TRP's DHR EVO brakes have become something of a cult favorite, thanks to their excellent power, consistency, and control. With the DHR platform, those benefits have come at the expense of ergonomics, as the lever design tended to only work with larger hands and far-reach setups. Addressing those issues, and improving slightly on the lever feel itself, TRP has released the EVO Pro, a fully revised lever design that tightens up the ergonomics and improves slightly on feel.
The Updates
Despite using the exact same calipers, pads, rotors, and fluid as before, the EVO Pros have a few updates to the lever that amount to that new brake feel. The shorter, more aggressively hooked lever blade is immediately obvious, and does a lot of the work in bringing the bite point closer to the grip. That lever reach can be adjusted by a small knurled knob at the pivot point, with about 23mm of adjustment available in the sweep.
The new Pad Activation Dial changes how firm the bite point is, with the ability to sweep from a crisp actuation to a softer feel. That soft feel provides a gentler ramp into travel, with more mechanical modulation in the stroke.
In addition to the new adjustments and lever, TRP reworked their clamp design to facilitate a tidier cockpit. The updated clamp has much better compatibility with both SRAM and Shimano shifters, and fits a wide variety of dropper levers.
Reach adjustment.
Bite point can get plenty close
Ergonomics
The reach issue with TRP's DHR EVO brakes was something that bothered some users, and left others unfazed. I found myself in that latter category, as the longer reach feel generally works for my hand size and preference. That said, the new EVO PRO maximizes compatibility via the dual adjustment method, improving the feel for a wider variety of use cases. With the reach adjustment knob, you can take the bite point all the way from 43mm from the bar down to 20mm, with some variance between brakes. I found one of mine couldn't quite get as far out as the other, maxing out in adjustment range on the far end around 38mm.
Things get a little more touchy-feely with the gold Pad Adjustment Dial, which changes the effective firmness of the bite point - essentially how snappy the brake feels. I found it effectively changed the bite point by 5-7mm at the extremes of adjustment, with plenty of fidelity between the two ends of that spectrum. With the dial fully out, the bite point is sharp and precise, with a quick ramp in power. The feel is softer and more gradual at the other end of things, with a larger deadband in the lever pull.
Compared to the previous DHR EVO, the EVO PRO can be adjusted to bite much closer to the bar. Depending on your Pad Adjustment setting, that bite point can be as close as 10-15mm from the grip edge, compared to the DHR's 21mm minimum. As I covered in mylever comparison review, there are some aftermarket options that bring the bite point even closer than the stock DHR offering.
DHR EVO
EVO PRO
Installation
This process doesn't differ greatly from the previous TRP brake models, but there are some new steps that can be taken to assure a perfect setup. Namely, a piston massage does wonders for the quality of the bleed, and helps keep the bite point as consistent as possible. I've never struggled with bite point consistency on TRP brakes, but why not take every precaution to avoid the potential.
An old rotor to wiggle the pads back and forth
And a small amount of fluid in the bleed cup (or tube) to draw out any bubbles.
This step is simple, and best done in tandem with the bleed you'll carry out if you cut the lines for installation. Just use a clean old rotor (or similar tool) to wiggle the pads back and forth while working the lever, centering them after each press to the side. This will help get all four pistons firing in tandem, and free up any air trapped around the piston seals in the caliper.
Ride Impressions
I've been running the TRP EVO Pros on my Frameworks Enduro Bike for the past few weeks, with 203mm RS05E "Race Rotors" front and rear. These rotors are also fairly new to the TRP lineup, and make an appreciable difference in the effective braking power at the wheel.
Installation of the brakes was easy, with no fuss required to get the levers feeling just as I wanted them to. As mentioned above, one lever's reach knob has a shorter effective range at the far point of adjustment, but that's well outside the range that I want my levers in, so it didn't amount to an issue. Having tried the full sweep of adjustment, I found I preferred the Pad Adjustment Dial in the minimum throw position, where the bite point is as sharp and precise as possible. One or two clicks in does soften the feel in a way that I like as well, but at full softness the power comes on too slowly for my taste.
The lever action feels a bit lighter than the prior DHR EVO, but still retains the same overall feel. The lever moves smoothly through travel, and doesn't have any odd change in action as you approach the bite point. Folks looking for the lightest lever feel out there will probably still prefer the Hayes Dominions or Hope's Tech 4 series.
The EVO PRO doesn't feel much more powerful than the DHR EVO, but I do think you can get the bite point to feel a bit sharper with the Pad Activation Dial. For most, the improvement is going to be in the ergonomics and adjustability, with some bonus points on cockpit setup via the updated clamp and parallel hose routing.
For fans of the current DHR EVO who are looking for more power, those Race Rotors are a more appreciable increase in power (when compared with the standard rotor design) than the EVO PRO. EVO PRO with the RS05E rotors is the best of both worlds, but won't be drastically different power-wise to DHR with the RS05E rotors.
As before, the brakes have remained consistent over long runs and under extreme use, with no serious fade or change in bite point to report. Stay tuned for more thoughts in time, as well as some more in-depth comparisons to other top brakes on the market.
