Test / Components: Last year, TRP replaced the DH-R Evo as its flagship brake with the Evo Pro – albeit with a familiar caliper and a completely new lever. The manufacturer promises up to 20 percent more braking power, along with tool-free adjustable bite point adjustment. We tested the brake on an e-mountain bike for almost an entire season.
Classification: What the Evo Pro is and what it isn't
TRP stands for Tektro Racing Products and is the high-performance brand of the Taiwanese brake manufacturer Tektro, which has been in business since 1986. The Evo Pro moves to the top of the model range, replacing the DH-R Evo, which doesn't disappear but remains in the lineup one level below and at a lower price. It is aimed at downhill, enduro, trail, and e-MTB riders. According to the manufacturer, the brake was developed in collaboration with World Cup teams, including the YT MOB (RIP).
What's interesting is where TRP focused its efforts. The brake caliper is essentially the same as the existing Evo family: four pistons, each 16 mm in diameter, plus a 9 mm master cylinder. This results in a hydraulic ratio of 12,64. The promised 15 to 20 percent increase in performance compared to the DH-R Evo, therefore, doesn't come from a new caliper, but from a newly designed lever that actuates the master cylinder differently, as well as from the combination with the new RS05e Race Rotor brake discs.
The lever: two adjustments, both tool-free.
The main criticism of the DH-R Evo was its limited adjustability. The Evo Pro addresses this directly. In addition to the classic reach adjustment, it features the Pad Activation Dial, or PAD for short. This allows you to define the point in the lever travel where the pads engage – according to TRP, from gently modulated to ultra-direct. Both adjustments can be made without tools.
Discs, pads and hydraulics
The Evo Pro is specifically designed for 2,3 mm thick rotors – significantly thicker than the 2 mm used by SRAM's HS2, for example. The matching Race Rotor is available in 180, 200, 220, and 223 mm sizes for around 80 euros. New features include a revised wave pattern, redesigned ventilation holes, and a clear coat to prevent corrosion, applied everywhere except in the braking zone.
TRP offers three compounds for its brake pads, each identifiable by the color of its backing plate: resin with a blue backing for the strongest bite, semi-metallic with a red backing as the quietest option with a balanced feel, and full metallic with a copper-colored backing for long, wet descents. This classification will become important later.
TRP's own mineral oil is used as brake fluid, for which the manufacturer specifies an unusually high boiling point of over 230°C. The system is complemented by a quick-release coupling and a bleed screw on the caliper, which seals via surface pressure and is tightened to 6 to 8 Newton meters. The Evo Pro is also compatible with the Bosch ABS PRO.
Weight and price
The scale reads 309 grams at the front and 323 grams at the rear, each including hoses – a total of 632 grams without rotors – not record-breaking, but significantly lighter than a SRAM Maven. The MSRP is €309 per brake in black, €320 in silver, and €330 in gold. The price difference is solely due to the finish: black is painted, while silver and gold are hand-polished and coated. There are no technical differences between the versions. A complete set, including two RS05e rotors, will set you back around €750, depending on the configuration – however, the actual street price is considerably lower, typically between €400 and €500, depending on the configuration.
For those who don't want to spend so much, the TRP Evo Expert offers a more affordable option that already provides many of the advantages of the high-end model.
The TRP Evo Pro in practical testing
We tested the brakes for almost a full season on the Yeti MTe, an e-mountain bike with a TQ-HPR60 drive system, equipped with 203mm rotors front and rear. We used TRP's own RS05E rotors, 2,3mm thick with an aggressive hole pattern, and their blue Performance pads – the most aggressive compound in their lineup. The bike weighs around 19 kilograms, and the rider weighs between 80 and 85 kilograms ready to ride. We racked up several thousand kilometers, including long descents in the Alps.
Installation and venting: inconspicuous, with a plus point
The installation went smoothly. The cable routing runs relatively close to the handlebars, but not as tightly as with SRAM's Maven or Motive brakes, or the new Shimano stoppers. The result is a look that tends to be slightly less tidy, but avoids one problem: rattling cables hitting the handlebars were never an issue during the test.
The brake arrives partially assembled, but not fully assembled – the master cylinder is separated from the caliper and hose; shortening and connecting the hose is the buyer's responsibility. The system appears well-designed and of high quality. After shortening the hose, bleeding wasn't strictly necessary in our case; however, we did it as a precaution. TRP uses a funnel system similar to those used by Shimano. Anyone who has bled a brake before will find it easy to use, and it remains a relatively clean process. TRP provides helpful videos on the procedure.
