Trickstuff Introduces the 3D-printed Titanium Piccola HD

Fed up with bike park highways? Yearning for untouched, loamy trails off the grid, even at the risk of getting stuck somewhere in the middle of nowhere? That's exactly where you'll find yourself, in the terrain of the Piccola HD Titanium. Where steadiness and climbing skills are put to the test, the Piccola HD Titanium shines with its combination of the graceful Piccola master cylinder and the powerful C42 four-piston caliper. 3D-printed titanium brake lever blades and radially arranged master cylinder lighten the ascent to trails without lift access. With its strong hydraulic ratio of 9mm at the lever-side piston to 14/17mm in the caliper, it bulldozes the brake oil into the four pistons with serious oomph - and brings you safely to a standstill when those unexpected obstacles jump out of nowhere. Heat-resistant hollow stainless steel pistons and Bionol brake oil prevent interrupting the flow during top-to-bottom runs with unnecessary cool-down breaks, unless you need one yourself.

Linear Power Transmission

With linear power transmission, the braking force is transmitted proportionally from the brake lever to the brake system. This means that the brake develops its full braking effect as soon as the pressure point is reached and increases steadily as the finger lever is applied more firmly. The development of the braking force is therefore predictable and easy to adjust, so that you can quickly get used to the feel of the brakes.

From Powder To Precision

The lever blade is crafted from titanium, a material known for its exceptional fracture toughness and corrosion resistance. As a go-to choice in highly demanding industries, such as medical technology and aerospace, the material offers significant advantages. Thanks to its higher strength
compared to aluminum, less material is needed to achieve the same physical performance. While titanium isn’t inherently lighter than aluminum, the use of additive manufacturing enables the design of a lever that’s both lighter and stronger overall.

Inside, partially hollow printed structures further reduce weight while maintaining impressive strength. Titanium doesn’t react to moisture or sweat, so there’s no need for extra coatings to protect against corrosion. The contact surface features a unique honeycomb structure that’s impossible to create with traditional machining. This design not only reduces weight, in combination with the optimized surface texture it also provides a grippy texture for secure handling, even without gloves.

The Advantages of Additive Manufacturing

In additive manufacturing, fine metal powder is applied layer by layer and selectively melted using a laser or electron beam to create the desired geometry. The key advantage of the powder process is the high level of detail and the ability to realize complex, intricate structures or hard-to-reach geometries, such as cavities or internal channels, without the need for additional tools or support structures. Additive manufacturing allows us to produce highly precise, durable components and bring innovative design ideas to life. For us, it is particularly exciting to create new shapes that would be impossible to realize with traditional manufacturing techniques such as milling. Additionally, wall thicknesses can be precisely tuned to the stresses on the component, resulting in optimal durability with minimal weight.

Another highlight is the material efficiency. Only the powder needed for the printing process is melted, minimizing waste and making production more efficient. Excess powder can be reused after the printing process with no further processing required whereas support structures can be recycled.

The Story Behind

The vision was clear: a 3D-printed titanium brake lever for our Piccola pump. Together with TRUMPF, we worked on new designs and optimal manufacturing processes to develop the first 3D-printed brake lever blade . A year later, we presented a conceptual design study at Eurobike and revealed the result. The positive feedback from the industry impressed us and confirmed that this lever blade should not remain just a prototype. Our goal was to fully exploit the potential of additive manufacturing and bring the brake lever blade into production.

From Concept To Reality

After presenting the 3D-printed titanium brake lever blade at Eurobike, it entered the next development phase. Having outgrown its early stages, we were now standing on our own feet and faced new challenges: building a production chain, further developing and perfecting our prototype, and going through intense testing to ensure the lever blade met the strictest standards – both in the lab and on the trail. The lever blade is manufactured in Germany, ensuring the highest precision and quality in production. All of these steps led to the lever blade becoming what it is today.

Trickstuff Piccola HD Titanium Highlights

• Rear brake weight*: 230g
• Front brake weight*: 212g
• Total weight*: 442g
• Hose connection pump: Angled
• Hose connection caliper: Banjo
• Brake Hose: Kevlar
• Lever body & caliper material: Aluminum anodized
• Lever blade material: Titanium
• Number of pistons: 4
• Piston diameter: 14/17mm
• Master cylinder piston diameter: 9mm
• Brake caliper mount: Post mount
• Brake fluid: Bionol
• Lever adjustment: 2mm hex key
• Brake pad form: 850
• MSRP: from €1100.00 EUR/set

*Including brake pads, pad retaining bolt, safety clip and clamp

Lever Blade Kit

The levers blades are available as a kit and are fully backwards compatible with all Piccola and Piccola HD brakes, giving current brake owners an easy way to refine their setup. They can be purchased individually for right or left master cylinders, with a choice of black or silver pivot bolts to perfectly match the existing lever body housing. Weight (lever blade incl. ball bearings): 14,5 grams. Lever blade kit MSRP: €129,90 EUR/lever blade.

More information available at trickstuff.com.