Review: Magura's Lightweight MT8 SL Brakes
German brand Magura has been in the brake business for quite some time - over a hundred years on the motorsports side - and while they may not hold the same chunk of OEM sales that the red and blue "S" brands share, they're certainly a force to be reckoned with.
I was beyond pleased riding their MT7 brakes that I reviewed last year, and while the MT7 is designed for the enduro-trail-dh category, the MT8 SL brakes reviewed here tip the scale the other way for the XC crowd with a lightweight two-piston design, carbon lever, and race-ready chassis.
I was beyond pleased riding their MT7 brakes that I reviewed last year, and while the MT7 is designed for the enduro-trail-dh category, the MT8 SL brakes reviewed here tip the scale the other way for the XC crowd with a lightweight two-piston design, carbon lever, and race-ready chassis.
MT8 SL Details
• Intended use: XC / Marathon
• 2-piston calipers
• Mineral oil system
• Interchangeable levers
• Carbon fiber lever assembly
• Weight: 195g as tested (w/o rotors, adapters)
• MSRP: $289 USD
• www.magura.com
• Intended use: XC / Marathon
• 2-piston calipers
• Mineral oil system
• Interchangeable levers
• Carbon fiber lever assembly
• Weight: 195g as tested (w/o rotors, adapters)
• MSRP: $289 USD
• www.magura.com
The MT8 SL features levers with an adjustable sweep that are also interchangeable - Magura offers several different options, allowing riders to pick the shape and material they prefer. Colors can also be customized on both the lever/master cylinder assembly, clamp, and on the caliper using different covers, clamps, and rings available from Magura.
As a top-of-the-line product, the MT8 SL isn't cheap at $289 USD a pop for the brake assembly alone. Rotors and adapters are sold separately, so add on $80-$100 or so more to complete the package. Rotors are $37 each for the recommended HC rotor or the nicer SL is $45. Adapters are $13, so you're looking at $700 or so to get your bike up and stopping.
Out of the box, the lever and caliper assembly, along with a full-length line weighs 195g. That's comfortably over 100g less than SRAM's top tier Level Ultimate brakes that weigh a claimed 318g.
The entire brake system is produced in Magura's factory in Germany under stringent quality controls - the entire building is sealed and pressurized to prevent dust or dirt from getting in and contaminating the products. On top of that, Magura offers a five-year leak-proof guarantee for all of their brake systems.
The MT8 SL lever. Levers can be interchanged to modify the feel and performance of the brakes.
The brakes utilize two resin pads in the caliper to slow things down. Magura have three different options for pad compounds available.
Details and Installation
The MT8 SL sports a composite master cylinder made out of Magura's "Carbotexture SL" material. The lever is their 1-finger HC carbon lever blade. and the bolts holding the lever assembly to the handlebar use a very open pitch thread and lower torque than most other handlebar clamps and the levers are made to rotate in the event of a crash rather than snap off. Levers can be run on either the left or right side; a simple twist of the pin that holds the lever to the master cylinder allows it to release and be transferred to the other side for a uniform look.
On the other end of the line, there's a two-piston caliper. Unlike some other brands' calipers, the MT8 SL, like other Magura calipers, is machined out of one piece rather than two sides joined together. Magura claim this makes it more powerful, stiffer, and more stable than a two-piece design. There are three different pad options from Magura, that all use a resin composition.
Magura ship all of their brakes with a full-length hose so you're going to be cutting down the brake lines no matter what, but anyone with basic mechanic and direction following skills should have no issues. If you're careful, might not even need to bleed the system, but a full bleed is a quick and painless process.
Magura uses their own "Royal Blood" mineral oil. The bleed screw on the master cylinder pushes into place and very little torque is required to hold it where it needs to be. Keep this in mind before you over-torque it and strip it out if you're working on your own bike.
There are three different options for pads, offering varying levels of friction. The stock pads are the 7.P Performance pads, which are "for long tours; these pads offer safety together with excellent performance in all situations." The 7.C Comfort pads are "for riders who want control rather than bite from their brakes as well as those looking for a long-lasting product" and the 7.R Race pads are "for all those who bring their material to the limits during cross country or downhill and require outstanding braking performance," according to Magura.
Performance
Having used the MT7's for well over a year on various bikes, the MT8's were a simple set-up and easy to get out of the box, onto the bike, and out on the trail. On the bike I have been using the brakes on, I previously been using SRAM's Level Ultimates, so it was a great back-to-back comparison of two top-of-the-line XC stoppers.
The MT8 SL's have a very lightweight feel to them. The carbon lever is incredibly comfortable and the ergonomics suited me well. The lever blade is wider than the Level lever and is also a bit longer, due in part to the design differences in the master cylinders.
The stopping power that the MT8 SL brakes provides is very good after the initial break-in period. It's the modulation that makes them really stand out - it's better than any other brake that I've ridden. The stock HC-1 carbon levers were a little on the soft side for my liking, but they still provide ample power to go along with all of that modulation. Swapping levers can definitely change the way things feel, and the shorter levers have a little firmer bite.
