Magura mt5/mt7

Any users to share their experience?

I like brakes to engage early -> short lever throw.

Should I go for the mt7 that has bite point adjust or the mt5 has short lever throw?

Cheers!

Power, modulation, problems (fade, inconsistencies etc), ease of bleed process?

I am using MT2’s here.

Brilliant things – grest power, superb modulation, sound like a turkey when pushed hard, rotors clear crap and mud really we’ll. I much prefer to my old Shimano XT’s or rest of households new Deores.
They are not shot travel or grabby, like Shimano, so perhaps the bite point adjuster would be good.

There are a lot of good things about Maura brakes but short lever throw is not one of them in my experience.

I had some Maguras. They came on one of my bikes but the levers flex on them, which I hated. That’s a pretty major design flaw if you ask me!

They’re essentially made of plastic too.

What I don’t like about the magura’s that came with my bike is that the levers are too wide and flat, not as ergonomical as shimano’s, other than that, they’re fine.

Try the levers first, if you’re used to shimano you might not like them.

I’ve not ridden that latest but my MT8s were hateful things. Flexy levers, lacking power, spongy (seemingly very difficult to bleed). Pre-MT range I’d always heard good things about and maybe they’ve got better but much prefer Hope, Shimano, SRAM

i quite like my mt2`s

on par with my shimanos in every way. i need to change teh pads in the front though as i think they are less powerful than im use to (but then ive recently had a HUUUGE stack which may have affected them).

MT7’s are awesome. Yes they feel a bit different at first but you soon get used to them. Immense stopping power, which is needed at 14 stone

Lots of things to like about the MT5/7 but short lever throw isn’t one of them, also the lever isn’t the best shape/ design though i think they are changing this and offering a dedicated single finger lever.
MT5 front with an MT4 rear is still my favourite brake set-up though and would only consider swapping if someone wanted to hand me some Hope Tech 3.

I take quite some stopping, as gravity tends to like my formidable bulk. I got some Magura MT7’s, as I’ve always been a big fan of Magura kit.

They are stupendously powerful! There is absolutely no comparison with the XT’s I’ve got on the other bike. I reckon you could shove them on a car and they’d stop it!

And the best thing about Magura kit is that it’s absolutely bomb proof. I’d definitely recommend them!

The new HC levers are one finger like the shimanos aren’t they?

Do Magura still recommend you don’t use sintered pads?

Running sintered in my MT2’s with 203&180mm rotors and they are great. I do have massive coal shovel hands which suit the levers well.

magura does not recommend sintered pads for the mt5/mt7 because
sintered pads create far more heat and may damage the oil gaskets..

have the mt5 since spring and really like it..immense stopping power,
had some issues while using old used and too thin rotors but now with superstar floating discs 203mm its absolutely perfect…
hope and hayes or the standard magura storm rotors should be fine also..
after spending two weeks in the alps in summer I changed to the mt7 pads..stopping power is the same for me, but changing pads is easier..

since september magura offers new (better) levers, but I think only for the mt7 not for the mt5 ..but I´m not sure about this..

just had a look at the magura site…

lever blades for the mt5..

Lever Blade 2-Finger, 4-Finger (opt.) 2-Finger ball-end (opt.) 4-Finger ball-end (opt.)

whatever that means.. 🙂

magura does not recommend sintered pads for the mt5/mt7 because sintered pads create far more heat and may damage the oil gaskets..

I assume it’s the same for the single piston brakes too?

As Tom_W says, the HC levers are single finger but they’re a pretty expensive after market upgrade.

I have MT7s and my experience with them matches Binners. They’re the most powerful brakes I’ve used and my riding style changed when I realised how much later I could brake. Hope M4s on the other bike, and have ridden plenty with XT or Guides.

I’m bang on medium in most glove sizing and can set the standard levers up for single finger braking. They do flex though and it takes some getting used to. If you have weak or small hands, they probably won’t be much fun.

And to ask another question, how well do organic pads last vs. sintered in Pennine mud?

Always quite liked Magura, really liked the last set of MT4 I had, good firm braking feel.
Didn’t spec them on the new bike though as always had to plan ahead for brake pads. Never seemed to be available off the shelf, unlike Shimano that are stocked everywhere.

Pad supply is fine timber. I just ordered a job lot of brake pads from Superstar. Cheap as chips, and I really like their Kevlar jobbies.

As for the levers, they feel fine to me, but then I also have hands like a baboon 🙂

Mine are waiting for me in the shop, I’ll let you know how that work on the flattest landscape on earth…

The shop had the same problem that I have seen other mechanics have – they over-tightened [and/or cross-threaded] the hose after shortening and ruined the composite lever body. Now waiting for another lever :/

Finally have the bike back! I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂

Right – this is only a preview, I’ve still got only about 3 hours on them.

The MT5 is flippin’ excellent. Very powerful indeed [180mm front will lift you up with a single finger squeeze, not even a tug] and extremely smooth. I can now stoppie better than I ever have been able before and I’m woefully out of practice! The lever>caliper power delivery is very linear as far as I have tested. The brakes are not grabby, they just decelerate you as hard as you require. There is some flex, but it seems to me the system flex actually works with the design to prevent too much initial bite.

I have been able to position the levers how I wanted, though I run my brakes a little further out than some people [where 190% imgonnadieifidontstop force = levers parallel to bars]. I quite like the shape of the levers, they seem fine for one finger hook-end braking. I appreciate that there’s enough space for two fingers (but I think if you need two fingers you’re in the shit anyway).

They seem to make some noise when cold and wet, but dry off easily enough.

TL;DR – if you want to stop: you can. The limitation would be your lever control or front tyre traction. I also paid 109 Euro each [w/o rotor] so I think they’re a bit of a bargain.

I’ll let you know if they fall apart. I doubt it.

My MT2’s are now 4 months of winter use in a still rocking my stopping – really powerful and so much more modulation. Tyres are the stopping limit.
They gobble occasionally; sintered pads still on waiting for spring and organics to go back in.
They retract further than Shimano – I have not had a rubbing rotor since putting them on.

I had MT4s on my Canyon, and they were great in terms of performance. They both leaked from the reservoir though, which I got warrantied.

My biggest issue was spares though, I crashed them twice and the levers were fragile. Spare parts were so expensive it was cheaper to buy new brakes from Wiggle (a lever and a set of pads was in effect the same price as the whole thing from Wiggle, and I could sell the rotors) so I got frustrated and put XTs on (which I generally like).

I have seen eldest_oab crash his SLX twice – and twice we needed new lever and reservoir as it was cheaper. He still has one wonky lever as I won’t replace unless it is properly goosed.
I’ve now crashed a couple of times onto Magura levers – one wears a good scratch – and I am sure they will need the same reservoir and lever replacement.

which I got warrantied.

For five years as well.