TRP EVO 12 mechanical drivetrain brings competition to SRAM, Shimano [Review]

In the mountain bike tech world, there is nothing as exciting as the birth of a new drivetrain, and for good reason. They’re also predictably divisive. It’s a little funny if you look back at the comment sections of old releases, like SRAM’s 12-speed Eagle release in 2016. Comments ranged from “awesome!” to “I’ll stick with my 1×11/10/8-speed or 2x drivetrain because this is stupid.”

For what it’s worth, 12-speed has been the standard since then, with both SRAM and Shimano duking it out and others developing great alternatives.

Tektro Racing Products (TRP), currently better known for their powerhouse brakes, released the TRP EVO 12 drivetrain, which I’ve been testing, in the spring of 2023 after a short-lived life of the TR 12 drivetrain which went as quietly as it came.

TRP EVO 12 key specs

Microspline compatible cassette
Carbon or aluminum crankset
Price: starting at about $1,040 (includes bottom bracket)
Buy from JensonUSA and Backcountry

Being one of the largest bicycle brake manufacturers in the world, the TRP sub-brand of Tektro focused on the most powerful downhill brakes before widening their offering to more affordable and more versatile choices, and they may be following suit with their new drivetrain.

“With Tektro being one of the leading manufacturers of hydraulic brakes and having a high-volume production capability, we believe that offering a complete system will solidify our position as a top component company and expand our business in both the [original equipment] and [aftermarket] markets,” TRP’s marketing coordinator Nathan Silberman told us. “Being a primarily OE company, being able to offer bike manufacturers a full brake/ drivetrain is a crucial step. We started with what we consider to be a high-end mechanical group set so the tech could trickle down into more budget-friendly options in the future. We are also now manufacturing 9/10/ 11 speed Tektro group sets that are becoming more and more common on OE Bicycles.”

TRP said they are already equipping their brakes on many different brands’ bikes from the factory, and several brands are testing the latest drivetrain as a potential OE spec.

While the TR 12 may not have been worth talking about for long, the EVO has performed wonderfully in our long-term test and matched the performance and capability of both SRAM and Shimano, but with its own quirks and distinctions.

About the TRP EVO 12 Drivetrain

The TRP EVO 12 drivetrain was released as a full “ecosystem” consisting of a shifter-to-cassette, handlebar-to-hub layout. The only thing that is not TRP-made in the group is the KMC 12-speed chain.

TRP had their hands full wading through the sea of drivetrain patents. According to Silberman, they spent the first 365 days of development researching over 16,000 bicycle-related patents to see what was even possible. In the end, they have 130 patents on their own products now.

Shifter

TRP’s EVO 12 shifter has its own characteristics that make it stand out. For one, there is a toggle switch to change it from up to five downshifts on the big lever to single shifts. The shifter is MatchMaker compatible for SRAM brakes and the downshift paddle has an adjustable angle.

Unfortunately there is no adapter (yet) to mate the shifter with Shimano or even TRP’s own brake sets.

Price: $99-109 (for black/gold colorway)
Weight: 143g

Crankset

TRP released two cranksets which have two very different effects on the end pricepoint. I received the carbon crankset, which is only offered in two lengths. The crankset comes in a 30mm spindle diameter and sets up similarly to Race Face’s Cinch cranksets. It also comes wrapped in a protective film to keep the carbon arms in relatively nice condition.

Price: $349
Weight: 485g (carbon, tested)
Available in 165mm, 170mm

The alloy cranks come in three standard crank sizes and have a 76g weight penalty.

Price: $149
Weight: 561g (aluminum)
Available in 165mm, 170mm, 175mm

Cassette

The TRP cassette is designed with 7075 aluminum for the two lowest gears for a better strength-to-weight ratio and the other 10 are made from monoblock steel for better wear resistance. The cassette is compatible only with Microspline drivers.

Price: $399
Weight: 372g
Available in black/silver or black/gold
Gear ratios: 10-11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-44-52

Chainring

The TRP chainrings are also made from 7075 aluminum for great strength to weight and feature “Wave Technology” for chain retention purposes. This looks to be a fairly standard narrow/wide tooth configuration, but with offset teeth. The design is actually licensed from MRP and their chainrings.

Price: $74.99
Weight: 70g, 79g (tested), 91g
Available in 30t, 32t, 34t

Derailleur

The derailleur might be the most interesting piece of tech for the entire groupset and where the brand really sets itself apart from other designs.

TRP brought the Hall Lock onto the EVO 12 from the TR12, where it was developed. The Hall Lock is a lever on the B-knuckle mounts that can be “locked” or “unlocked” when needed; like pulling the rear wheel out of the bike. It also locks the derailleur into a solid position so that it is more stable, while a separate clutch helps keep things quiet and steady too.

