Review: Trickstuff's Powerful & Pricey Maxima Brakes
Trickstuff's Directissima brakes already had a reputation for being incredibly powerful (and expensive), but the German company decided to take things even further. The Maxima is the result, which they claim has more power than any other brake on the market. It's also likely the most expensive brake on the market, with a price tag of 1100 Euro for the set.
Power is great, but it doesn't mean anything without modulation – skidding's fun and all, but not every single time you breathe on the brake lever. According to Trickstuff, “The Maxima doesn't help you by being able to lock up a wheel even stronger. It helps you by needing way less finger power to get there.”
Power is great, but it doesn't mean anything without modulation – skidding's fun and all, but not every single time you breathe on the brake lever. According to Trickstuff, “The Maxima doesn't help you by being able to lock up a wheel even stronger. It helps you by needing way less finger power to get there.”
Trickstuff Maxima Details
• Intended use: downhill / enduro
• Four piston caliper
• CNC machined from 7075 T6 aluminum
• Tool-free reach adjust
• Brake fluid: Bionol sunflower oil
• Weight: 302 grams (actual, front caliper w/pads, hose, and lever)
• MSRP: 1100€ (set)
• www.trickstuff.de
Oooh, shiny. The Maxima brakes are a sight to behold.
Two 16mm and two 17mm stainless steel pistons are found in each caliper. The pad shape is the same as Hope's V4 brakes.
The lever blade pivots on a total of four sealed cartridge bearings – two at the main pivot point, and then two more where the lever pushes the piston into the master cylinder. The caliper is also machined from 7075 T6 aluminum, and houses four stainless steel pistons.
Hydraulic disc brakes typically use either mineral oil or DOT fluid, but the Maxima brakes are filled with something a little different – sunflower oil, or Bionol to be more specific. Created by Danico, the initial boiling point of Bionol is said to be 300-degrees Celcius, which is higher than mineral oil and DOT 5.1. It's not only for Trickstuff brakes, though; Bionol will also work in any mineral-oil operated brake.
Trickstuff equip the Maxima brakes with Goodridge's braided stainless steel line, which is designed to remain expansion-free even under hard braking, creating a more solid feel at the lever. The line diameter is 6mm, which means it may not be compatible with frames that use internal cable routing, but if that's the case, the brakes can be purchased with lines that don't have the outer plastic sheath, reducing the diameter to the typical 5mm.
Bleeding the Trickstuff's isn't overly difficult, but it's not the quickest process.
Installation
I installed the brakes on a Specialized Stumpjumper EVO in order to ensure that I'd be able to rack up as many miles as possible. Overkill? Likely, but I was curious to see how they'd work on terrain that wasn't always super steep. Don't worry, I rode plenty of silly steep stuff, too, and also put in a bunch of bike park laps.
Installation was in the middle of the road as far as difficulty goes. It didn't take long before I realized that the Goodridge line wasn't going to fit in the bike's internal routing passageway (the 'naked' line option would have been the way to go here). Time for some stick-on cable guides. With that minor hiccup out of the way, it was bleeding time (for the brakes, not me).
After a little internet sleuthing I found the English language instructions and got to work. It's fairly straightforward, but it is more involved than SRAM or Shimano's procedure, and Trickstuff recommend taking the brake entirely off the bike to accomplish it. There's a screw-in fitting for the caliper and the lever, but for some reason they're different sizes – it seems like it'd be simpler to make just one size fitting, but that's a fairly minor detail.
I did run into an issue with the lever body – a few drops of oil would occasionally make its way out of the vent hole located in the reservoir top cap. It turns out the interface between the rubber diaphragm and the thin aluminum top cap is a bit finicky, and if it's not positioned perfectly, or any fluid makes its way above the diaphragm and underneath the top cap, oil seepage can result. I'd more than likely inadvertently forced some fluid above the diaphragm when I bled the brakes, and that's what was coming out of the vent hole. Take extra care during the bleed procedure, and if for some reason you do need to take off the reservoir top cap, keep in mind that those bolts are very tiny, and don't need to be torqued down very hard.
Actually installing the levers onto the bike takes a little longer too, since there are two bolts for the clamping system. It's not nearly as convenient as a clam-shell design, but it does look snazzy once everything is in place. Trickstuff also offer adaptors to accommodate Shimano or SRAM shifters.
The tool-free reach adjust isn't indexed, but it's effective and easy to access.
Trickstuff's rotors have a chamfered edge that's designed to make wheel installation easier.
Performance
Bedding in the Trickstuff pads takes a little longer than it does with SRAM or Shimano's offerings, so don't be surprised if the brakes don't instantly feel super powerful. It wasn't until partway through my first ride that the full power really emerged, but after that it was game on. Trickstuff weren't kidding about their creation – these brakes are seriously strong.
