on sustained descents, something we’ve raved about in our reviews. The TRP EVO brakes use a newly developed mineral oil with an increased boiling point of 230C to maintain brake performance under the harshest conditions. TRP Cycling also use 5mm housing for high oil flow rates with a Kevlar wrap that reduces hydraulic expansion when the brakes are being actuated, giving a firmer lever feel, instant power and eliminating that squishy feel, no matter how long your downhill run is.
The levers all feature a hinged bar clamp and tool-free reach adjustment to get them dialed in. The calipers are designed around TRP’s thicker 2.3mm rotors. TRP’s thicker rotors improve heat management as there is more material to handle the friction and also reduce the chance of warping compared to the 1.8mm standard rotors found on many other mountain bike brakes. All of TRP’s EVO brakes are compatible with rotors up to 223mm to give stopping power fit for a Clydesdale on a full powered eBike.
SLATE EVO
The more budget-focused, aggressive trail brake in the TRP EVO lineup is the $139.99 Slate EVO. The TRP Slate Evo brake sees a smaller lever body and caliper to save weight, with a reduced oil volume to produce a lighter and more modulated lever feel at the expense of slightly less heat resistance and all out stopping power. The ergonomic lever blade and 10mm brake lever piston are designed to give a linear and predictable lever feel that should offer the best performance for a lighter weight aggressive trail rider. Stainless pistons and forged lever and caliper bodies add to the cost savings to let these high-performance stoppers come in at a lower price point. We think these brakes are going to be ideal for aggressive trail riders who want TRP’s EVO brakes without the weight penalty, but aren’t super heavy, regularly riding extended downhills on heavy enduro bikes or eBikers. If you love shredding your 120-150mm sled, these could be a great option.
TRAIL EVO
The premium trail brake, the $209.99 TRP Trail EVO offers most of the premium features found on the DH-R EVO in a more trail-friendly package. The larger 10mm master cylinder piston compared with the DH-R improves modulation at a slight expense of all-out power compared to the DH-R EVO, giving a more suitable brake for those who don’t require the ultimate power and prefer some lighter lever feel and modulation. The price is reduced thanks to the stainless pistons and slightly more cost-friendly finishes.
DH-R EVO
The $259.99 DH-R is the flagship brake in the TRP EVO lineup, developed on the track with World Cup athletes specifically for racing at the highest levels and high-performance E-bikes. It’s designed to offer all-out stopping power, with a reduced 9mm lever piston that clamps hybrid composite pistons to the rotor with the most force in the range.
The lever and caliper are forged, machined and polished to minimize weight and give a premium look. It all adds up to the stopper of choice for heavier riders or those looking for the most reliable power on sustained descents. The penalty is a slightly reduced modulation that can have lighter or less aggressive riders potentially struggling with wheels locking too frequently, similarly to a Shimano Saint, but we’d say slightly better.
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Great video! I've heard awesome things about the TRP's. Definitely gotta check these out.
You should! They’re awesome
Thanks for the detailed overview! Good stuff.
Thanks! This helped me make my new brake selection. Trail evo 🤙
I love my TRP EVO brakes. 🤙
Been through a few different brakes and brands... i have to say the DHR have been one of my favorites.
Loving my trail evo
Would love to see a comparison with the Hayes Dominion A4. Those are my favorite brakes so far
I’ve had both, here’s what I’ve noticed. The A4 has more initial bite, but the TRP’s have more power while being easier to modulate. Also the heat management and reliability is insane on the DHR’s so far. And the DHR’s work extremely well in the wet, there’s no brake noise unless you really pull hard at lower speeds. Overall I think the TRP’s are better, but I’d easily take either one over Sram or Shimano
The hayes are a bit better in every sense except for 2:
- They use dot fluid so they are harder to bleed
- Reliability and finish, the pistons and calipers have lower tolerances and worse material choice in the Hayes brakes. Great lever feel at the cost of the risk of leaking and lower reliability.
thanx for another amazing vid like always...Yall are awesome!!!
Thank you! We appreciate it b
Ive been using the slate Evo for a few months now and they are great. But im needing to change the pads soon. Would shimano finned pads work with them?
Try aftermarket pads for Saint/Zee, they will fit perfect!
Been running the older TRP Quadium brakes for 3 years... Bulletproof.. Would love to try the EVO brakes at some point..
Definitely should
As someone currently with SRAM G2R and looking for more power I was thinking about codes. I have the slate t4 on another bike and love how easy they are to bleed. Now I’m thinking the Trail EVO might be perfect for a 200lb rider on a short travel/sc Tallboy bike
How do you compare the Trp dhr evo to Hope tech 4 v 4?
