RRP: £174.99
www.upgradebikes.co.uk
I’m going to find this a tricky one. How to review a product that does it’s job so well I’ve barely noticed it. TRP is well known for their lightweight and well thought out road and cyclocross brakes and TRP’s first foray into disc brakes, the TRP Dash is one such product. Ever since I put them on, they’ve not so much as winced. Well, apart from the Gorrick Enduro, in which case they joined everyone elses brakes and wept inconsolably at the horrific sandy paste that wore though not just pads but the backing metal plates too.
It must be mentioned then, that despite this ravaging, all they took was a quick and very simple re-bleed and new pads (they take Shimano XTR) and they were back to normal working effortlessly in wet or dry. They did squeal a touch in the wet but this was down to new pads I think, as this problem has no longer reappeared. The feel is firm without being sharp and the incredibly useful lever mounted adjusting dials (for power and reach) mean they can be dialled on the fly. I love this ease of adjustment and for someone who is quite mechanically inept, gives a wide range of feel. It really has opened up my expectations of brakes and has me thinking what exactly do I want my brakes to feel like, rather than just making do like my old Hopes and Shimanos.
Installation was a breeze and trimming the long hoses was very straightforward with no additional bleeding required. Nice. Appearance is very similar to XTR units, simple, compact with stylish lines, plus being available in black or white have the opportunity to fit with your dream build. But the difference between XTR and The Dash is that lovely ‘on the move’ adjustment. To be honest once you have them set you rarely touch them but I have tweaked them mid ride (and mid race) on a few occasions to give me extra feel or bite.
Cost is up there with the more top end brakes but the performance, appearance and ease of adjustment make them I great option if you like to not follow the masses.
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Dash Carbon
• Radial mount master cylinder
• Forged one piece alloy caliper
• Semi-Metallic pads
• mm composite pistons
• Ergonomic carbon fiber lever with tool free reach adjust
• Tool free ‘Power Rdjuster’
• Weight: Front post mount with 160 rotor
320 grams
Introducing the Dash and Dash Carbon, the highly anticipated hydraulic disc brakes from TRP. Three years in the making, Dash and Dash Carbon represent a new level in disc brake performance. Both models feature radial mount master cylinders: forged one-piece alloy calipers and tool free reach adjust.
The Dash Carbon features a new power adjust dial that allows the rider to custom tune braking performance. optimizing front and rear balance and brake feel for a variety of trail conditions. Further upgrades to the Dash Carbon’s include lightweight composite pistons, and high tech 3k weave carbon fiber lever blade.