Thankfully, the power delivery is smooth, and there's enough modulation to prevent locking things up every single time the lever is pulled. If you do want to skid, all it takes is pulling the lever a little further and the pads will ferociously clamp down on the rotor no matter how steep the trail or how fast you're going. This is hands down the most powerful set of brakes that I've tried.
What sets the Maxima brakes apart from a set of SRAM Codes is how easy it is to access all that power – you don't need to pull very hard at all before they engage like an old-school bear trap snapping shut. They don't offer quite the same level of modulation as the Codes, but they also deliver more power, more easily. While the clamping force ramps up more quickly than the Codes, the Maxima brakes aren't quite as 'grabby' as a set of Shimano Saint brakes - there's a little bit more modulation before the pads really start to bite down on the rotor.
Riders who have a more on/off braking style will find a lot to love about the Maxima brakes, since a light tug on the lever is all it takes to dump some speed before a corner, or to rein things in when the trail gets steep. It did take a couple rides to get used to having that much power so readily accessible, but using the brakes soon became second nature. The only time I really thought about it was when I switched back to a set of less powerful stoppers and had to re-adjust my braking technique.
Steep, sustained rock rolls are a good way to suss out a brake's modulation – brakes that are too grabby can lead to unwanted skidding, and brakes that fade can lead to scary high exit speeds. There weren't any issues at all with the Maximas, and I was able to creep down long rock rolls without any trouble. There wasn't any fading or pumping up during the test period, and even on rides with big, non-stop descents, dropping upwards of 5,000 vertical feet in one instance, the brakes didn't misbehave in the slightest.
Pros
+ Silky smooth lever action
+ Extremely powerful
+ They're gorgeous
Cons
- Very, very expensive
- Time consuming bleed process
- 9 month delivery time
Pinkbike's Take:
 | Trickstuff's Maxima brakes deliver more than enough power to slow down the biggest riders on the longest descents. They're beautifully machined, the lever action is silky smooth, and they're a surefire way to stand out from the crowd. Of course, with a price that's three times more than other top-level competitors you'd hope that would be the case. |
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And the power is outstanding
1100€ AND I get to wait nearly a year? Where do I send my credit card information???
FTFY
Most people will spend 20% of the price for 90% of the functionality.
Good work should pay good money, I am in no doubt that these are worth it for people who can afford it and want it.
Or spend 100 % of the price for 190 % of the functionality.
200 € for more then decent brakes which can stop you allright.
900 € for the rest of the bike to accelerate you in the first place.
And he ships from his home appartement.
These brakes are as expensive as his custom new air shock.
They look gorgerous but 1100€? Nah.
If I had money to burn, it could ge there. But alas, I don't
You can't say that "other small companies like Intend aren't even that expensive" when they don't even offer a product you can compare.
Also: usually price is not something that is just made up for shits and giggles but represents the amount of work that goes into it - which looking at these I'm sure is considerable.
And no they don't make a ton of cash off these brakes they are very expensive to manufacture.
They have all parts in stock and can be FULLY rebuilt every single part is replaceable.
I'm poor but still managed a pair of their Piccola. Got tired of throwing away brakes that could not be rebuilt.
These are for people who are willing to make a long term investment.
Look if you don't want don't buy.
For me they are more powerful then my xt by about 40% and weigh half as much.
I have my hands on them constantly and it's very rewarding.
Peace.
With the same amount of money, go get 5 sets of the new Hayes Dominion and put 'em on all your bikes with pieces to spare plus a good dinner to buy off the ole lady when you roll 'em in the door.
Using pinky fingers only on the levers all the way down the mountain and silently you can feather the power smoothly. If you want the rotors at a bargain, get them from Brakestuff as he builds fo both Trickstuff and Intend!!!
If for example have magura mt brake caliper,
one piece same caliper piston size (except 1mm on one pair of pistons),
then haveing same master cylinder diameter
then have same lever ratio,
then same pad compound
Will both brakes have the same performance?
Really, whats the difference? its hydraulics, lever/ratio stuff
Btw trickstuff lever is great looking stuff, but love magura caliper more :-)
how much pad/rotor clearance trickstuff/maxima have?
I'm always struck by this issue in brake reviews. this whole modulation/no modulation stuff largely comes down to pad compounds and break ins, in my view (initial 'bite' is all about compound and break in). Of course you have different force with different piston arrangements, levers and ratios (and fluid volume maybe?), and you feel vastly different power with different rotor sizes. But often that doesn't mean sh*t if you have a bad/weird compound and/or screwed up the break in. Swap rotors and compounds around and the main differences you get between brakes are just lever feel.
