Trickstuff Dächle Disc UL Rotor

German brake specialist Trickstuff is most known for their very high-end and singularly expensive brakes, but it just so happens that they also make rotors and aftermarket brake pads that don’t come with any kind of sticker shock. Curious to see what they could offer, we’ve been testing the “Ultra Light” rotors and “Power” pads for about 6 months now – keep reading to find out how we’ve been getting on.

Dächle Disc UL Highlights

• High quality, vacuum hardened stainless steel
• 25% higher tensile strength than conventional discs
• Sophisticated hole pattern for even pad cleaning
• Minimal disc thickness variation
• Disc thickness: 2.05 mm
• Weight: 127 grams (180 mm) // 163 grams (203 mm)
• MSRP: 59.90 EUR (140/160 mm) // 64.90 EUR (180/203 mm)

Power Brake Pad Highlights

• Organic compound
• Highest power rating of the Trickstuff compounds
• High resistance to fading
• MSRP: 29.90 EUR

Initial Impressions

Trickstuff makes their rotors from “vacuum hardened” steel that is claimed to be up to 25% stronger than conventional discs. We took delivery of the “Dächle UL” rotor, which stands for “roof ultra light”. In case you’re wondering what “roof” signifies here, it comes from the German word “Dächle” which translates to “small roof”. On the rotor, it refers to the roof-shaped chamfered edge that is there to help make it easier to slip the rotor in between the brake pads when installing your wheels.

The UL part is easier to understand – these rotors were designed to shave some weight, which they manage to do despite being a little bit thicker than standard. At 2.05 mm they are not among the extra thick rotors that have become popular lately, but they are thicker than most regular rotors from a few years ago. If you are really going for weight savings above all else, note that the 140 and 160 mm versions of the UL rotor is a more classic 1.85 mm thick. The holes cut into the braking surface are said to be designed to help keep the pads clean and to ensure that they wear evenly.

Trickstuff make two compounds for their aftermarket brake pads, Standard and Power. Both are organic, with the latter favoring outright power over maximum longevity. The pads are available for a wide range of brakes, from SRAM and Shimano to Hope and TRP and everything else in between.

On The Trail

We installed the new rotors and pads in the Code R brakes that came on one of our long-term test bikes (using Trickstuff’s own adapter which is one of the smallest and lightest we’ve seen). The first thing we got stoked on was how true the rotors were. This may sound like something you should expect from any new brake rotor but in real life that is not always the case. SRAM is especially unreliable in this aspect, with their Centerline rotors often requiring a little touch-up with the brake rotor trueing tool to stay straight. The Trickstuff rotors were perfect when we installed them and they have stayed that way ever since.

After bedding in the new pads, we noticed a small increase in power over the stock set-up. It’s not night-and-day drastic, but it’s there. We also really appreciate how the power builds up, it feels a little bit smoother than the stock pads with a little bit more bite when you really lay into the brakes. The Trickstuff pads are also a little bit quieter, with less of that grinding squeal that stock SRAM brakes often exhibit, whether in the wet or in the dry. All in all a good upgrade, performance wise. Note: if you ride a lot of vertical, you may want to consider the “HD” version of the rotor, it weighs a bit more but it also features more material in the braking area which is said to further improve resistance to heat-related issues.

Long Term Durability

We’ve had this rotor and pad set-up running on our trail bike for just about 6 months now. This bike gets ridden in hilly terrain on average three times per week, for a total of around 1200 kms during the test period. There is still plenty of life left in the pads which is good going for the most powerful compound on offer. As previously mentioned, the rotors have stayed absolutely true during this time as well, no rubbing or uneven squealing has been detected.

What’s The Bottom Line?

When looking to upgrade your brakes the foregone conclusion is often to swap out the whole system. Trickstuff’s UL rotors and Power pads make a good case for only upgrading the actual braking parts, they are after all responsible for generating the friction that will slow you down. The quality is top notch, the feel is smooth and the power delivery is right up there with the best – we can think of quite a few stock systems that would probably feel better with this little Trickstuff tune-up. The best news is that you don’t need to talk your bank about this one either!

More information at: www.trickstuff.de.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 50 // Years Riding MTB: 18 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord and Tal Rozow