TRP DH-R EVO brakes

iliveonnitro · Dec 5, 2020

Thinking about picking up some TRP DH-R brakes in a couple weeks, but there aren't many user reviews/comparisons out there.

Over several bikes and brake setups, I've generally liked my Sram Code R, Guides were weak, Shimano XTR had a wandering bit point but good feel when they worked...but I never tried anything except Sram or Shimano.

I'm considering the MT7s as well, but there's plenty of info on those. How are the TRP DH-R EVOs?

unrealityshow · Dec 5, 2020

NSMB.com gave them a pretty good review. I really trust what they have to say.

https://nsmb.com/articles/trp-dh-r-evo-brake-review/

I really love the feel of all the Magura brakes I've used. Even if they are fragile. I've broken 3 levers over the past couple of years. I still won't go back to Shimano or Sram.

ScottieM8 · Dec 5, 2020

Switched over my bikes to TRP Quadiems brakes from Shimano. They are super reliable, no wandering bite points, great modulation and predictable. Had a few hard crashes and levers didn't bend,just a few scrapes. I would imagine the DH-R EVO are just as good if not better. My friends rode my bike to see how the TRP performed. So far four of them switched over and I'm sure more will later. Thats how good they are.

yzedf · Dec 5, 2020

ScottieM8 said:
Switched over my bikes to TRP Quadiems brakes from Shimano. They are super reliable, no wandering bite points, great modulation and predictable. Had a few hard crashes and levers didn't bend,just a few scrapes. I would imagine the DH-R EVO are just as good if not better. My friends rode my bike to see how the TRP performed. So far four of them switched over and I'm sure more will later. Thats how good they are.

Quadiem G-Spec on my dh bike, super reliable lever feel regardless of hot and dusty, cool and wet or anything in between. Very rarely ever made any noise, pads lasted all season and the fluid is probably beyond the timeframe of needing a bleed. Not as outright powerful as my Formula Cura 4 set was, but they've been easier to live with day to day.

ocnLogan · Dec 6, 2020

They seem to be getting really good reviews almost everywhere they’re tested.

If I was in the market for a new set of brakes, they’d be right at the top of my list.

I do have a pair of quadiems, and I’ve been very happy with them. Their main defining feature to me is how consistent they seem to be. My longest single descent with them has been about 1300ft, and my biggest single day with them was ~13000ft in about 3 hours.

The brakes didn’t fade, pump up, overheat, squawk, vibrate, or otherwise do anything weird. They felt the same at the bottom of the mountain, as they did at the top.

From what I can tell, the DHR-evos are supposed to have (a lot?) more power, and maybe a bit less modulation than the Quadiems.

Muddy-Runs · Dec 6, 2020

How would you describe the modulation - the harder you press, the stronger it become (like Sram), or from the begging to the end you using the same power in the finger till it locks (like Shimano)?

bdreynolds7 · Dec 6, 2020

Whats the difference between Quadiems and DH-R Evos? On their site it says Quadiems are trail and DH-R Evo is for Downhill, do you just get more braking power from DH-Rs or something?

ocnLogan · Dec 6, 2020

The quadiems used to be their DH brakes. The DHR was originally designed to be an ebike brake.

The DHR (all versions) uses 2.3mm rotors, instead of standard 1.8mm rotors like the quadiems, and pretty much every other brake out there. The thicker rotors stay truer, warp less from heating up, and have a higher heat capacity. This all means they do better under sustained braking situations.

The DHR-EvO is a redesign of the DHR. They used a smaller master cylinder piston diameter (9mm vs 10mm), which increases the leverage ratio that goes to the pistons in the calipers. They have also done a lot to “optimize oil flow” in the caliper. Whatever that means.

My quadiems are much, much more similar to the feel of SRAM brakes, than they are to Shimanos feel. Reportedly, the DHR-Evos have a bit less modulation, and more power.

sslos · Dec 7, 2020

I've been on the Quadiems for about 8 months now, and have been happy with the power and consistency, as others have said. The DH-R EVOs feel more powerful (100m sprint on the rep's ebike to a hard stop) and I didn't think there was to much reduction in modulation.

KGAmoto · Dec 9, 2020

I've been testing the DH-R EVOs for a couple months - we swap brakes on our own bikes pretty often (every 200 miles or so). We're about done with the review and will have it up on our site hopefully this week, plus a vid on YT.

