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I'll be honest now, I kinda wrote Magura off years ago... Prejudices against how unreliable the HS33's were, then my mate had some early Louise brakes that were potent but a royal PITA to look after, then FFWD a few years and I worked on a couple of slightly newer brakes of theirs that were a faff to bleed. I just haven't paid any attention really!
A mate just built his new bike up with MT7's, I had a brief go, they feel superb! Go home, read up on them, sure enough, they're bloody expensive... But wait, what's this...? The Trail Sport...
And the price is not only not bonkers, they look almost too cheap if anything! They also do something which you only get with other brands by mixing and matching, by pairing a less powerful 2 pot rear with a 4 pot front, giving me the unbalanced brakes that I crave (I always run smaller rear rotors than front, and often fit inferior pads in a rear brake to achieve this mismatched feel anyway, as I like a rear brake that I can almost pull to the bar without locking it up yet a front brake that I can dial the angle of stoppie in with just one finger!)...
So where's the catch...? Have spent most of the last few years on SRAM Guides, and most of the decade before that on Shimano's of some sort. The reviews of the Magura Trail Sports seem to reckon they're about the best performance per £ brakeset on the market right now, but that they're reliable and also have stacks of modulation too... They're not even heavy, and the super expensive SL version that is 2.5x the price is only marginally lighter and barely any more powerful!
User experiences welcome...
I've a set, early days but seem nice. Bled them (quickly) on Saturday and although the lever did go to the bar on the front spoke to a Magura Proshop today and they gave me some tips, so still pretty confident that it's my fault.
Usually pretty cheap from the German sites, sure I saw one doing a bundle with rotors. I bought brakes sh and then rotors and a bleed kit (the hoses are loooong) and probably should have just have bought it all from a shop in hindsight!
Saying that the Deore 4 pot would probably be a strong rival and they were around £50 an end from Germany when I looked last..
I've got some on my Solaris, they're great. If I hadn't got a set of Hope V4's from a mate very cheap, I would have bought some big Maguras for my Meta AM.
Took 2 or 3 goes to get a decent bleed, but no worse than any others really and I reckon i've got it dialled now.
They look great as well, IMO!
On the bleed front, have heard they're a little more tricky than some, but also that the trick is to remove the caliper from the frame/fork and have it above the lever for a good bleed.
Had considered XT 4 pots, but really don't want to go back to Shimano for a few reasons. I'd go Hope, but find (exactly as Enduro mag reported) that they just don't have enough bite. I've found SRAM's Guide RS/RSC/Ultimates a perfect combination of bite and modulation, but the R's a bit wanting because of the cheaper non swing link lever. Ideally I'd still like a more powerful front and less powerful rear though, I have investigated butchering a pair of Guide Ultimates and Level TL's to give me Ultimate levers on my full sus with Guide 4 pot front caliper and Level TL rear with 200/180 rotors, and Level TL levers on my Hardtail with Guide 4 pot front and Level TL rear again but with 180/160 rotors... Seems a lot of hassle though especially when the Magura Trail Sport setup seems to offer so much for relatively little outlay!
They even look a lot more expensive than they are... Which whilst not the be all and end all, does matter! The snob in me won't allow Deore's on my new £6k+ build for sure.
As soon as I can be bothered I'll be offloading all my remaining Shimano brakes for a set. Have the cheaper model on commute bike and really like them.
Do these brakes have the plastic grub screws in the levers?
No point in having a lightweight brake if just after you've bled them, you ever so slightly over tighten the bolt and feel it go loose because the plastic threads have vaporised.
No that I've ever done that.
Had a set since April and I'm extremely impressed, considering the cost. I have taken them to Morocco and Norway and they haven't missed a beat. Total confidence in their stopping power, but it's the modulation that got to me - I've never had the sensation of being able to control grip so effectively on loose and steep surfaces. Also magnetic pad retention is a dream!
Andrew Major has written a few bits about them on NSMB, including some tips on getting a good bleed, so probably worth a read. Took me a couple of goes but once figured lever feel is solid and consistent.
The only perceived downside could be the construction. They are quite plastcky, although not necessarily cheap feeling. Some mechanical sympathy is required and I would recommend a T25 tipped screwdriver for working on the lever clamps and bleed ports, rather than a wrench. Part of me does daydream about a Hope E4/X2 combo at some point due to their construction and parts availabilty/rebuildabilty, but I know deep down in terms of power and feel these Maguras are better than any set of Hopes that I've had, including sets bled and setup by Hope at races.
Phew, sorry for the essay!
Fitted 2 sets of these onto both bikes. Great feel, consistent power, easy to setup and bleed. Just need to bed in stock pads properly to get the most out of them.
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I have two sets and love them.
Magnetic pads n pistons 💓
I have looking at the trail sports and thinking its too good to be true! Slightly put off by the the plasticness and in particular with the bleed screw. Having said that once bled correctly how often do you need to tinker with the bleed?
Currently on XT M8000 and looking for a break from the Shimano variable on/off. M9100 two pot brakes on the radar but why spend all that cash if it still has the long running Shimano. Not many user reviews about yet.
For the trail sports thinking of 160 disks front and back, taking advantage of the 4 pot power on the front, and getting a overall weight saving.