TRP Quadiem Front & Rear Hydraulic Brake Set: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

The TRP Quadiem brakeset is an amazing set of brakes for a rider looking for consistent braking power with top-level modulation. Often compared to the best downhill brakes on the market the Shimano Saint's and the Sram Code RSC brakes. The TRP Quadiem Front & Rear Hydraulic Brakes fall right in between the two with the traits mentioned above, a combination of modulation with enough power to slow you down when needed. Let's dive into what Liam's take on how the TRP Quadiem Front & Rear Hydraulic Brake Set work for his riding. 

Liam's TRP Quadiem Review:

Despite being a novice rider, and not tackling the steepest terrain, or the longest descents, I wanted brakes with more than enough stopping power for a new build. I am about 225 lbs, so I figured a little extra stopping power from 4 piston downhill brake would be better than possibly too little from a set of trail-oriented 2 piston brakes. I read several reviews of the TRP Quadiems, and found what is often repeated about them: They have modulation and stopping power somewhere between the Shimano Saints and SRAM Codes. The Saints being the kings of max stopping power, and the Codes the best a modulation, with the TRP Quadiems falling in between on each category.

Installation:

The installation was straightforward and relatively trouble-free. I used the TRP hose cutting tool, and bleed kit to shorten the hoses to length and do a quick bleed at the levers. Although the bleed process was fairly easy, TRP now sells a screw-in bleed cup, which would make the bleed process even easier. The only problem I've had with the brakes was from the front brake mount/adapter. When I purchased the Quadiems the TRP front 203 rotor adapter was not available, so I attempted to substitute a Shimano 203 rotor brake adapter. The short story is it didn't work and wound up waiting to purchase the TRP 203 adapter, which spaces the front caliper perfectly on their TRP-25 203 rotor. The rear caliper was mounted with a TRP 180 adapter, and TRP-25 in 180mm rotor which has been trouble-free.

My 4 Favorite Highlights of the TRP Quadiems:

1. They are capable of using Shimano Saint style (non Ice-tech) brake pads, so if you don't like the TRP semi-metallic pads, or TRP sintered metallic pads, you've got options from Shimano and others, such as Trucker Co. 
2. The TRP brakes use Mineral Fluid, not DOT 5.1 like other brakes, I prefer to handle Mineral Fluid even though both fluids are about the same in the end
3. They are capable of being fully disassembled if needed for service, in case of a stuck piston. 
4. Their silver/gray painted finish with black levers also look very good and go well with my bike

Final Thoughts:

The TRP Quadiem Front & Rear Hydraulic Brake Set have been great so far. Although they lack bite point adjustment like the Sram Code RSC brakes, the reach adjustment is easy to adjust so that the levers really bite down where your fingers can get good leverage. I found that they do modulate the brake force quite nicely. The full stopping power doesn't come on all at once, it takes a bit of lever movement, which gives a good margin to feather the brake force if you want, or quickly mash it down if you need to if you are in a panic moment. They have not failed to stop my 225lbs yet, but as previously mentioned, as a novice I don't hit the biggest lines either. The painted finish has picked up a couple tiny chips here and there, but overall I am very satisfied with the TRP Quadiem Brakeset.