A decade ago, Tektro was something of a budget brand. Mostly appearing on cheap bikes, it  didn’t quite have the brand image to sell high-end products at more expensive price points.

A successful rebrand later, and TRP, or Tektro Racing Products, to give it its full title, has moved up in the world, bringing a big image boost for the Taiwanese brand, and making products to rival some of the best mountain bike disc brakes anywhere.

TRP Trail Evo brake need to know

• Four piston disc brake, designed for trail bikes and lightweight e-bikes
• Larger lever reservoir and master cylinder designed to prevent heat buildup
• 2.3mm TRP rotors are claimed 48% stiffer, and better at disipating heat
• Reach adjust, but no point point control
• 180 / 203 / 220 / 223mm rotor options

The TRP name first came to my attention through a partnership with Aaron Gwin, developing DH brakes called the Quadium G-specs. It’s these Gwin signature models that seem to have laid the foundation for TRP’s newer brakes, like the Trail EVOs here.

The long lever blade Aaron Gwin helped pioneer nearly a decade ago is still front and centre for TRP’s Trail brake today

Built in a lighter package for trail bikes (and e-trail bikes), these aptly-titled Trail brakes also leverage a lot of the brand’s DH design know-how by also using a four-piston caliper. It also gets a similar-looking longer lever blade to the models Gwin helped develop back in 2017.

The latest Trail EVO package here sees several further design details and tweaks to improve performance without denting its good value – £160 an end, without rotors. To put this price into context, Shimano offers a cheaper SLX and more expensive XT four-pot brake, while it’s on par with SRAM’s G2 RS, and £20 more than the DB8.

A four-piston calliper and the extra power it brings is essential now for most trail e-bike duties and enduro-style riding

Design and specifications

Built around side-specific, full aluminium levers with hinged clamps, TRP’s Trail Evos aren’t flip-flop. But the slotted bar clamp is compatible with Shimano and SRAM shifters if you want to match make and reduce the number of bar clamps. While the TRP calipers are small-ish, the lever length and clamp area are bigger than rivals, so the overall look is arguably a little less refined. There definitely isn’t the sculpted, low-profile, modern, industrial design aesthetic of something like the SRAM Maven Ultimate, for example.

SRAM really nailed it with the Maven, and its slick looks make the TRP Trail Evo feel dated

The lever blade is dimpled for extra grip, but what you can’t see is how TRP’s brakes use a large 10mm internal piston inside aimed at improving modulation and avoiding an abrupt on/off feel. To ensure the pad bite is still solid enough the latest versions have a newly-designed oil flow path inside the caliper, along with fresh high-performance hydraulic fluid. There’s also a new 5mm diameter hose that’s stiffer and less compressible. TRP also now makes thicker rotors (2.3mm) that offer extra stiffness and solidity in much the same way as SRAM’s HS2 rotors.

TRP uses a big lever reservoir and I found they’re remarkably resistant to heat build up as a result

Further design tweaks see use an all-new formulation for TRPs brake pads, which are claimed to increase thermal stability (keeping the pad at a working temperature without cooking or glazing) and a shorter bed-in process. The new mineral oil has a lower viscosity for better fluid flow, and can handle higher temperatures of up to 230°C before boiling.

TRP’s lever reservoir is bigger than most trail brakes, where the larger internal master cylinder aims to be better at resisting heat build-up, while new lever seals reduce breakaway friction and a produce a lighter pull. Trail EVO levers feature tool-free reach adjustment, but there is no externally-adjustable bite point, like some rivals.

Change the reach of TRP’s Trail Evos, but not the bite point, which looks a little toothless in the modern brake era

The knurled dial that winds the lever closer to the bar is relatively easy to turn and there’s no awkward jiggling with a ball-end allen key needed to make any adjustment. However, I didn’t like that the furthest lever position is so far away from the grip that no one will ever use it. While the closest setting is still further away than optimal for riders with small hands.

