Hola
Looking at fitting Some Magura Louise brakes to my DH bike. I've heard many good things about reliability. The fact they never need bleeding... And the consistency of power....
Looking for other peoples opinions that have used em for a prolonged amount of times??
Any issues you may have come across?
Thanks!
I've used BAT's and FR's for a few years now and I've not had to do anything apart from a bleed due to hose shortening. They're reliable, pretty powerful and the pads last for eaons if you bed them in properly. I suppose the only negative with them is that their a bit weighty?...
Louises are brilliant brakes. I've got some 2006 FRs that I'll never let go of and some BATs that are just as good. Very powerful and reliable. What more can you want? 
I've got Louise and my Rock Lobster. Very impressed with them.
I have some 2006 FR and there the most powerful brake I've used (out of the one's I've tried: Hope Mini/Mono M4, Hayes 9, shimano XT, Avid 3/5), & the first I thought that 1 finger braking is possible with.
Mine were 2nd hand though and the front blew a seal, an expensive repair from Magura's distributers.
I'd say as long as you have them new and under warrenty I'd try them again but off-hand Magura are not user servicable so a big risk if buying 2nd hand.
myself and two friends all have had Louise FR - all excellent with no problems.
The pads come in two flavours from magura - get the 3.2s they wear much better.
and do not be tempted by other manufacturers - they squeal and are made of butter IMHO.
I ran a set of 2007 Louises for 18 months - seemed well made (a lot more robust than Formula K24 for example) and always stopped me as requested. One thing I would say is that I tried twice to bleed them but couldn't do it so had to take them to a dealer to sort out. I've never had any problems bleeding Shimanos or Formulas.
whats the difference between the BAT's and the FR's?
whats the difference between the BAT's and the FR's?
Not a lot really. The BAT replaced the Louise and Louise FR basically. It's got a twiddly knob on it, looks a bit different and uses different pads.
IMO thr FR is more powerful though. But that doesn't mean the BAT is weak. Oh nooooo.
I've got martas on one bike and louise BATs on the other. Both awesome, reliable and pretty much maintenance free. Apart from the cost I can't understand why Maguras don't feature more often in the "What brakes?" threads.
I run Magura Marta on my Yeti 575 which I originally purchased in june 2008. They cam stock on a a Specialized Stumpy Pro and have had more than 1000 miles use since. Not once had a problem with them and have never had to bleed them. Still as strong as when I got them and stop me when I need to stop pretty quickly. Still in great condition and the only time I have spent money on them is to replace the pads.
Have Hope Mono M4's on my commuter and they are carp, TBH. The Hope have braided hoses, supposed to give you better stopping power, and are no where as strong as my Marta's which are running on standard plastic hoses. Buy Magura, you wont go wrong.
really a recommendation, since years I ride the louise fr on my bikes ....very reliable and powerful...
as marmoset said , its important to bed them in carefully ... than...just riding.... summer , winter, wet, dry...never had problems...
I have had louises on both my bikes and as stated above they have been totally reliable and always worked when required. One thing to make sure of is to ensure the pads are bedded in or else they can wear through in one ride!
+1 For Magura!
Got Magura on all my bikes. Louise Bat on my FS, Marta SL on XC HT and Louise FR on the work bike. All of them are excellent. I've had the FRs for 5 years and, other than a couple of pad changes, -actually not because I needed to, more because I thought I should... (both sets of "used pads" are still good to use).I've never had a problem with any of the brakes. The FRs are over 5 years old and are used almost everyday of the year. The Hope brakes I had before were good, but only because I knew how to fix and fettle them, which I had to do fairly often. Which reminds me of how loud they were. My Magura's are, (except in real downpours), always silent. 
The brakes are probably the best on the Market today, but Magura seem to be held back by a bad pat image and incompetent marketing guys. (Perhaps this is meant??), a German strategy perhaps to produce the worst adverts of any company, and to permanently stumble over bad press. Despite an apparently good service in the UK. 
Thanks for all your help lads....
Ordered a set of Magura Louise Bats with SL rotars!!!
Seemingly no one has a bad word to say against Magura quality...
09 BAT Carbons with SL wave rotors and some Marta Mags with formula lightweight rotors. The BATs are excellent, and great for adjusting on the move when it gets filthy. Very simple to bleed as well (the hoses are huge). Lots of modulation as well.
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