Let me know if you make the MT quick fit kit work. I could not get mine to seal, Jagwire offered no assistance besides sending me another one (which I politely rejected).
PSA - Magura MT-5 front and rear set - $126 USD
- Thread starter djjohnr
- Start date
front line too short, or just right?
Just fine for a dual crown. On a single crown you need to worry about pulling the hose out if the bars over-rotate causing the hose to run into the top tube.
front line too short, or just right?
Just installed mine, front line was definitely set up for a 26" wheeler, 70mm travel XC bike. It looked fine, until I actually had it routed, it's about 28" long.
Luckily I had a spare Louis, robbed the line and despite the slightly different banjo fittings, I think it'll work.
The single piece pads are a PITA to remove, and seem very soft, and the rear doesn't work with the older style Magura adapters for 180mm rotors.
We shall see how they perform this weekend...
Luckily I had a spare Louis, robbed the line and despite the slightly different banjo fittings, I think it'll work.
The single piece pads are a PITA to remove, and seem very soft, and the rear doesn't work with the older style Magura adapters for 180mm rotors.
We shall see how they perform this weekend...
I did find I had to triple the bed in procedure compared to Avids. However once bedded in the strength has been great.
the funny thing is that the rear is appropriate for like a tandem or something. I'm running a 26" GT Fury, with a wheelbase over 1200mm, and I still am going to have to cut the rear hose. The front is just long enough, on the other hand.
Yeah, first thing I noticed is how soft the pads were when I tried and separate them with a screwdriver...oops.
First ride today, and I love them so far. Typical Magura, don't work worth a shit until they got good and bedded in, so I dragged brakes on 800 vertical feet of fire road downhill, no fading as all where my XTR trails would have been hating life, after that they were flawless. Still need to fiddle with lever placement, they're exceedingly long, and my shifter and brake lever need to be swapped around, and get used to brakes that modulate again, but so far, I'm stoked, especially for $125
One note on these if you're running non-Magura rotors with them currently - swapping from 1.75mm Avid rotors to 2.0mm Magura rotors made a significant impact on shorting the lever throw to bite point.
How thick are the pads? Thicker than .125mm?
I get 3.41mm for the whole pad/bracket, 1.62mm for just the bracket. That's on month old pads.
Any summary from a year of riding time?
I was only able to get out on these a couple of times this year. Once with a bad bleed, and a second with a good setup. Just curious as to what other people thought.
I was only able to get out on these a couple of times this year. Once with a bad bleed, and a second with a good setup. Just curious as to what other people thought.
I love mine (seriously I want to marry them) - have em on 2 bikes. I have more control then I've had with any other brakes in terms of modulation combined with all-out power. Downside - bleeding them is messier than most brakes and the pads go quicker than anything else I've ever used.
Last edited:
Jagwire kit worked fine.
I replaced mine with Zee brakes after giving them a good whirl.
Problems I had:
Needed a good bleed q couple times, wasn't able to do a funnel quick air bleed like with Shimano.
Burnt through a set of brake pads in Whistler with no spares. Went to nearly every shop in Whistler and no one had any replacement pads for mt5 or mt7 calipers. Ended up going home a day early.
Didn't like the ergonomics.
They are going to be retired to my commuter bike or sold for 100$ locally. Still deciding their fate.
Problems I had:
Needed a good bleed q couple times, wasn't able to do a funnel quick air bleed like with Shimano.
Burnt through a set of brake pads in Whistler with no spares. Went to nearly every shop in Whistler and no one had any replacement pads for mt5 or mt7 calipers. Ended up going home a day early.
Didn't like the ergonomics.
They are going to be retired to my commuter bike or sold for 100$ locally. Still deciding their fate.
Yeah that's the one.Was that the kit with these flat banjos and metal/rubber o-rings?
Yeah, the lack of in-store availability sucks; I have 4 backup sets for this reason. The control I get from them makes it worth it. I like the ergonomics of the levers, but I always preferred the Juicy/Elixr levers which are similar, rather than the short Shimano/Guide design.
I don't mind the ergonomics, I don't love them either. The lever blade is rather square compared to shimanos, which are IMO perfect. The reach is OK with the MT5 lever.
I found power to be pretty good but not the best. Fade was extremely limited, which was appreciated compared to my formulas I had previously, but outright power was not as good as the saints I've had in the past. I have not ridden those in a long time, and I would argue that my speed has increased considerably, so I can't compare back to back. I do know that I began looking for metal based pads after my last day of riding.
I managed to bubble bleed my brakes in order to get rid of some sponginess which worked wonders. It was messy, but easy.
I do love the modulation, especially compared to shimanos. They are wonderful at manipulating overall power whenever you want it.
I don't have nearly enough time on them to make a sweeping judgement, thus the question. Just wanted to see how other people like them. I hate that everything is torx and coarsely threaded. I'm praying nothing strips.
