Had some Slate T4 on one of my bikes. They are OK except it seems the pads need bedding in at the beginning of each ride before they function properly. Given up on them so bought a set of new Magura MT5 for cheap. Before fitting them found out someone else on had the same problem with the Slate T4s which is caused by the pads that came with them. Fitted a set of race matrix and they have been fine. The set of Magura MT5 just stayed in their boxes.
I still thought the MT5 would be better than the Slate T4s, had some time last week so fitted them. The rears needed the hose shortening, the front hose was a little long but I just decided to leave it as is. Out on the 1st ride today. The rear was excellent, I love the modulation and they had plenty of power and they seemed consistent.
The front were a different story, on the 1st downhill, they pulled to the bars. Adjusted the reach and they started working. However, they are quite unpredictable, I seem to get a different amount of power every time which is awful.
Them pulling to the bars on 1st downhill suggest a bleed problem so I'm going to shorted the hose and give them a bleed to see if they improve.
There are loads of bad story about Magura around, are they really that bad? Am I better off just going back to the Slate T4s or should I go straight down the Shigura route?
I can return them but I would rather try sorting them out myself first.
I have Magura MT5, front and rear, on two different bikes.
Once bled they work very well. I've had difficulty bleeding them, no worse than any other brake I've owned, otherwise they just work. Once they're bled and working they never need attention.
Stick with it - they are worth it :o)
I gave up on a set of MT8s I had fitted to my Nukeproof Mega. They seemed to have a great bleed on them and worked for a run or two. Then you look at them funny and they decide to pull to the bar. Lovely when working but not confidence inspiring.
Could have been me and my bleeding ability. I suspect there's some trick I am missing in the bleed but did spend a load of time back then working through various YouTube guides etc.
It coincided with Hope's Tech4s being released so I swapped for them and haven't looked back.
I haven't touched a set of Magura brakes for years. Are they still entirely made from Lego grade plastic with hoses like McDonald's drinking strawers?
I will bleed them and see what they are like after. It not confidence inspiring that something I have shorten and bleed myself seem to work better than one that was factory bled.
Also, yes, the levers are still fully plastic. The calipers are metal and seems nice.
Hope would be nice, in fact, I would love to have a set of Dominion A4s like on my other bike, but budget is the problem here. I hope I don't end up doing a "buy cheap buy twice" or three times in my case.
Why.not.just stick with the trp's. I have them on all of my.bikes and they are great
Your funny sounds like it definitely needs a bleed.
My other half has some 2 pot Maguras on her bike and they're actually pretty impressive. I don't like the levers though.
I've got some a Shigura setup with SLX levers and MT5 calipers on a bike and they're bloody ace. Bags of power, no maintenance, and nice modulation. Get yourself some Shimano levers and do that. Or I'll just buy the Maguras from you for pennies if you want 😀
Your rear brake is faulty
I like my MT8s. Solid lever feel. Never varies (hello Shimano). Levers are nice, but plasticky build (theres a catch that snaps off when the levers rotate forward, which is annoying) and I do quite fancy a go at Shigura.
Child #2 runs Shimano 4 pots which are impressive and don't seem as bad as the old ones.
We've had multiple Mt4, Mt5 and Mt7 brakes. Over about a decade.
All of them superb, great feel, good power, They Just Work.
Bleeding - we have had a couple of bleeds we had to redo.
Parts are plentiful if a tad expensive at times.
My eldest is even swapping his Mt5 Pro set over onto his new bike, even though they have done 3 years of crazy riding levels in Alps and Queenstown.
Never used Maguras until some came on our cargo bike and they've been sound. Will stop a fully loaded bike reliably and consistently.
Mt trail have been 'fine', but the moment they give me any significant trouble I'm back to bb7. The only advantage o can see hydros offering is self adjustment, and that's a factor maybe once a year, if that.
I'm a fan. Shigura setup on the FS for 3 years (xt levers,mt5 calipers) and they're mint if bled up right.
I had MT trails on a HT a few years ago and loved them. Regretted selling them when I changed bikes.
Have MT5's on my RocketMax now and love them as well. Power is excellent, I'm 105kgs, and lever feel/modulation is nice. I like the plastic levers.
The MT5's were on a previous bike that I rode on some really steep stuff at 35 degree heat in Samoens and they never let me down.
Bleeding is a bit tricky on the rear but once you get a good bleed they work really nice.
I also have a set of TRP Slate T4's on my SolarisMax and I really like them as well!!...
I've two sets of MT trails (one with a Shimano rear caliper due to frame clearance issues). I really like them both. Nice controlled lever feel and loads of power. I'm not keen on the stock pad compound though. The performance (P) compound is much better. They are also light, with a 4 piston front the set on my xc bike is near XTR weight at significantly lower cost.
I had MT7s and couldn't stop them rubbing. Got worse and worse until eventually they were singing/screeching like fingers round a wine glass/nails on a chalkboard on one ride, so I sold them and got XTs
My lad has Magura MT Thrity on his big bike, absolutely loves them, saying that the poor child has been subjected to SRAM Level TL's on his XC race bike, so anything is going to be great compared that that pile of shite.