With the MT8 SL's, as with other Magura brakes, you can swap out pads to change how much they grab. While the stock pads are good and offer a great amount of modulation, I found myself wanting a bit more power, so I opted for the 7.R race pads which gave a great deal more stopping power. Swapping to a 180mm rotor up front (up from a 160) also generated a bit more of the grab I was after
Long descents left the brakes unfazed, and I never had an issue with pump-up or fade. The brakes were every bit as consistent at the start of a long ride as they were at the end.
Overall, the MT8 SL is one of the best feeling XC brakes available, but I found that it took a bit of tinkering and messing around with different levers and pads to get the to that level. The brakes offer quite a bit more modulation than SRAM or Shimano's XC options, but in their stock configuration they don't offer as much power right out of the box. Price-wise, the MT8 SL's are no doubt far more expensive than their counterparts.
Pros
+ Ultra-lightweight and customizable
+ 5-year warranty
+ Fantastic modulation
Cons
- Achieving the ideal set up can take some experimentation with different lever/pad combos
- Underpowered compared to competitors right out of the box
Pinkbike's Take
 | Magura's MT8 SL brakes are one of the lightest high-end XC options available. Set up is easy and the brakes perform flawlessly with copious amounts of modulation, although they don't have quite as much raw power as I would have liked. The good news is that there are multiple ways to customize them, which means that for someone who is patient and wants their brakes to feel a very certain way, the MT8 SL is not going to let them down. For riders who are less inclined to tinker and experiment, it may be better to stick to something more basic. |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
epicbleedsolutions.com/blogs/guides/how-to-bleed-magura-disc-brakes
The levers and master cylinder also break a lot more easily in crashes as far as I could tell, and while that's not something that happens too often, I still think that carbotexture stuff isn't the best idea on an enduro/DH brake.
Hopes are heavy but very reliable and consistent so far.
My one gripe is the tiny amount of space between the pads requiring extremely precise alignment and very true rotors to avoid rubbing. I like tinkering though so I don't mind the challenge.
#triggered
I’ve had several crashes, and the lever assembly pivots out of the way with no damage.
I’d strongly recommend the trail sport to anyone not needing a full DH brake. Cheap, reliable, w/ great modulation and ergonomics. And still lighter than most other brands top-tier products...
Experiences vary, but mine have been great.
Unlike Shimano's spring though, the magnetic system doesn't have built-in toe-in to try and help with any squeeking. I haven't confirmed, but maybe the designers (they are German afterall) designed a bit of toe-in into the pistons themselves???
I have MT5 and just love them. Powerfull and easy to maintain. Love to hear that frrrrrrr sound just before they bite.
put simply they felt underwhelming compared to my shimano. normally i prefer durabilty to function. but sometimes the gap is too great. so shimano won the battle here.
the bite point is pretty much the same as this but more specific to the caliper itself and basically covers how far the caliper piston has to move to bite on to the disc.
with most brands you can adjust this bite point and affect the lever throw quite considerably with a turn of a knob or screw. shimano has a knob but that's for lever reach (which has zero effect on the caliper it just moves the lever nearer or further away from the handlebar)
shimano's bit point adjustment does what it says on the tin, (the tiny wee cross head screw on the lever body) having had several of their brakes dismantled i can assure you it affects the bite point directly, but its so minute as to be unnoticeable to most people hands.
anyway....wandering bite point ......shimano from the bottom to the top suffer from this. if you live in humid and variable climate......with grimy conditions . you will get wandering bite point not just within a weeks conditions, but even on a single ride conditions .
affectionately known in scotland as the "shimano double brake technique" whereby you have to pre brake quickly (but not enough to engage bite) 1 second earlier than normal for a corner, then release the brake and then brake properly....... failure to do this results in being utterly underbraked for said corner and spending the next 10 mins picking Gorse thorns out your body. its quite amusing until you realised you spent £300 on a set of brakes that needs pre-pumped before they work.
good tip on shimano bleeds - i got this from the shimano techs whilst having issues racing the EWS last year
if you are doing a full bleed or a "top up and bubble" removal fix. do it with the bite point screw wound fully out. once you are happy with the bleed. and all is done. wind that screw back in fully. it pushes the master lever piston in a fraction and closes the system up more, leaving a pretty solid and reliable bite point
5 mins and done quite well. No matter how many mechanics and me did whatever, the wandering bite point reemerges sooner or later, but even if my bleed is not perfect as a bleed, some air may stay in, wandering point seems to take more time to come back. Stupid I know. But that’s my anecdotal experience with flushing the system all out. Shimanos are after all quite tolerant to air inside. My codes though...
What's the trouble you've had, I can't really imagine?
youtu.be/piWBVDh1pTE
Found this little trick useful. A better top bleed than Shimano can be achieved done by drilling a hole into the top third of a syringe and pulling bubbles up: youtu.be/AljHARI65sI
I'm already saving to buy a pair of mt7s for my dh bike
I want a pair of brakes i like when i'm racing and the code r's i have just don't feel good and aren't super strong
My maguras use mineral oil and they bite more consistently than my sram brakes
The reservoir on the shimano saints is smaller than on sram guides!
