TRP DH-R EVO Disc Brake and Lever [Rider Review]

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Brakes on a gravity orientated bike arguably can make or break the confidence the bike can give to the rider. If the brakes don't perform in a way the rider wants, that can really affect their riding. Our friend,  Eric got their hands on some new TRP DH-R Evo brakes. See what they think!  

Overview

I purchased the black TRP DHR EVOs to go on my V10, they replaced the silver version. I also have the same brakes on my other two bikes (trail and enduro). So far I have tried Shimano, SRAM, and Hayes brakes. TRP is my first choice, Shimano second, and SRAM last. Keep in mind all of these brakes work great. It's hard to get bad biking products now. I previously had the Quadiems, then back to Shimano, and now all TRP. The TRP G-Spec Quadiems were great. I only sold them and moved back to Shimano because I wanted the same brakes on all my bikes. I also really like the matchmaker adapter for shifters, it cleans up the cockpit. The i-spec EV adapters work decently, but not the best. The quality of the brakes is amazing. I love the machine work, and the levers are mostly metal. I don't care about weight with brakes, I don't see that much weight difference from XC to DH brakes. I have the polished colorway on my other bikes and the black colorway on my DH bike. I know most people hear Tektro, and do not associate quality/performance. The other aspect is customer service. I have reached out to TRP, and they have always been great over the phone. They ship their stuff fast also which is a big bonus in my opinion (Utah to California).

Comparisons:
TRP vs Shimano: Bleed process is better in my opinion with TRP just due to the thread in the adapter on the rear, and the bleed cups are similar. TRP is more consistent, and I would say more powerful. TRP seems to have more modulation without the wandering bite point I had on Shimano. I do like the compact nature of the levers on Shimano. Once I got used to the levers, no problems. I have only used lever throw adjust on my brakes, no need for bite points in my eyes.

TRP vs SRAM: Bleed process is much easier, and mineral oil is less corrosive. I have found I have to buy Code RSC to get the best brakes, lower level brakes just seem to suck (despite not needing all the adjustments). TRP is more powerful in my opinion, but with modulation.

Shimano vs SRAM: Shimano is easier to work on, a simpler bleed process. SRAM bleed process is terrible, just requires setting up levers correctly before bleed. I would personally pick Shimano over SRAM.

Install/Bleed: Similar to Shimano, really easy. I put the lever as far out, then bleed it.
Pad choice: The stock blue pads have a great feel to them, they do wear fast. I have gone back to sintered pads. I love the fact that I can put saint pads in if needed. Nothing worse than hoping you find your random pad at the bike park. The cost of the pads is also why I dumped my Shimano stuff. It's $45 for XTR metallic pads and $25-30 for TRP.

Final Thoughts

Performance: Braking with traction is how I would describe it. These have more than enough. I would even be tempted to try their trail brake version. These brakes are consistent and do not fade from my experience (Bike park, trail riding). The power with modulation is great.