At the wheel, the Trail Evo calipers use four stainless steel pistons that, according to TRP “aim to deal with the demands of heavier bikes and longer descents.” The pistons squeeze top-loading, Shimano-compatible pads. The callipers are reasonably petite compared to massive DH options like Mavens or Hope Tech 3 V4s, and come with a banjo on the hose to orientate the routing to align with all frame set-ups.

In terms of weight, this set-up is very similar to a four-piston Shimano XT brake, and 60g heavier per end than the SRAM Level brakes I took off.

Performance

I mounted the Trail Evos straight onto my current go-to trail bike, which is a Santa Cruz Tallboy. Installation was a cinch, and even after cutting the TRP hoses to length twice, I just plumbed them in and the braking action remained rock-solid from the off.

Because I could only get hold of Centrelock TRP rotors in the new, thicker 2.3mm size, I had to take off the Reserve SL carbon wheels and swap them for another set of carbon 29er hoops. I only mention this for full transparency when talking about any direct comparisons with other brakes. These thicker rotors are an integral part of TRP’s system, and bring “47% increased tensional stiffness and 8% better cooling capacity’” according to TRP’s claims.

Stopping performance is night and day better than with the Level brakes, but this is to be expected and not necessarily anything to write home about, as the SRAM XC/trail brakes are disappointing for faster or heavier riders. But while the Levels really lack power, and an ability to stop quickly – they slow me down, rather than stop me – SRAM’s lever position and ergonomics is significantly better than TRP’s.

TRP’s thicker 2.3mm rotors are claimed to be much stiffer and better at dissipating heat than older discs, and I wouldn’t disagree

I could just about get the Trail Evo lever into an acceptable position by winding the external adjuster and setting the blade as close as possible to the grip. In a perfect world though I’d have the wound levers (and bite point) even further. With a longer lever blade I also had to run the bulky hinged clamps further inboard for a one-finger braking set-up, which made it harder to get the perfect position for the SRAM AXS shifter pods. For the same reason my dropper remote (that mounts on a wraparound band) also ended up out of easy reach on the left side of the bar.

TRP’s lever is smooth and easy to pull. It doesn’t have the absolute lightest action, but I liked how solid and consistent these brakes always felt. The bite point is distinct and firm, with no mushiness or vagueness, and the lever blade doesn’t wobble or flex at the pivot. Once I used to where the TRP power comes in, I found it easy to hit this sweet spot consistently, and the bite point didn’t migrate at all during testing.

Lever setup isn’t ideal on the Trail EVO, I had to move the SRAM shifter pods inboard to make room

I’d describe the action as less continuously progressive than newer Hope brakes, not as abruptly on/off as Shimano, and with a similar broad sweep of lever throw to SRAM before reaching the bite point. Lever pull isn’t quite as light as some brakes – Hayes Dominions are super light for example – but nowhere near as heavy as a SRAM Maven initially. Given Shimano’s use much stubbier lever blades, with less leverage, the two are pretty similar.

Outright power and bite are solid, but not overly vicious, putting the TRPs firmly in the trail category. Modulation – or what I’d consider the ability to delicately control pad contact and stopping power at rotors – is acceptable, but there’s not the same build-up of resistance enjoyed by my favourite Hope Tech 4s. Of course, there’s a price difference that needs to be considered between the two.

On the rear brake my dropper post button had to shift inboard, so limiting is the TRP’s scope of adjustment

The way the EVOs pull doesn’t feel a million miles away from SRAM’s latest DB8 mineral oil brakes, and I reckon power is very similar too, when used with SRAM’s HS2 rotors. But the TRP’s seem to slow down slightly faster, as I could really lock the wheel by leveraging the longer lever. I did notice the power faded slightly once or twice, on really long, continuously-steep, descents, but no more than equivalent trail brakes I’ve used on similar trails. And certainly nothing like as bad as the Level brakes that come on the Santa Cruz.

With a smooth action, and plenty of power to halt even heavier riders, these TRPs are a solid option, providing you don’t like to run levers your levers really close to the bar. Feel and performance isn’t a million miles away from rivals like Shimano’s SLX or SRAM’s DB8s, although without a price or weight advantage, it’s tough to overlook those two principle rivals.