But to answer directly - I really have nothing bad to say about them as far as function, power and feel. They've been on day-long, big-descending days (TWE in Moab as part of a rough and busy 3 straight days or riding there). And like I said, I now have about 250 miles on them - we're about to swap them for the Hayes Dominion A4 next.

But back to the TRP: no pump-up, inconsistency or issues at all. Burly 2.3mm rotors as someone else said. They ARE heavy, but I always end up bending a 203 front rotor no matter what, in most cases, but these have stayed 100% true.

I look for a very spot-on-consistent lever feel and these are always right where they started. Power is very good - really strong stop-right-now-power - they did feel a little abrupt, but that can be tempered with different brake pads.

Overall, I will recommend them to the aggressive trail rider who wants something different, prefers mineral oil and wants a set it and forget it brake set.

habaden · Dec 23, 2020

KGAmoto said:
I've been testing the DH-R EVOs for a couple months - we swap brakes on our own bikes pretty often (every 200 miles or so). We're about done with the review and will have it up on our site hopefully this week, plus a vid on YT.

But to answer directly - I really have nothing bad to say about them as far as function, power and feel. They've been on day-long, big-descending days (TWE in Moab as part of a rough and busy 3 straight days or riding there). And like I said, I now have about 250 miles on them - we're about to swap them for the Hayes Dominion A4 next.

But back to the TRP: no pump-up, inconsistency or issues at all. Burly 2.3mm rotors as someone else said. They ARE heavy, but I always end up bending a 203 front rotor no matter what, in most cases, but these have stayed 100% true.

I look for a very spot-on-consistent lever feel and these are always right where they started. Power is very good - really strong stop-right-now-power - they did feel a little abrupt, but that can be tempered with different brake pads.

Overall, I will recommend them to the aggressive trail rider who wants something different, prefers mineral oil and wants a set it and forget it brake set.

Interested to hear your thoughts on the A4s vs DHR-EVOs, whats your youtube channel?

KGAmoto · Dec 23, 2020

habaden said:
Interested to hear your thoughts on the A4s vs DHR-EVOs, whats your youtube channel?

We are heading south this weekend for a few days and will finally swap the TRPs for the A4s. We'll post a first impression on our site and Hopefully within a couple weeks a review vid will be up covering the TRP in detail. Channel is just MTXbraking (nothing there yet - just getting rolling with vid content.)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2wls4ever · Dec 30, 2020

bdreynolds7 said:
Whats the difference between Quadiems and DH-R Evos? On their site it says Quadiems are trail and DH-R Evo is for Downhill, do you just get more braking power from DH-Rs or something?

This difference is a model year change. Current model year is:
DH-R EVO - Trail/Enduro/E-MTB/DH
E-MTB Brake
Slate T4 - Trail brake

iliveonnitro · Jan 8, 2021

Following up in case anyone from the future sees this thread. I've had the brakes for a couple weeks now. My goal was for something as consistent as Codes and as much instantaneous bite as Shimano. I prefer high initial bite.

The TRP Evos are super consistent. Bite point is always the same. Way better than Shimano and, surprisingly, better than the Codes in a noticeable way. Has slightly less initial bite as Shimano, but definitely more than Codes. No brake squeal or turkey chatter on wet rides yet, but they're still new. No scraping noise. Pads broke in on 2 sprints. Brakes were pre-bled and didn't need another bleed after cutting down the hoses and installing them. Sweet. Overall power is really good. Almost went over the bars on my first brake pad break-in run.

Downsides so far? Price. $750 incl. tax for brakes, rotors, and new post mount adaptor (i went 180 to 203mm rear) wasn't fun. I could have reused the sram rotors, but why bother at that point. They don't initially integrate with the sram shift lever without another mount that i have to order, so my shifter has to clamp the bar separately...which, when the lever is setup properly, forces the shifter to rub against my thumb. Surprisingly painful, but an easy enough $10 fix. Overall, I'm really impressed.

2wls4ever · Jan 29, 2021

Agreed. The DH-R EVO brakes stay consistent over time through varying terrain and conditions. One of its strong points is the connection between level feel and tire traction when modulating long braking sections.

iliveonnitro · Jan 29, 2021

Another 3 weeks, another update. The brakes still haven't squealed (dry or wet) and the consistency is still magical. 2wls4ever nailed the description. Power is excellent -- stronger than my previous Code Rs on this bike. I ordered the integrated clamp for my shifter/brakes and no more thumb-rubbing.