I'm with Magura not because they're perfect, but because i think its the best performance to price ratio, and because I can get different lever shapes that suit my hands. My biggest beef with scam and shimano are the shape and size of the levers (and dot fluid)
But if I took a money is no concern approach, I would have trickstuff brakes on all my bikes, mainly because the feel is so good, and it's a touch point, something you really notice on any bike you're on is how the brakes feel at the lever.
These are the exact same brakes, but for some reason you will find one brake that performs perfectly flawlessly, one that is utter crap, and two that work average.
So yeah similar stuff can lead to different performance when the factory/assembly takes care of creating variability between each products.
Second: All you have to do is compare the size of the master poiston surface to the surface of piston in the calliper
e.g.
Shimano XT 10mm master piston / 2x22m piston = 78,5mm²/759,88mm² = 1/9,68
Trickstuff Piccola 9 mm master / 2x22mm piston = 63,585mm²/759,88mm² = 1/11,95
the higher the ratio, the higher the braking power
Its very popular and cheap to run Shimano levers and Magura calipers. Powerful but is not going to have the bling factor of Trickstuff brakes.
www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/trigura-how-to-direttissima-pumpe-und-mt5-sattel.820819
You're OK with internal routing, but think this is worth a call out? Because the arguments for & against internal brake routing are literally the same: more work to set up (and way more for internal routing vs a simple 2 bolt clamp) but looks nice in the end.
They look rad mind!
I guess i would go for a pair of mt7 but the lever is just so f*cking ugly...
In terms of brakepower they are definitly better (and also more modular) than mt7 and saints. Not even gonna start talking about any of the sram garbage.
Also brakepads are around 20€ and they can be sgipped from many onlineshops, so there isnt the typical wait time.
Cheers
www.mtb-news.de/forum/t/trickstuff-maxima-noch-staerker-noch-standfester-noch-besser.880773/page-20#post-15628525
Some folks got the money (orthodontists) for this kind of thing, certainly back in the day a custom brake may have been necessary; early hydraulic disc brakes, but today not so much.
Nice looking brakes, kudos to Trick Stuff for making trick stuff.
As ridiculous as the price is, these trickstuff brakes are special in that they combine the feel, looks and quality of Hope with unmatched braking power (something that Hope lacks).
Sram for life :-)))
Joking aside, these look like tremendous (if, yes, very expensive) brakes. It sounds like they’re absolutely stellar performers on the trail. Ultimately, if the price is something that people will actually pay - and, critically, the quality of the product is exemplary - then good on Trickstuff for knowing their audience. It takes some guts to stake that position in any consumer market. As someone above put it well, good brakes (if not brake pads) aren’t really consumables as far as bike parts go, so really pricey stoppers is a lot more palatable for me than, say, certain carbon rims, ceramic BBs, or ultra-high TPI tires.
A: Denis
Under Service -> Englisch on the main Trickstuff page you will find the general manual and bleeding instructions for Maxima/Diretissima/Piccola.
The new manuals are great though, very detailed so I’m happy! And I feel bad for posting such a negative initial comment
Even put it in a brake of an e-biker that only dragged the brake and even there the oil lasted at least twice the time as the Shimano mineral oil.
Saints have a good bite but I also overcooked them. But the thing I hate from Shimano is the lack of membrane, everything that heats up the circuit is changing the contact point on your next lever push... You're nerver used to the same contact point and it makes things very dangerous in some track sections!
The RSC may have less bite on metallic than Saints but the consistency and contact point adjustement are so much better.
The Maxima is more than 20% stronger than other brakes. So if you swap your direttissima/MT7/Saint for Maximas it would be more like going from 200 to 240 and staying on the same brake.
At least when we speak about power. Modulation and haptics are something else. We think that the Maxima is the best option but that is really hard to measure as every finger is different and everyone has a different riding style.
"There's a screw-in fitting for the caliper and the lever, but for some reason they're different sizes – it seems like it'd be simpler to make just one size fitting, but that's a fairly minor detail. " Isn't a minor detail- it's huge f up.
What does it matter what size the fittings are?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/17732888
LOL, you guys have great content and I'm just giving you shit.
Do these same people frequent other forums and complain about high end products. I cant afford a Bugatti but others can and more power to them.
Spend it if you got it!
I can't afford it, but I do love it, it's the Koenigsegg of brakes.
The Working class generation with little income won’t buy that . 9 month delivery time ? Serious ? . Designed for big wallets . U get quality for sure but I just keep using SRAM and fix them till they die
Fixed if for you.