I bought the TRP DH-R EVO brakes & they have the longest modulation I thought, Then realized my rear caliper was bad. They did send me free shipping label and are going to repair ro replace depending & replaced the front 220 rotor that got rashed by the TRP brake pads. I went MTX and no more noise or issues with rotor rash. If I had to do it all over again, I would build a Shimano Lever with Magura MT7 Calipers. Get what TRP was trying for, but build it myself. I know it works. So My Calipers must be bad. Because my DH-Rs didn't brake well in rear(bad caliper only 1 piston was actuating). front I tried to do some Endo's/Front tire stop and roll forward and I was unable to do it, I felt like brake lever felt spongey but each time I tried to us modulation built into the lever(it is not adjustable bite point like the CODE RSC, or top end Shimanos Saint, XT, XTR etc.) It would lock up & modulation seemed minimal. Other times it seemed big, it was very odd. I honestly enjoyed the performance of my SRAM G2 R's final braking power more then my TRP's, so I assume both front and rear may have issues. Front I haven't figured out what is wrong, all I know is the TRP brake pads, rashed the rotor during bedding and screams when you hit them hard. I do recomend if you buy any TRP or Tektro brake, make sure they can take MTX pads. The quiet and performance is just heavenly. One of the best upgrades I ever made were MTX pads. I have Magura MT5's on my fathers Trail bike, tbh his shitty trail bike has better groupset and brakes then most E-bikes but the bike is fugly VERY heavy, semi-comfortable. I am sick so I can only ride e-bikes, & my dad is 84 so he is in the same boat. We both came from motorcycles, we road our whole lives but age and health made us dial it back. I LOVE riding and went in heavy on my ENDURO, he stayed cheap with the FLX TRAIL5 which is ugh garbage suspension & frame. Otherwise good parts. I hope one day I can afford a second bike one more geared for LONG travel, hard hitting. I am at 160/160. Planning to go up to 170 front fork & stick with 160 or maybe overstroke at 167mm would love opinions on that.
Excellent!
Hello guys,
Nice review. Thanks.
Are TRP Trail is enough for enduro raising? Or for enduro DH is what I need?
I got the trail evo on my specialized enduro. Might replace them with the DH-R Evo later down the line. They work well
Did you? Someone warned me away from a build with the Trails because they weren't the DHR and I was wondering if I would be really missing much just going with Trails
Wow that sweatshop at 1:00 . Just remember guys, this is how pretty much all the stuff on your bike get made unless you buy from local brands.
How would you compare them against magura mt7. I currently run these and were going to put them on my pole voima that I have ordered but I'm now thinking about the dhr evo.
Your thoughts please.
How would you compare the Trail Evo to a Magura MT5? Any experience with those?
Not sure if I missed it but what specifically (mechanically) makes the DH-R more powerful in terms of stopping power? Great video regardless. Thanks
i second this question, and add, how is stopping power measured?
How would you compare the DHR evo to the Magura mt7?
I switched from mt5s to DHR and the DHRs have a better feel and more stopping power to me.
If you're going for feel, looks, power go mt7 with HC3. TRP power, crisp feel and modulation.
What are your preferred pads on your bikes with the TRP DH brakes? Also, how do you like the stock TRP blue performance resin pads?
Anyone know is the slate evo can run 1.8 mm thick rotors w/o the calipers falling out or getting loose once the rotor wears ?
Thanks for the overview of the TRP Evo lineup! I'm about 200lbs and ride the Fezzari Delano Peak in the southwest, no bike parks or super steeps but mixed mountain/desert riding with rock gardens, sneaky turns, and occasional long downhills. I never ride more than 20 miles on a ride. Think the Trail Evo would be the best option or the DHR?
For that bike and the style riding you described, the Trail Evo's would be the best option.
I only weigh 130lbs and have DHR EVO on my Revel Rail29 build (coming from SRAM G2 on everything previously) and they are incredible. Don’t feel like they’re overkill and I don’t ride the gnarliest stuff. They’re just so good.
DHR-Evos on the e160 here and so happy i swapped. Keep boiling the SRAM brakes. Is it possible to get finned brakepads for these though? I tried the shimano pads but they didn't fit. They were off by about 0.4mm
Those DHR's are on my short list
Another great review! I’m such a diehard XT brake fan, but willing to look elsewhere (except SRAM). One of the things I like about Shimano is the fluid (mineral oil) is so easy to work with, and easy to bleed. What about TRP in that regard?
The EVO also uses mineral oil and bleeding them is not hard with their bleed kit.
