Trickstuff’s brakes are some of the most exotic and expensive around, with the German brand only producing them in limited numbers.
The attention to detail is impressive and these cross-country mountain bike brakes are priced accordingly, at €1,100, making them some of the most expensive stoppers you can buy.
However, while they’re heavy on the wallet, the Piccola Carbon brakes are not heavy on the scales.
Trickstuff has designed the Piccolas to be the lightest possible mountain bike brakes, stripping them back as far as possible.
High price for a low weight
The Piccola Carbon brakes weigh a minuscule 341g for the pair. For context, Shimano’s XTR M9100 brakes come in at 404g, with the SRAM Level Ultimate and Magura MT8 SL weighing 532g and 452g respectively.
While the small-scale production no doubt bumps up the price, the manufacturing itself is something to behold.
Piccola translates as 'small' in Italian and the master cylinder and lever blade are indeed diminutive.
Similar to Hope’s brakes, the master cylinder and caliper of the Piccolas are CNC-machined from 7075 aluminium, helping to keep the weight down.
Even next to Hope’s minimalist XCR brake lever, the Piccola's lever looks tiny.
It’s not only the size that helps bring the weight down – the lever blade is made from carbon fibre, while the bolts holding it and the caliper together are titanium.
The brake pads also have an aluminium, rather than steel, backing plate, to save further weight.
Skeletal structure
Aside from the size, if there's one thing that indicates how stripped back these brakes are, it’s the pistons.
While a considerable 22mm in diameter, they’re constructed from stainless steel and hollowed out completely.
If you’ve ever looked at a solid ceramic piston from another brake, you’ll wonder how they can stand up to the rigours of mountain biking.
It’s not all about weight saving though; Trickstuff has designed these brakes to be durable and powerful too.
undefinedBeautiful bearings
The lever blade pivots on no fewer than four bearings. This is a departure from other brakes that use either a single bearing or bushing in this area.
Trickstuff claims this is to ensure there's as little friction as possible when pulling the lever. It also means they should stay solid and wiggle-free for years to come. If they do wear out, they're replaceable.
Up at the lever, you’ll also find a tooled reach adjuster. The brake hose is angled to keep it closer to the bar, in similar style to SRAM’s Stealth brakes. The hose itself is a high-pressure kevlar article. This is designed to be lightweight, at a claimed 17g/m, but also to deal with the demands of extended descents.
While the brakes themselves are minimal, the packaging is anything but. They're housed in a gorgeous wooden box, complete with a bleed kit.
It’s an impressive setup for sure, but are they worth the price? We have this set on test to find out, along with Trickstuff's Dächle UL and HD rotors in 180/160mm and 203/180mm respectively. They’ll be mounted to my Transition Spur and given a proper drubbing, so stay tuned for a full review down.
