German-made Trickstuff brakes are possibly the most sought-after components you can buy… if you can even buy them. There were often months-long waiting lists, plus the red tape required to import them into the US. And they aren’t cheap.

A few years ago, Trickstuff was acquired by DT Swiss, which gave us hope that they might scale up and become a bit more accessible. Today, we can finally share some news about how that will look. DT took their time, preserving everything that makes Trickstuff so desirable. We asked DT for the deets, so here is everything we know until we get our review set in later this season.

*Note: On May 5th 2025, a couple weeks after we initially shared this news, DT Swiss sent out a press release saying they would be moving production of Trickstuff Brakes to one of their own production facilities in Poland. Scroll to the bottom for their statement.

Will the brakes be any cheaper?

This is a new offering for the North American market. In the USA, MSRP/MAP for Maxima brake sets is $1,395, while MSRP/MAP for Direttissima and Piccola brake set models are $1,180.

Do you expect there will be a shorter waitlist?

Yes. Since Trickstuff was acquired by DT Swiss, one of the primary goals has been to improve availability. On top of process improvement, we have been building up stock at our global headquarters in Pfaffenweiler, Germany (where Trickstuff brakes are assembled) over the past year. We have done this in preparation to launch Trickstuff into North America.

Additionally, we have built up a safety stock of Trickstuff products in Grand Junction, CO. Since 1996, DT Swiss has had a subsidiary in Grand Junction, CO, which includes its American service center and production of spokes and wheels. With this in place, this has allowed us to add a Trickstuff service center, build up stock, and quickly support requests from partners and consumers.

It’s worth noting that, on top of stock and service in Grand Junction, CO, we have partnered with a set of IBDs that will stock Trickstuff brakes from the time of launch. This is an expanding list but currently includes: Basalt Bike Ski / Cripple Creek Backcountry, Cyclepath PDX, Fanatik, Gravelo Workshop, Marin Service Course, and World Wide Cyclery.

Has Trickstuff increased its manufacturing capability?

Yes, again, this has been a major priority over the past few years. The goal has been to increase capacity while still maintaining the premium qualities Trickstuff has come to be known for.

Will the brakes and service parts be sold through retailers or consumer-direct?

For brake systems, we will work directly with key IBDs. Over time, we intend to add additional partner IBD’s as demand and inventory can support. Our IBD partners will also have access to the majority of our service parts, tools and accessories so they are able to support customers quickly.

Additionally, distributor BTI will stock service parts, tools, and accessories. Any IBD with a BTI account will have access to these items.
Lastly, as noted previously, we have a full US-based Service Center at DT Swiss, USA in Grand Junction, CO. Should there be any service or warranty needs that shops are unable to address, our team can support quickly via this Service Center.

Will there be any US assembly of brake systems?

For now, all of our brake assembly will continue to take place at Tricksuff’s global headquarters in Pfaffenweiler, Germany.

*As noted above, this has changed. Please see the statement at the bottom of this post.

Can customers still mix and match some levers and calipers?

It depends.

All possible pump and caliper combinations are represented in our product line already. Some of the models do share components, though, such as:

• The Maxima and the Direttissima both use the same pump body with different levers and different calipers.
• The Direttissima and Piccola HD use the same caliper with different pumps.
• The Piccola HD and the Piccola Carbon share the same pump body with different levers and different calipers.

We will not be offering custom color builds like we have done in the past. The number of moving parts with build customization like this led to constraints. To improve capacity and lead times, we have refined and distilled product options. That said, from time to time, we will offer special edition options like the recently released Direttissima Artic Blue.

Are there any OEM discussions happening?

Stay tuned.

Will all models in the Trickstuff catalog be available in the US?

Yes, all models will be available in the US. We have built up stock of all models, with stock increasing for the final addition to US inventory: Piccola Carbon. We will begin to see quantities of the Piccola Carbon in the US market starting in June, with additional quantities available later in 2025.

*Trickstuff statement about moving production to Poland is below:

Trickstuff GmbH Is Closing Its Pfaffenweiler Establishment and Relocating Its Registered Office To Oelde

The Board of Directors of DT Swiss Group AG and the Managing Director of Trickstuff GmbH have decided, for economic and strategic reasons, to relocate the registered office of Trickstuff GmbH from Pfaffenweiler to Oelde as of July 1, 2025. The establishment in Pfaffenweiler will be closed as of June 30, 2025. Trickstuff will remain as a brand and provider of high-quality brakes and brake components. Sales, market development and customer service will be based at the new registered office of Trickstuff GmbH in Oelde. Engineering, product management and marketing are handled by DT Swiss AG in Biel. The assembly of Trickstuff products will then be carried out by DT Swiss Polska SP. z o.o. in Oborniki.

The dynamic market development of the last three years and especially the challenges in the MTB market segment make these measures unavoidable. The goal is to continue ensuring the competitiveness and independence of the Trickstuff brand.

“The decision to close the Pfaffenweiler establishment of Trickstuff GmbH in the Freiburg-Im-Breisgau region and thus to make the redundancies was not easy for us. The employees of Trickstuff have worked very hard on the development of the brand and the company in recent years,” explains Frank Böckmann, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of AG. He further emphasizes: “We are aware that the enthusiasm of the team and the location in the Black Forest are a large part of the brand’s identity. Therefore, it is very important to us to carefully accompany the affected employees. We are conducting individual discussions about their professional future, with the aim of providing individual advice and support.”

The business and brand partners of Trickstuff were immediately informed about the upcoming changes after the internal communication on May 5, 2025 to enable a smooth transition. Ensuring service quality and the availability of spare and individual parts are the focus. The existing product portfolio of Trickstuff will continue to be available in consistently high quality and quantity through authorized partners (https://www.trickstuff.com/en/support/dealer-locator) as well as through the Trickstuff webshop (https://webshop.trickstuff.com).

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