Shimano takes the cake for easiest bleed because they have a bleed nipple at the caliper that you can open and close with the syringe attached. But TRP are almost just as easy
I just rode the Trail Evos on our rental bike last night! Holy Crap they were night and day to my TRP trail SL's I've been trying to get to feel better for the last month. Honestly kind disappointed I spent money on the TRPs I have when these were so much better. Everyone at the shop gives me shit for not getting Shimano. I just wish I had these EVOs. 😐 TRP can you take these back?
I seem to keep seeing TRP pop up in YT vids lately. My curiosity is piqued. Say I wanted to upgrade my brakes but have no experience with any of the current leading brakes, which would you recommend for DH, TRP Evo DHR, SRAM Code RSC, Shimano Saint, Shimano Zee, Magura MT7? And why? Thanks.
DHR Evo, Shimano and Magura are top on our list. Each have their own unique feels and pros/cons. We'd be stoked to see either of those options on a test bike, but, there is a reason you see TRP's on many of our personal bikes.
@@TheLoamWolf not a fan of SRAM Code RSCs?
@@corismsyn When they work they're fine. We just have so much inconsistencies with SRAM brakes that we'd never actually buy them. We don't like bleeding brakes all the time and brake lever fade and change in feel.
@@TheLoamWolf Good to know. I'll definitely look into the TRPs when I upgrade then. Thanks!
@@TheLoamWolf because sponsorship / free? 😮💨
What happened to the quadiems? Why are they not popular anymore?
Any tips on routing the new brake cables? I have been told this is a project.
I'm 205lbs - 6'2" - riding a revel ranger in central VA (mix of medium length DHs and rocky tech), the SRAM G2s are way under powered for my preferred brake feel and riding style. I'm torn between the Slate EVO and the Trail EVO - what do you think?
Get the DHR EVO, you will not regret it!
I current have some SRAM Code RSC on my bike. Does the TRP DHR Evo provide better stopping power than the SRAM’s? I’m a heavier rider.
I’m at 220 with a pack and DH evo are much more powerful than anything Sram has. I’ll never run Sram again after running DH evo. You’ll love them.
Have you tried Shimano Deore XT/XTR breaks with J04C Metal pads and with TRP 180mm 2.3mm thickness rotors ? I am planning to buy new rotors and pads. For breaks I already decided it would be DeoreXT BL-M8100, but for pads and rotors I am still uncertain... I was looking for J04C I like that heatsink for taking off the heat from pads.
What is the brake pad compound that you use on your Turbo Levo? Organic or metallic?
Is it possible to rebuild the trp brakes? Example change the caliper piston. Or are they like shimano that will make you buy a new caliper instead of providing a replacement piston?
Their pads are much more reasonably priced so it has point there already!
Hi guys i have question for you. Recently i bought my dream bike Norco Optic. Bike has TRP slate evo brakes but i noticed after long downhill ride brakes started to faded. Do you think uprage to DH-R will be noticable? And one question, can more powerful brakes damage my front fork in time? I have Rock Shox Pike Select 140mm. Thanks for your answer.
Hey thank you for reaching out and congrats on getting your dream bike! The DHR's will definitely be better for long descents and heavier bikes/riders too! As long as you don't put a rotor size that's bigger than the max recommended rotor size, you' should be fine!
@@TheLoamWolf thanks for respond 🙂
I own the slate and it’s very weak for my liking. Should I go with the Trail Evo or the DH-R?
DH-R pack the most power for sure!
@@TheLoamWolf
Do you have any idea how does the Trail Evo and the DH-R compare?
I'm a relatively heavy guy.. around the 250lb mark.... Trying to lose a lot of that... But I don't ride crazy downhills. Im not super brave. My bikes came with the Shimano 201 2 piston brakes and I've been looking to upgrade. My LBS has some Slate Evo Brakes he said he would sell me for $100 each front and back. That's Canadian rupees. Sounds like a good deal but do you think they will be good enough. I think so but I don't really know much. My bikes are a 2019 Kona Blast 100m travel hardtail and a 2019 Marin Hawk Hill 2 full suspension with 130 travel. Thoughts?
Don't think those Slates are gonna be enough. Shimano has some great, non-series 4 piston brakes that we'd recommend for sure though!
@@TheLoamWolf would they be any more powerful than the MT-201 2 piston brakes? I've been riding those for 3 years.
What about the limited run quadiem 2.3se?
Im currently running Guide Ts and am wanting to update to something with mineral oil. I rode a rental with Shimano SLX brakes and hated the On/Off feel of the brakes. Do they Trail Evos have comparable modulation to the Guide Ts?
Guide Ts are grossly underpowered upgrade and you'll be happy!
Can Shimano mineral oil be used as brake fluid with this braking system?
Which brakes would you recommend for a 300lb rider on a Specialized Kenevo SL Comp? The bike comes with 220mm front and 203 rear rotors and Sram Code R brakes.