Out of the box, the Hall Lever comes in the off position and needs to stay off until everything is ready to go, the derailleur adjustments are made, and then it can be turned back on.

The derailleur’s outer cage is carbon fiber and there is a cage release switch to release tension from the cage and ease rear wheel removal even more.

Price: $229-$239 (silver or gold)
Weight: 300g

Bottom bracket

The TRP bottom bracket is made for 30mm crankset spindles and comes in two pressfit widths and a standard threaded version.

Price: $44.99
Weight: 71g (BSA 81)
Available: BSA 81, PF92, PF93

Chain

The TRP chain (made by KMC) features 126 links and has asymmetrical chamfering for smooth operation between the links and the cassette. It weighs 230g uncut and also comes in two colors, however there is a larger upcharge for the gold finish.

Price: $44-72.99
Weight: 230g

Ride impressions

I set up this TRP EVO 12 drivetrain in the spring and have been logging miles for the past few months. The setup was pretty straightforward and I can’t say why, but the only issue I had was that it took me a little longer than SRAM or Shimano drivetrains to get the shifter and derailleur properly indexed and tensioned and running crisp. Maybe I’m just out of practice.

I haven’t felt the need to adjust the shift lever angle, as the ergonomics have suited me fine, but it is nice to have the option at your fingertips. So far, I have preferred the multi-shift selector over the single shift mode too, like both SRAM and Shimano. There hasn’t been any jamming or crunching throwing multiple shifts at once, but some may prefer the precision of the single-shift mode.

The ergonomics of the EVO 12 shifter were easy to adjust to. Some people have asked how the TRP feels, and I’ve described it as such:

At the shifter, the action feels more like Shimano, with longer throws for each shift and a more dulled engagement than the snappy SRAM execution (and I don’t mean dull in a bad way).

For the price, I think the shift paddles could be more exciting. They’re basically just stamped plastic and at this price point, Shimano’s rubberized XT and XTR paddles have the EVO 12 beat. But I still like the EVO 12. It’s been pleasant, consistent and precise the whole time.

At the cassette, the interaction with the chain feels closer to SRAM with more audible shifts. This is to say the TRP drivetrain feels very much like its own system. The bottom gears shift cleanly and quietly without fuss under load. I haven’t had a lot of moisture or mud in the cogs. It’s been a dry summer in Colorado, but I’ve let it ride for a few weeks without washing and the shifting has still performed admirably–just not flawlessly. The EVO 12 isn’t immune to a rough shift every now and then, but it is mostly seamless and consistent. The steps in between gears are excellent and there’s no shift that feels too far apart.

Overall, I wouldn’t say it shifts quite as seamlessly as SRAM’s XX1 or Shimano’s XTR, but it is obviously a top shelf drivetrain.

The derailleur, however, might be even quieter than its competitors. This could be due to the Hall Lock limiting additional movement, but it’s been very quiet over chunk and rough hits, which always brings peace of mind that you’re not going to break something off in the middle of your favorite trail.

Share your TRP Evo 12 review

Tried it? Tell us what you think about it.

I can’t say I’ve had any concerning issues with the drivetrain. The shifting has been precise and I have yet to drop a chain from the chain ring. The derailleur is strong, quiet and reliable and though there are some features that distinguish the EVO 12 from others, they don’t make it feel foreign.

How does it stack up against the others?

This is where it gets tough. TRP is currently selling more of these drivetrains as aftermarket components, over OE, which is great for them. As an OE spec where you’re not as directly concerned with the price of the components, this really is a great system.

As an aftermarket drivetrain, and this is considering the current state of excess components and deep sales on both SRAM and Shimano, the TRP Evo 12 is a tough choice against existing options where it’s possible to save hundreds of dollars and have the safety and reliability of either choice.

Otherwise, I believe the performance of the Evo 12 is on par with Shimano XT or SRAM X01, but you’re unfortunately still paying for a new release that doesn’t quite deliver the scale or savings that other brands offer.

Some folks might say that the TRP drivetrain isn’t up to snuff, or not as refined as other mechanical 12-speed options. Objectively, that’s probably correct, but it’s not a fair assessment of the EVO 12, considering the sea of patents, manufacturing capability, and research and development they’re swimming against. Consumers usually benefit from a more competitive sales environment and the EVO 12 is the best 1x mechanical drivetrain I’ve tested outside of SRAM and Shimano. This seems like a great step in the right direction, as long as 12-speed, hanger-mounted, mechanical drivetrains are still on the horizon.