Besides price, my only downside is that the front rotor currently rubs something after a long descent. Disappears after 3min of not using it/cooling down. I've tried to align it probably 10x, including right after a descent while it's still hot, and haven't fixed it. I wonder if it's because I went from 200 to 203 in front and the washer I used is not thick enough. Or the washer is not a stable surface, so maybe it flexes with heat.

The rear one doesn't do this, despite going from 180 to 203mm; but I bought the correct sized post mount for it so I didn't have to use Ace Hardware washers. Debating if this is the fix for the front...

Edit: just to reiterate because I can't stress this enough. The consistency is amazing. It just works, every time.

ijak · Feb 8, 2021

iliveonnitro said:
Another 3 weeks, another update. The brakes still haven't squealed (dry or wet) and the consistency is still magical. 2wls4ever nailed the description. Power is excellent -- stronger than my previous Code Rs on this bike. I ordered the integrated clamp for my shifter/brakes and no more thumb-rubbing.

Besides price, my only downside is that the front rotor currently rubs something after a long descent. Disappears after 3min of not using it/cooling down. I've tried to align it probably 10x, including right after a descent while it's still hot, and haven't fixed it. I wonder if it's because I went from 200 to 203 in front and the washer I used is not thick enough. Or the washer is not a stable surface, so maybe it flexes with heat.

The rear one doesn't do this, despite going from 180 to 203mm; but I bought the correct sized post mount for it so I didn't have to use Ace Hardware washers. Debating if this is the fix for the front...

Edit: just to reiterate because I can't stress this enough. The consistency is amazing. It just works, every time.

Just pre-ordered myself a pair in gold. Long ass lead time (May) but worth the wait since I got the a nice price from my LBS since I bought a bike there.

I am pretty sure the rub is from your 20mm adapter + shims vs 23mm. I would go with 23mm adapter. In terms of shortening your line, did you use new barb, olive and nut or just took the stock one and reinstalled after shortening?

Is everyone using the new performance Resin pad? How's the bite on that?

iliveonnitro · Feb 8, 2021

ijak said:
Just pre-ordered myself a pair in gold. Long ass lead time (May) but worth the wait since I got the a nice price from my LBS since I bought a bike there.

I am pretty sure the rub is from your 20mm adapter + shims vs 23mm. I would go with 23mm adapter. In terms of shortening your line, did you use new barb, olive and nut or just took the stock one and reinstalled after shortening?

Is everyone using the new performance Resin pad? How's the bite on that?

A new adapter will be the next thing I try. Unless there's a defect in the rotor, that's the only thing it can be at this point. It drives me nuts...mostly because I haven't fixed it, yet...

You have to use a new barb/olive since they're a crushable part, but the box includes extras. Re-use the nut. The bite on the new performance resin pad is excellent -- strong, consistent, and quiet.

ijak · Feb 8, 2021

Nice - thanks for the quick reply. You can always swap out your rear one to the front for testing before committing to a new adapter.

I've tried so many brakes on the market but still have yet to find one that I love- really hoping this will be the one.

Zee: Had bite point issues, but never got around trying a lower viscosity oil. Love the lever feel + power, but was harder to modulate (203/203 on 27.5).
MT5: Great power and modulation. Didn't like the lever feel and the plastic-ness of the brake lever.
Code RSC: Good power (used trickstuff pads - but wore down quick). Like the lever length, though I did bend the lever end for more curl on the finger. Too much modulation for my liking - first couple of mm on lever travel is deadband (even after multiple bleeds).

iliveonnitro · Feb 8, 2021

Wish I could, but I'm on 203 front and rear. The bike was originally 200/180 so I reused the front adapter (+10mm), but had to get a thicker adapter (+23mm) for the rear.

Just a quick note -- these do not have contact point adjustment like the Code RSCs. I've heard the MT7s rattle a lot because of the contact adjustment, and a lot of people say the only brakes that have a real-working contact adjust are Hopes...but then you have to deal with the lack of power.

TRP DH-R EVO brakes

iliveonnitro

unrealityshow

ScottieM8

yzedf

ocnLogan

Muddy-Runs

bdreynolds7

ocnLogan

sslos

KGAmoto

habaden

KGAmoto

2wls4ever

iliveonnitro

2wls4ever

iliveonnitro

ijak

iliveonnitro

ijak

iliveonnitro

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