I'm 240 and ride a Cannondale Moterra Neo and have the TRP DH-R EVO with 223 in the front and 203 in the back. And I can stop on a dime.
DHR Evo with big boy rotors for sure! You’ll love em.
@Martin Schwartz
On my kenevo I swapped the code R's for Magura mt5e. Maguras are way better than the codes 👍
trp slate or shimano mt420 with m4100 lever?
Magura or TRP on my Emtb?
Did you pick one?
@@LastAphelion I already have mags. Been wondering about trp for awhile.
Any thoughts on the TRP brake pads? Resin versus sintered/metallic? I just put new TRPs on my bike, but can't ride until the snow melts. I've gone with resin, to start with.
I like the sintered over the resin with my EMTB.
TRP sintered pads, the gold ones! Much better than their resin. Plenty of power and modulation. I did a video on them. The resin pads are inconsistent in power and get really loud, even with fresh rotors. Not worth it.
Why only answer some of the quiz?
what happen to G-spec brakes?
Shimano Saint. Why buy anything anything else? Brake pads at every bike shop. Easy to get parts. Can’t say I’ve ever seen TRP pads in a bike shop. I’ve not been looking for them either 😂 Used Magura for sometime. Loved them, but I had to order brake pads all the time. Meh. 🙌
True points here. But there is a best of both worlds. You can run the trp rotors and get close to the DH evos. I did a video on this and it works great.
You probably haven't seen TRP brake pads in shops because they are exactly the same as Shimano pads. I have Galfer Saint/Zee pads in mine currently.
@@Ctrl952 Actually they are different, little different compound and the TRP pads have beveled edges to them. But yes, you can run either interchangeably. The TRP rotors are bit quieter but the Shimano's have a stronger initial bite point.
Can you use them on the opposite side of the handlebars for UK braking?
For the hydraulic angles and 360-flow bullshit make no sense, hydraulic liquid is practically incomprehensible, and there are no pressure gradients along any section, pressure is always equal. The only thing that should be considered is flow resistance, that could slightly affect actuation in a caliper, but that's easy.
i'm sorry but straight from rsc codes i feel no difference in power with the stock resin pads. i highly regret my upgrade and yet i live on a bike park
Hey, thanks for showing, I'm used to sram codes. I weigh 235 lbs and have a stumpy evo I'm going to hit parks and places I can't take my decoy or levo. Curious if the dh evos feel more like on off shimano or modulated like codes or in-between?
The DHRs have great modulation, but if you grab them hard. Hold on because your bike is stopping, and you might not.
i own a pair of dhr evos on my norco range and i can tell you with pretty good certainty how they feel since i've been using them for a little over 8 months now(they were on my previous bike too). i'd probably say they're closer to the shimano on-off feel but they most definitely are not an "on off" type of brake. because they have such long levers, you can put them really far away from your grips and that not only protects them a little better from tree strikes but it also gives you a ton of power and modulation. they also look really good, especially the gold ones. overall i'd say they're a combo of sram and shimano honestly but comparing the dhrs to either brands kind of isn't ideal because they do have their own feel to them at the end of the day
I find DH evo to feel closer to Shimano’s powerful feel. I weigh 215, without pack and love the power and lever feel. They aren’t hard to get used to though but you’ll love the performance. They stay cooler than sram and I would never go back to Sram.
I don’t like tektro. I’ve boiled my brakes multiple time and after full rebuilds, boiled them again. Both the callipers and the levers start leaking when you boil them and they squeal like an excited pig
Wild the only person I can find that has this issue
Did you get paid for this advert?
Yes.
I slay trails with 110r/120f 😂
Skip this vid if you're looking for pros and cons or comparisons with other brands, its a paid advert
F off dude, most people don't know anything about TRP it's an informative video.
Too late
This is blatantly product placement.
It’s not so much product placement as it is an informational video showcasing TRP’s brake family and line up. Hence the title, “TRP EVO BRAKES EXPLAINED” and the thumbnail which clarifies the video is about TRP’s EVO family of brakes. Hope that clarifies things.
@@TheLoamWolf Ok so it is a for profit ad. I don't think most people know that because it's really not obvious.
Used my buddy's wifes ebike at kanuga and quickly found out the brakes sucked..went otb twice
Wait, so you went otb twice? does tthat not show their power? Modulation might be a different issue. So many like SRAM's feel, but then you have to wait for them at meet up because their brakes need some TLC. I run the SRAM Codes with Magura rotors and Galfer pads. That combo is damn nice................until it needs to be bled, or caliper realigned, or something else. Then there's the DOT4 racing fluid that is almost mandatory for any real DH run.
Could these braked be used on a sur ron liught bee?
I, somehow don't really believe in "Made In China " brakes for DH....