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I get that there's meant to be some difference in the function... but when trying to adjust the free stroke I could see the levers move outward and then the brakes felt as they would with the reach unwound a little.
Am I missing something?
Is the free stroke the amount of lever movement before the pads engage?
What is this mysterious decoy screw on my master cylinders!?
the free stroke pushes the master cylinder in (via a hinged plastic cover on the 770 series), slightly pushing the brakes "on", closing the gap between the pistons/pads and rotor.
This will pull the lever back with it slightly, as the lever is (obviously) attached to the cylinder.
the lever reach does just that, and has a far greater range of movement, but alters the position of the blade only without affecting the master cylinder.
the free stroke is as you say the amount the lever moves before the pads bite and lever reach is how far away the lever is from the bar. If its the new XT brakes you have the lever reach is the plastic knob on one end of the lever and the free stroke is the screw with free stroke written next to it with a symbol like you get when putting the volume up on the TV