Magura MT8 Disc Brake Review
"Good stopping power and design but the price is hard to justify. We’d look a little lower down the range"
Bikeradar Review Manufacturers description User reviews Wed 9 Nov 2011, 12:00 pm UTCBy Robin Weaver, Mountain Biking UK Shopping partners Buy Disc Brake SystemsBuy Disc Brake SystemsBuy Disc Brake SystemsMagura have really stepped things up with the release of their innovative MT (Mission Team) range of brakes. Top of the pile sits their new MT8 hydraulic disc brake, which costs just under £300 per end.
So what does all this cash get you? Well, most noticeable are the Carbotecture SL master cylinders and Carbolay levers blade. Magura’s new, exclusive Carboflow manufacturing process allows them to construct both the lever blade and slimline master cylinder using a high percentage of carbon fibres in a thermoplastic matrix.
The double arch, forged, one-piece calliper is neatly put together, with a banjo hose fitting that can easily be angled to fit any frame or fork without the need for bleeding and top loading brake pads. Weight-wise they’re on par with top offerings from Formula and Avid, but they"re the most expensive.
Pretty much every bolt in sight on the MT8s is a T25 Torx, which means setting them up is straightforward. This includes lever reach, because there"s no tool-free adjustment. Clamping the lever in place is a little fiddlier than usual and needs to be done gently, due to the small Torx T25 top-hats that thread into the bodies’ captive bolts.
The banjo hose fittings make getting the hose routed precisely where it needs to go a doddle and again, simply requires a T25 Torx key and a small tweak to get them adjusted. Magura claim this is a bleed-free process, but having tweaked our front banjo fitting a couple of times now, the brake is due a bleed. Bedding the MT8s in took no time at all and we were impressed with their power straight away.
We like the ergonomics of the lever design and the light action required to bring things to a stop. There’s no wooden, on-off feel either, and there’s plenty of modulation to help control the power. This less ‘solid’ feel takes time to get used to and gives more ‘squish’ to the lever should you really pull it in hard.
We used the 203mm Storm rotors, which have resisted heat build-up and provided plenty of power no matter what the weather. Our rear brake is suffering from a bit of squeal, but nothing major. We haven’t had any major spills but the Carbotecture SL masters haven’t been damaged in the