The Maguras have had some right hammer and are still as strong as when he got the bike at the start of the year.
I'm a fan. Shigura setup on the FS for 3 years (xt levers,mt5 calipers) and they're mint if bled up right.
"I have Magura brakes but I ditched the levers" is hardly a ringing endorsement for Magura, is it?
Most people seem to find them good, but the levers are poor and cheaply made. If they had better levers, they'd be better brakes, but probably more expensive and there are better options out there.
I have MT5 on a Tern GSD cargo bike. They have been fine. I guess it’s hard to compare cargo bike vs MTB use though. The Tern will be more mileage, time riding and often slowing a heavy load vs more frequent use/frantic braking and feathering on an MTB. The levers are OK if you are careful with the bleed screws! The callipers are continually caked in mud, grit and grime. They have done 15K milesish and are in the 4th front disk.
Worst brakes on the market just now, and that's against some stiff competition. Unreliable, unpredictable and not powerful.
No complaints here.
Big bike on a Shigura setup (MT5 + Zee) and medium bike on MT Trail Sport.
Both work way better than previous Zee/XT setups I've run.
Shiguras do seem to need a bit more TLC to keep sweet though. The MT Trail Sports have been pretty much fit and forget (other than a quick bleed every so often - I've also found bleeding Maguras to be less problematic than Shimano).
Have bought a second set of MT Trail Sports to use the levers from to replace the Zees on the Shigura bike - Magura 2 finger levers are woeful but I actually prefer the shape of the 1 finger ones to Shimano.
As mentioned by someone else, pad compound seems to be key - Maguras own 'OEM' pads are noisy and seem to get contaminated really easily. Have gone back to Uberbike Race Matrix after a brief dalliance with their E-bike specific compound (I don't own an Eeb).
Using the thicker Magura disks also seems to help, although I guess this could be placebo?
Unless I've been really lucky, the MT Trail Sports seem too good to be true from a price/performance PoV so far.
I tried them for a change of scene when I built my Piglet, after umpteen leaky sets of Deore. Got Maguras on all the adult bikes now. I guess I'm shigura curious, as I liked the Shimano levers, but unless I find some cheap Magura calipers for an as yet unstarted theoretical next build I'll be staying that way.
Apart from the constant rubbing, they were probably nicer feeling brakes than XTs - modulation, power-wise. But I couldn't be arsed to keep faffing with them. XTs are fit & forget.
My original MT7s on the HT have been flawless. 3 years of mostly winter riding and aside from a change of pads, nothing but great modulation, lots of power and very little rubbing. Agree on post above, seem better on the Magura P rotors.
My other two sets have been a bit more problem children. Both have the lovely Oak levers fitted. Had issues with softness on front and rear despite bleeding with the Epic Bleed solutions kit. They do seem inconsistent- fine after a bleed then some random pulling close to or back to the bar. Both sets were brand new MT7s. Also had some of the rubbing/whining issues with std Magura rotors and Shimano. Considering getting some P rotors to see if that improves things.
I prefer the feel to Shimano and I'm not even that bothered about the standard plastic lever. When they work, they're great but they can be annoying. I have a mate who really doesn't like them- but that's at least partially because his son destroys them on a regular basis.
I have a set of Shigura (MT5 & XTR) on my wee bike and they've been faultless is 3years - no bleeds required. MT7's on the big bike were faultless until the weekend there. I shortened the hoses slightly while fitting new Oak levers (lovely and a bit of a game changer) and they were pumping up terribly at Inners. I'd done a few rides before Inners with no issues but probably wasn't getting much heat into them. Thought a lever bleed might be required, didn't help...full bleed 3 times and the rear still isn't right. Managed to get the front feeling good last night after 2 attempts (pulling fluid from lever to caliper) so going to try that method with the rear tonight. I do wish the master cylinders were a bit more robust, nipping up the bleed screw gives me the fear.
MT5 and MT7 user here.
A rear MT5 became a bit spongy after about 3 years of use. I couldn't get a good bleed so took the lever apart and found that the piston had worn. Replaced the piston and all good again.
I've broken one lever in a crash that would have probably broken any lever.
Otherwise faultless.
MT5, no problem I even shortened the hose without needing a bleed. The only problem is they are so powerful they make your face hurt from all the grimacing ‘oooof’.
I crashed at Caersws on Saturday, rear lever clearly took a bash as it had been pushed round a fair bit, impact also moved the dropper lever down as well.
Straightened it up and all was good for the rest of the day.
So much for the cheapy plastic levers being weak!
My front mt5 caliper has started leaking ☹️
I've been trying to find some seals online but it's not looking promising for the caliper. Plenty for the levers but I'm running xt servo wave.
Anyone else tried to get a service kit and succeed?
I changed my mind. I bleed them properly before the weekend. I also took extra care with the caliper alignment. Now, they are nearly as good as my Dominion A4s. It's hard to describe, they have similar power and modulation, but the bite point just feels a little bit vague on the MT5 in comparison. I would say:
Dominion A4 - Great
Magura MT5 - Very good
Slate T4 - Average
Consider what I paid for them, even with the fiddling that I had to do to get them working. I'm not complaining anymore.