Trickstuff Dächle Disc UL Rotor – Reviews, Comparisons, Specifications – Rotors

GGerman brake specialist Trickstuff is best known for their very high quality and extremely expensive brakes, but they also happen to make rotors and aftermarket brake pads that have no shock stickers whatsoever. Curious about what they have to offer, we’ve been testing the ‘Ultra Light’ brake discs and ‘Power’ pads for around 6 months now – read on to find out how we got on.

Dächle Disc UL Highlights

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

Highlights of electric brake pads

• Organic connection
• Highest performance rating of Trickstuff compounds
• High resistance to fading
• RRP: EUR 29.90

First impressions

Trickstuff makes its rotors from “vacuum hardened” steel, which is said to be up to 25% stronger than traditional discs. We received the “Dächle UL” rotor, which stands for “Roof Ultra Light”. In case you are wondering what “roof” means here, it comes from the German word “Dächle,” which translates to “small roof.” On the brake rotor, it refers to the roof-shaped, beveled edge that is designed to make it easier to slide the brake rotor between the brake pads when installing your wheels.

The UL part is easier to understand – these rotors were designed to save some weight, which they manage to do despite being slightly thicker than stock. At 2.05mm, they aren’t one of the particularly thick rotors that have become popular recently, but they are thicker than most normal rotors from a few years ago. If weight savings are your main concern, note that the 140 and 160mm versions of the UL rotor are a more classic 1.85mm thick. The holes cut into the braking surface are intended to help keep the pads clean and ensure even wear.

Trickstuff makes two compounds for its aftermarket brake pads: Standard and Power. Both are organic, with the latter favoring absolute power over maximum longevity. The pads are available for a variety of brakes, from SRAM and Shimano to Hope and TRP and everything in between.

On the path

We installed the new rotors and pads into the Code R brakes on one of our long-term test bikes (using Trickstuff’s own adapter, which is among the smallest and lightest we’ve ever seen). The first thing that impressed us was the accuracy of the rotors. This may sound like something you should expect from any new brake rotor, but in real life that’s not always the case. SRAM is particularly unreliable in this regard, as their centerline brake rotors often require a small touch-up with the rotor dressing tool to stay straight. The Trickstuff rotors were perfect when we installed them and have remained that way ever since.

After installing the new pads, we noticed a slight increase in performance compared to the stock configuration. It’s not night and day drastic, but it’s there. We also really appreciate how the strength builds. They feel a little softer than the stock pads and have a little more bite when you really hit the brakes. The Trickstuff pads are also slightly quieter and have less of the squeaking noises that are common with stock SRAM brakes, whether wet or dry. All in all, a good upgrade in terms of performance. Note: If you do a lot of vertical riding, consider the “HD” version of the brake disc. It weighs a little more, but also has more material in the braking area, which should further improve heat resistance.

Long term durability

We have been using this rotor and pad setup on our trail bike for almost 6 months now. This bike is ridden on average three times a week in hilly terrain, totaling around 1200 km during the test period. There’s still plenty of life left in the pads, which is good for the most powerful compound available. As already mentioned, the rotors remained absolutely round during this time and no friction or irregular squeaking could be detected.

What is the end result?

When you want to upgrade your brakes, the obvious choice is often to replace the entire system. Trickstuff’s UL brake discs and power pads make a good argument for only upgrading the actual braking parts, because after all, they are responsible for the friction that slows you down. The quality is top notch, the feel is smooth and the power delivery is on par with the best – we can think of some stock systems that would probably feel better with this little trick stuff tuning. The best thing is that you don’t have to talk to your bank about it!

More information at: www.trickstuff.de.

About the reviewer

Johan Hjord – Age: 50 // Years of MTB rider: 18 // Weight: 190 pounds (87 kg) // Height: 6 feet 0 inches (1.84 m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After years of practicing falling off cliffs on a snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Since then, he has mostly ridden bikes with too much travel to cover up his many mistakes as a rider. His 200-pound body weight, coupled with his unique ability with poor line choices and awkward landings, make him an expert in durability – if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much fine for anyone. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as “none” (although in reality he rips!). Since he doesn’t like most of the trail elements, Johan uses much of his free time to build his own. Johan’s other achievements include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly at 11.

Photos by Johan Hjord and Tal Rozow