Aligning the rotor without rubbing requires some care. The air gap isn't generous – if the rotor has a slight wobble, you have to work more precisely. However, it's still significantly easier than with a Magura MT7, while a current Shimano XT offers a bit more tolerance. The Evo Pro falls somewhere in between. With a little experience, the job is done quickly.
Braking – and a noise problem
TRP specifies a clear procedure for bedding in the brakes: ten to twenty firm braking maneuvers per brake, without locking the wheels. We adhered to this precisely. The braking performance was there relatively quickly – after just a handful of braking maneuvers per side, it was at a level that would have allowed us to confidently hit a trail immediately. This is by no means a given and depends heavily on the combination of pads and rotors.
The noise level, however, was noticeable. The brakes squeaked slightly and also exhibited stick-slip behavior, meaning a rattling sound when braking. Experience suggests that such noises often disappear after a few fast descents. This wasn't the case here – they persisted even after several hundred meters of descent. The braking performance was never affected, but it was annoying in the long run.
The solution: Mobilize pistons
A follow-up inquiry with TRP revealed that the bedding-in process might not have been optimal. This seemed unlikely to us, as we had followed the instructions precisely. Instead, we found the answer in TRP's own FAQs and a video: There, the manufacturer recommends mobilizing the four pistons in the brake caliper – or, in TRP's terminology, "massaging" them. Specifically, this means repeatedly pumping the pistons out and pushing them back in, adding a few drops of mineral oil until all four move smoothly and evenly.
After cleaning and realignment, the noises completely disappeared. The braking performance remained largely unchanged, but alignment became noticeably easier because the pistons extended more evenly.
It's remarkable that this step is even necessary with a brand-new brake. It's not a big deal, and the effort is minimal. However, anyone who doesn't enjoy delving into such details might initially get stuck at this point. Whether this is an isolated issue cannot be determined from a single test sample. It should also be noted that, according to TRP, the blue resin pads used are the most aggressive, but not the quietest compound – those who value quietness will find the red, semi-metallic version to be the quietest option, as designated by the manufacturer.
Braking power: Force across the lever travel, not at the pressure point
The Evo Pro doesn't deliver the spectacular anchor-like effect of some modern brakes. Anyone coming from a SRAM Maven and doing a parking lot test won't be initially impressed. This isn't due to a lack of power, but rather a different way of delivering it.
The pressure point is crisp, but not as hard as with Shimano or SRAM, and not as soft as with a Hope V4 – it's somewhere in between. What happens afterward is crucial: at the pressure point, the full braking force isn't yet applied. As you pull further, significantly more power is added. Anyone coming from SRAM, where most of the power is practically instantaneous, will need to adjust. We temporarily had a SRAM Motive mounted on the front of the same bike, and the difference is noticeable.
After a short adjustment period, this becomes a strength. The Evo Pro is noticeably easier to modulate than a Maven, even if it doesn't quite reach the latter's maximum braking power. For the combination of a 19-kilogram bike and a rider weight of around 85 kilograms, the performance was always sufficient, even on long Alpine descents. We never felt the need for more power. On the contrary: both on dusty, rocky surfaces and in wet, slippery conditions, the ease of modulation proved to be the more valuable factor.
Ergonomics and cockpit
The dual adjustment proved practical. We like to ride with the levers close to the handlebars and adjust the bite point far out – a combination not every brake allows. With the Evo Pro, this worked flawlessly: the bite point could be moved far enough away from the handlebar to allow for any potential bite point wandering, while the lever itself remained close to the handlebar. This noticeably reduces arm pump. Incidentally, no bite point wandering occurred during testing.
A note about the lever shape: It's relatively long for a one-finger lever. This isn't a problem for those with large hands, but a Shimano lever is significantly shorter. Those with small hands should try it out before buying.
The real drawback concerns cockpit integration. While TRP does offer adapters for shift and dropper levers, these were unavailable in stores for a long time. Furthermore, there's no way to mount a current AXS pod. We designed and 3D-printed our own solution, which works well – but this likely isn't an option for most users. Shimano and SRAM offer significantly more options, including third-party solutions. Those who prefer separate clamps will likely have a different perspective.
long-term behavior
Throughout the entire test period, the brake remained completely trouble-free after the initial noise issue. Two pad changes were all that was needed. No further bleeding, no readjustment, no additional maintenance. A brake that's installed once and then requires no further thought.