(Remember this is supposed to be their high end dh brake and the srams guides are made for trail/enduro riding)
btw i said smaller than guides but the reservoir might be smaller than sram level
But lowerish power, and price are turnoffs for me. For that kind of money, i'll take my guide r's over them any day (4 pistons, matched 180mm rotors front and rear, carbon levers, dot 5.1, ect. ect.).
Now that sram has there new bleeding system out, win-win for me.
What really catches my eye on these, is lovely looking lever system, weight, and quality.
But that still makes it a really hard sell... Once one goes down the road of overpowered 4 piston brakes, there's no going back.
These are a fine option stacked against the levels, but once you move up the the guides, these are left in the dust, especially considering price vs performance.
Ya, these vs guides aren't a fair comparison; MT7's look, and sound epic.
Where i'm coming from, my Guides are my first "real" hydraulic disk brake. And compared to what i had before (cable disks, and shimano mt200's), the guides are walk away, different league of braking performance.
I did look at the mt5's when i was upgrading, decided to go with the guides (new bleed system and killer second hand price).
MT7's are on my future list... 4 pad/4 piston is eye-opening, especially for what i ride. But thinking about it, a bit overkill for what i ride. The sram's are more then enough for me, i ride techy xc/trail (what the mt8's are aimed at).
Magura is hands down, lovelier system then sram or shimano. The upgradability/customizability of these are kind of astonishing, something i haven't seen before...
Wonder how they stack up against xt's or xtr's?.
Something else to think about
I guess it's kinda like comparing the new deore to slx. Ya, slx may be a little fancier, lighter, more tech, but from what i'm hearing, nowhere as good as i first thought...
I'll do the smart thing, and stick with my good ole 10 speed... And it still comes with great tech, IMO, the "basic" shadow plus+ clutch is the best in the biz, miles down better comparing to my bro's nx 11 speed.
Do they make a carbon lever upgrade for the 5's?
I totally love the levers on the guides, finger feel is so nice (bare hands or gloved).
That hit's on another point, that i really like about my brakes... Bite point is constantly consistent, and modulation is on point, each and every time i pull the levers. And they don't rattle the least bit, which is another win in my book
I'm going to run them till they die, then take a look at the 5's.
Thanks for the tidbits man, you have a new follower.
I love a good brake argument but having tried most, the Hope V4 are top quality, easy to set up and on the same level as code in stopping power with similar modulation.
I'd happily use either V4 or Code on my bike but the thing is, I actually ride
Admit it, you're an armchair athlete and you dig being a dick.
#fanboy
So Hope fanbois, who wants to buy a barely used X2 for 100£? I need some power so I’ll use a mechanical Avid brake as an upgrade!
Lever shape is subjective, to each their own but I'm surprised by the negativity around these brakes. I switched to the sintered pads right away, bedded them properly, run 203 front and rear and they are everything I could ask for from a brake. I don't get arm pump, the bite point stays where I set it, the the lever pull is light.
Again, to each their own but they sure work for me.
Also, I'm not dizzy and I don't know what the f*ck a "bruv" is.
I like my MT7s. I didn't dislike my E3s but I do like the MT7 more. I would love to have Trickstuffs and probably will within 18 months because i have acute upgrade-itis.
I've cured it by running out of money.
Cheers
@WAKIdesigns
youtu.be/kem5Rk863WA
Currently running MT7/MT4 on my Canyon Strive Enduro bike with 200 Rotors
and
MT7/MT8 on my Spark Downcountry build with 180 rotors
The biggest thing I can say is get your pads right, and your lever-blades right and they will give really excellent performance.
PB never happy, magura is the only company to cover every finger scenario known to humans and people still complain.
Unforunately I continually had problems with too much brake drag. I even popped the pistons out and cleaned them which helped for one ride before they became draggy again. So I moved them to my DH bike, and every time I get on my DH Bike I'm reminded how awesome they are. I don't know why I seem to have so much drag problems and others dont' complain about it. I"m talking somewhat significant drag too, something I couldn't live with on a bike that sees a lot of long days of climbing. I don't know how to quantify it but when you spin the back wheel and it slows down way too quick, vs for example my shimano brakes where it will almost spin backwards from the weight of the valve core as it stops (beacuse there is plenty of caliper clearance).
I have the XTR 4 pots and they are okay but not as powerful and sooner to start honking when hot - gonna try Hayes Dominion A4 next.
Riding the shore, I tried to get away with 180mm front and rear, but it wasn't quite enough. 200/203mm was needed up front. Modulation is great, but occasionally I wish for more power on tap. Yes, I tried the race pads...
one complaint is that parts/pads aren’t easily available. Just bought rear pads for $60. That’s a lot! I’m trying kook stop and Nukeproof cheap pads next. We will see!
dr ew wake . j t btech at 9 M A 1 L . c0 m
These brakes, when properly positioned and equipped with metallic pads, work like a razor. I would recommend!