I found power to be pretty good but not the best. Fade was extremely limited, which was appreciated compared to my formulas I had previously, but outright power was not as good as the saints I've had in the past. I have not ridden those in a long time, and I would argue that my speed has increased considerably, so I can't compare back to back. I do know that I began looking for metal based pads after my last day of riding.
I managed to bubble bleed my brakes in order to get rid of some sponginess which worked wonders. It was messy, but easy.
I do love the modulation, especially compared to shimanos. They are wonderful at manipulating overall power whenever you want it.
I don't have nearly enough time on them to make a sweeping judgement, thus the question. Just wanted to see how other people like them. I hate that everything is torx and coarsely threaded. I'm praying nothing strips.
If you prefer levers closer to Shimanos these may fit the bill - http://www.bikerumor.com/2016/10/17/ib16-maguras-danny-macaskill-designed-single-finger-brake-lever-upgrade-raceline-mt8/#more-140686
Mine have been pretty damn good, with a few minor issues. Burned through 2 sets of MT5 pads and working on my 1st set of MT7 pads at the moment.
First, and biggest issues are some of the little plastic pieces. I broke a lever clamp, and the plug for the MC. They're so delicate, really, would it have killed them to make the parts out of Aluminum? I replaced the lever clamp with an alloy one, but can't find alloy MC plugs.
Second, and this is only a complain in comparison to my older sets of Maguras which have never needed a bleed, ever. They do tend to need bleeding with every pad change, they're stupid simple to bleed, and that's more reliable than either my Sram or Shimano brakes have ever been, but still, I'm used to Maguras having a lifetime bleed.
The pistons are still sticky, it's a standard Magura thing since forever, rubbing alcohol to clean the calipers, and a dab of mineral oil around each piston keeps them running smooth and rub free for more of a set of pads.
Pad availability does suck, but I can't get Saint pads locally either. I've learned to always carry spare parts in the truck. Sure you'd generally expect to find pads at a resort, but when tubes are $20, no fucking way I'm rallying on the resort's store for brake pads.
On the trail they've been flawless, especially with the MT7 pads. Better modulation and lever feel than anything else I've ridden, and as long as you run the levers inboard of your shifter, they're just fine IMHO. Also, you have to run Magura Rotors, no clue what voodoo they put in the calipers, but they will not auto adjust to a thinner rotor, they should, because otherwise they'd never keep up with pad wear, but somehow, it just doesn't work.
First, and biggest issues are some of the little plastic pieces. I broke a lever clamp, and the plug for the MC. They're so delicate, really, would it have killed them to make the parts out of Aluminum? I replaced the lever clamp with an alloy one, but can't find alloy MC plugs.
Second, and this is only a complain in comparison to my older sets of Maguras which have never needed a bleed, ever. They do tend to need bleeding with every pad change, they're stupid simple to bleed, and that's more reliable than either my Sram or Shimano brakes have ever been, but still, I'm used to Maguras having a lifetime bleed.
The pistons are still sticky, it's a standard Magura thing since forever, rubbing alcohol to clean the calipers, and a dab of mineral oil around each piston keeps them running smooth and rub free for more of a set of pads.
Pad availability does suck, but I can't get Saint pads locally either. I've learned to always carry spare parts in the truck. Sure you'd generally expect to find pads at a resort, but when tubes are $20, no fucking way I'm rallying on the resort's store for brake pads.
On the trail they've been flawless, especially with the MT7 pads. Better modulation and lever feel than anything else I've ridden, and as long as you run the levers inboard of your shifter, they're just fine IMHO. Also, you have to run Magura Rotors, no clue what voodoo they put in the calipers, but they will not auto adjust to a thinner rotor, they should, because otherwise they'd never keep up with pad wear, but somehow, it just doesn't work.
Just get some shimano servo levers. One of my buddys runs his with saint levers and they are the s*it.
Yes. Unfortunately it does not solve one of the biggest issues with Magura brakes - the POS $$$ leaking hoses.
I haven't run into that; are your's cracking open?
They leak from the banjo/hose connection, oil then contaminates the pads and all hell breaks loose.
could that be solved with a shimano hose and magura banjo bolt?
Nope, different hole diameter. I've tried.
Did you try some aftermarket hoses, like Jagwire or something similar?
The only aftermarket kit for MTs is the Jagwire one and I just could not make it work. Must be my clumsy hands.
Did you also try to change for another magura hose. your's could be faulty?
Contaminate it nao.They leak from the banjo/hose connection, oil then contaminates the pads and all hell breaks loose.
Have you tried facing the caliper where the banjo fitting rests? I'd be inclined to assume any leaky banjo fitting is due to either a shit sealing washer, or poor interface.
Don't they have a "5 year leakproof warranty"?
I suppose that's no use if they keep sending you leaky ones though.