Biking on technical trails or long Alpine descents: unthinkable these days without disc brakes. That's why we at BIKE have been pushing disc brakes to their limits for many years - with tough practical tests and elaborate test bench orgies. Only the best MTB brakes can really impress. Like the Trickstuff Piccola HD, which is in the Comparison test in BIKE 5/21 and FREERIDE 2/21 convincingly secured the test victory.
Here is the test report on the test-winning brake from Trickstuff as a video.
Trickstuff in Freiburg has been working on the perfect disc brake for years. With the Piccola, the company from Freiburg has achieved a great success. The Two-piston version is one of the lightest disc brakes on the market. The Piccola HD, on the other hand, uses four stainless steel pistons and a two-piece saddle made from CNC-milled aluminium. The workmanship is first class. There is also a stylish carbon lever on the master cylinder, organic hydraulic brake oil and two in-house developments: The organic Power Plus brake pads and the Dächle brake discs made of stainless steel. In short: a perfectly coordinated system that has been optimised down to the smallest detail. This has its price: a brake including disc costs 488 euros. Due to the high demand, you currently have to expect a waiting time of around one year!
Convincing in the BIKE test lab: The Piccola HD Carbon with 180 millimetre disc weighs just 345 grams. This makes it significantly lighter than the four-piston competition from Magura, Shimano or Sram. Despite its low weight, the Trickstuff brake did not show any weaknesses on the test bench: it delivered top values in both dry and wet conditions. Even in the final fading test, the Piccola HD leaves nothing to be desired and demonstrates its stability.
But high braking forces and maximum stability are only one thing. In our practical test on a defined descent, the disc brakes have to show whether they can also bring heavy riders to a safe stop on steep slopes. The Piccola HD doesn't have any weaknesses there either. The carbon lever is easy to hold and modulates the powerful performance well. The Trickstuff also manages the final stage of our extreme test, which is already too much for many brakes: first we let the front brake slide, then we perform powerful interval braking and finally an emergency stop from 60-65 km/h. Even with a 100-kilo rider, the Piccola HD decelerated with ease.
Test summary of the Trickstuff Piccola HD Carbon
Lightweight and durable. Durable, but expensive. The Trickstuff Piccola HD Carbon sets the bar extremely high for four-piston brakes. And deservedly wins the test in BIKE 5/21 and FREERIDE 2/21.
Trickstuff Piccola HD
- Price¹ 488 Euro
- details Four-piston brake with two-piece caliper, metal pads, oil, disc thickness 2.05 mm
- Leverage 40-77 mm, with tool
- Size / weight¹ 180 mm / 345 g
BIKE judgement³ 27 points (super)
"25 years of disc brakes on the bike, there shouldn't really be any more problems - you'd think. But that's not the case: if the route is steep and the rider is heavy, the brakes quickly reach their limits. Where one finger was just enough to slow down, suddenly the brakes are barely able to stop because the brake pad is fading or disintegrating, the disc is undulating or softening. A single hard emergency stop can cause the system to collapse." (Dipl.-Ing. Robert Kühnen)
We have tested ten brakes weighing between 110 and 515 euros and between 280 and 500 grams. Eight of them are solid four-piston designs with gravity aspirations. You can download the complete comparison test of the ten disc brakes from BIKE 5/2021 as a PDF below the article. The test report costs 1.99 euros.
¹Applies to one brake incl. disc
²The score for braking force and stability is based on the laboratory and practical results.
The BIKE judgement is independent of price. It is not an addition of the individual ratings. BIKE judgements: super (26 points and more), very good (22-25 points), good (18-21 points), satisfactory (14-17 points), with weaknesses (10-13 points), unsatisfactory (less than ten points).
