The New Brake That Aaron Gwin Helped Shape - Taipei Cycle Show

When Aaron Gwin announced that he'd be using TRP brakes, there was a whole lot of head scratching and WTF-ing going about. It's not to say that people thought poorly of TRP's Quadiem and Slate brakes. It's just that not a whole lot of people thought about the things at all.

TRP isn't new to the bicycle brake market (think Tektro), but in the world of mountain bike stoppers, they are very much the new kid on the block whose name still slips everyone's minds.

But that might change.


Aaron Gwin is famous for being a stickler with his equipment. The guy takes his tech seriously. You can argue that Gwin signed with TRP for the money, but he, frankly, isn't the kind of guy who's willing to lose races on account of his equipment. I'm guessing Gwin must've felt TRP was on the right track with their brakes or he'd never have signed on the dotted line in the first place. Gwin, however, clearly didn't feel they were perfect. Over the course of the past year, Gwin and TRP have been tweaking the brakes to get them to a l Kosher-Gwin level. Mike Levy reported on the G-Spec Quadiem during Eurobike, but a few details were still up in the air at that time. Here's more of the story from TRP's soft launch of their new brakes, here at Taipei.


The Quadiem had been in TRP’s line for a while when the company began its collaboration with Gwin. The brake didn’t get a wholesale rebuild, but the tweaks are more than merely cosmetic. For starters, the brake gained a new lever that went through 15 iterations before finding its final shape and finish. The lever blade is forged, polished and anodized, and features texturing to enhance grip. The brake always had tool-less reach adjust, but at Gwin’s behest TRP added detents, making it easier for riders to match front and rear lever reach.

While the company considered opening up the back of the caliper, Gwin and company felt such a design would lead to flex in the caliper and an intolerable level of mushiness. Would you feel the same? Probably not, but then you’re not mobbing your Tuesday down a World Cup course for a living. TRP, however, did machine a bit of material off the caliper. TRP aimed to reduce system heat by machining grooves on the caliper—something they say increases available surface area for air to flow over.


Another heat-reducing feature? Hybrid composite/stainless steel pistons. The composite reduces the amount of heat working its way into the brake fluid (and therein reduces the risk of brake fade during extended periods of OhCrapOhCrapOhCrap braking). Why did TRP wrap that composite piston in stainless steel? The company sys the composite has too much friction when it passes back and forth across the piston seal, and that this would likely lead to premature wear and crappy pad retraction. The stainless steel wrap job reduces friction and nips that potential problem in the bud.


While the G-Spec Quadiem has received the lion’s share of the press of late, it’s not the only brake in TRP’s line. The Slate was already positioned as more of an all-rounder brake and has also received the Gwin treatment in the form of the $149 G-Spec Slate. As with its pricier sibling, the G-Spec Slate is a four-piston, hybrid piston affair. The G-Spec Slate also shares the same basic lever—that is the same shape and dimpling, albeit in a less fancy, anodized finish. The G-Spec Slate also features the tool-less reach adjust with detents. The G-Spec Slate’s hardware is stainless steel and the caliper features an open-back design. Like the Quadiem, you can expect to find the G-Spec Slate on sale in mid April.