TRP Brakes has steered past being a brake-only company and now offers a thru axle carbon cyclocross fork it unveiled at NAHBS 2015.
Recognizing a market need (especially with limited availability of the Whisky Components thru axle cyclocross fork), the Tektro-owned company, which has extensive carbon production capability, has produced its own thru axle carbon fork for the cyclocross and gravel market.
TRP’s carbon disc brake thru-axle cyclocross fork initially will support 15mm thru axles, and later 12mm and fender mounts. As seen at NAHBS 2015 in Louisville. © Cyclocross Magazine
TRP’s Dave Biehler says the company was motivated to control the cable routing and caliper mounts on a fork and be able to optimize them for its own brakes. The cable/hydraulic hose routing is internal, and exits at an angle and position that should work perfectly with all of its disc brakes. This isn’t the case on some OEM forks, it found.
TRP’s carbon disc brake thru-axle cyclocross fork, as seen at NAHBS 2015 in Louisville. © Cyclocross Magazine
We also saw the fork on three different show bikes at NAHBS 2015: a Moots Dirt Road Prototype, a Shamrock Cyclocross bike, and a DeSalvo Titanium gravel bike:
TRP’s carbon disc brake thru-axle cyclocross fork on DeSalvo’s titanium gravel bike, as seen at NAHBS 2015 in Louisville. © Cyclocross Magazine
The fork will retail for $579.99, will initially support a 15mm x 100mm DT thru axle, and will have clearance for 40mm tires.
Unlike the ENVE thru axle GRD prototype fork we also saw at NAHBS, TRP is keeping geometry pretty close to typical cyclocross forks, with a 397mm axle to crown distance, and a 47mm offset.
TRP’s carbon disc brake thru-axle cyclocross fork, as seen on this Shamrock cyclocross bike at NAHBS 2015 in Louisville. © Cyclocross Magazine
Default rotor size is 160mm, and carbon tapered steerer is 1-1/8″ to 1-1/2″. The entire package, with a 300mm uncut steerer, weighs just 450g.
The company expects to have fender mounts and a 12mm thru axle option soon. The fender mount version will be $10 more at $589.99. Stay tuned as we put one through the test.
TRP Thru Axle Cyclocross Fork Specs:
MSRP: $579.99, $589.99 with fender mount
Steerer: Carbon tapered, 1-1/8″ to 1-1/2″
Axle to Crown: 397mm
Offset (Rake): 47mm
Thru Axle: 15mm DT, 12mm coming
Clearance: 40c tires
Default rotor size: 160mm
Weight: 450g uncut
Cable routing: Internal
More info: trpbrakes.com
