Disc Brakes – Magura Marta Sl’s – thoughts? Anything Else

Looking to get some new brakes for my 5Spot. Just wondering what the forum thought of Magura Marta SL’s. I haven’t read much about them but they look pretty good. Anyone got them? Any bad points?

Cheers

Chris

Love mine.

can squeak a bit in the rain.

not the most powerful (I use 160mm rotors) but lovely modulation.

Any problems with bleeding them or getting spares?

Got a 2007 pair on my 6 inch travel bike and a 2008 pair on my xc bike, both set up with 203mm rotors front, 185mm rear. Best brakes I’ve ever owned, superb power, great modulation and the Magura pads seem to last forever!

I’ve just changed forks on my 6 inch travel bike and gone from IS to post mount and the front brake has started to squeal alot but I think I’ll just have to fiddle around with the caliper postioning slightly… More powerful than my old Saints and LOADS lighter!

never had to bleed them in 4 years so I don’t know. Spares are available but relatively expensive – they’re not a cheap brake to start with though.

I’m a big fan of the Margura Louise brakes – a bit more hardcore performance wise compared to the Marta.

I picked a pair of the Carbon version along with the venti disks from Wiggle for a steal at about £170 !!!

Never had to bleed either pair. Before that I was running Julies and I could bleed those without using a bleed kit – very easy !

I had magura martas and liked them but after a year or two of use had trouble with seals in the levers letting in air. I switched to xtr and have had no problems since.

I have martas 2005 and louise 2008. The louise’s are better at braking (if that makes sense) more modulation, more power. However they weigh almost double. I run both with braided hoses, it makes a big difference. Both pads last very well compared to other brands and although I’ve had to bleed them occasionally I don’t find it a hassle if you have syringes both ends. I bought an extra marta top cap, drilled it and made it into my bleeding port like the new Magura brakes. Works a treat. You must be very thorough with the bleed, sometimes I’ve needed to go back and forth about 20 times to stop the bubbles coming out. Patience required! Once bled they don’t need done every 5 mins like the hope minis I had before.

would defo recommend them.

downsides……the newer wavy rotors don’t clear crap as well as drilled rotors, so if you ride in muddy slop get different rotors as in these conditions they wear the pads quickly. I recently switched from the old style drilled to wavy and will swap back for muddy 24hr races etc….. Drilled are heavier though!

I’ve had some for three years now, they’ve been excellent. Nice and powerful for the rotor size, far more consistent than the Hope Minis I had before them. Spares are not cheap, and not widely available, but Magura’s service department direct are excellent. Other than consumables like pads and eventually rotors, parts shouldn’t be a problem though, beacause they come with a five year no leak warranty.
They don’t need regular bleeding, but if you do have to then the new style reservoir cover makes bleeding much easier.

I have 2 sets, they’re wonderful. Very stoppy and very light. As r6ymy says, the service department is superb, Tony is a jedi. If you do want to bleed them yourself, I recommend their bleed kit, it makes it a complete doddle even for the mechanically-declined like me.

Before that I was running Julies and I could bleed those without using a bleed kit – very easy !

Any pointers as to how you do that? I’ve just got a set.

Tested in the latest issue of the Singletrack magazine….and they are very good.