Saint/Zee vs. Magura MT7/MT5 : mini review

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/shimano-saint-m820-disc-brake/rp-prod82461

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/magura-mt7-disc-brake/rp-prod127991

These two links show almost twice the price for the Maguras. They sound great, maybe something to consider when in the market for new brakes. I find even XT brakes to have ample power and good modulation, and you can't beat the price

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/shimano-zee-m640-disc-brake/rp-prod82434

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/magura-mt5-disc-brake/rp-prod128018

If I was buying a set of brakes for another bike I would go MT5.

That said, I was willing to pay a premium for MT7 brake over the Saint. I don't buy anything from CRC, so for me the price difference is significantly closer between Saint and the MT7 and the MT7 is, in my opinion, easily worth the difference of say the two Jenson prices.

…

***edit: and if you're a buy-at-the-local-shop kind of guy I don't think you're going to have a hard time getting someone to match the Jenson prices?!

With the issues all the last gen Maguras had I'd hold off for at least a year or so before buying any of the new ones.

How about replacement parts? Readily available locally? I am asking as I don't know much about Magura… FWIW… I have Saint on my DH bike and Formula ROs on my trail bike and the Formula's also trump the Saints for overall power. But the Saints are still really good. Would be interested to try the Maguras though.

Drew, why do you need moose stopping power on your hardtail… I thought you were a lightweight? ;)

How about replacement parts? Readily available locally? I am asking as I don't know much about Magura…

Orange is the distributor and their reputation for small parts is good… All I've needed so far were fittings.

Like Shimano the masters are not rebuildable, so if you smash a lever it's a new Master Cylinder assembly.

I always buy an extra set of pads for whatever brakes I'm running, and rotors/adapters are standard (running Hope rotors + NSB adapters), so definitely no concerns there.

Like Hope you probably aren't going to find replacement parts sitting in a shop, but the support is great with a couple days notice.

On a road trip/in a pinch you could just swap the hose nut from the coarse Magura one to the fine thread Shimano one and plug in any Shimano non-Servo Wave brake lever.

Drew, why do you need moose stopping power on your hardtail… I thought you were a lightweight? ;)

I'm not two roadies riding on eachother's shoulders but I'm borderline yellow-spring in an coil Fox 40.

1) Can you have too much braking power?

2) 29'ers suck for stopping. MT7 on my 29'er with 180mm rotor and Magic Mary feels like a Saint+203+Mary on a 26" wheel. It really is like 26" braking power on a 29'er.

Well this is nice.

A few more notes:

Rotors
- The SL rotors are light but sing a bit more than the regular Storms, only when wet. For instant power, there isn't a discernible difference but the regular Storms are better for prolonged downhill runs, say, Garbo DH run or RDS.
- The Magura rotors are 2.0mm thick. This is critical for lever feel and if you use 1.8mm thick rotors (Shimano for example) the lever travel and feel will be different.

The MT5 would be my first choice given the value they offer.

The MT5 would be my first choice given the value they offer.

Have you tried both pad set-ups?

I believe the MT-5 comes with a pair of long pads (9.1) a la most four piston brakes.

I'm running the 8.1 pads (one pad per piston).

Just curious if there is a feel difference.

AM

bike discount has reasonable pricing on magura: http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/magura-mt5-storm-rear-wheel-is-180mm-disc-brake-245853/wg_id-274

the (single pot) mt-8's i was running were pretty solid for their ridiculous light weight (though the lever assemblies are a bit fragile; retired them because of the high rebuild cost); these 2-pot iterations do look interesting.

Have you tried both pad set-ups?

I believe the MT-5 comes with a pair of long pads (9.1) a la most four piston brakes.

I'm running the 8.1 pads (one pad per piston).

Just curious if there is a feel difference.

AM

I ran both and prefer the solid pad due to the extra material and contact surface and felt they last longer than the individual pads. I also have a thing about replacing parts: my OCD would kick in if say one individual pad was worn and need replacement but the others didn't: I'd replace all the pads anyways….

Hey Drew,

Can I have your Hopes?

Brake shoot-out at Enduro MTB magazine.. all the big players with a notable omission of the Formula RO and Hope V4s, and some (hopefully) scientific and real world results coming forth shortly. Magura MT5s and not MT7s being showcased in this but I would think they are similar enough to make the results reasonably applicable to both.

http://enduro-mtb.com/en/preview-issue-015-enduro-magazine-disc-brake-group-test/

Let's see what zee Germans thought of the Maguras?

I want these!

I find my saints are just barely enough power, but i thirst for more. (mind you im 220lbs of beef)

I have a fresh bleed, new pads, and icetech rotors. Maybe my apartment is greasy or something?

Drew: can you store your bike vertically, front wheel up, for a few days between each ride and then report back?

Thanks

I want these!

I find my saints are just barely enough power, but i thirst for more. (mind you im 220lbs of beef)

I have a fresh bleed, new pads, and icetech rotors. Maybe my apartment is greasy or something?

Maybe a proper bed-in procedure will help? I would make sure the rotors are de-greased and maybe lightly scuff them with some sandpaper prior to doing some hard stops… of course the pads may also have picked up some contaminants if they rotors weren't clean, so a light sand of the pads may also help.

Or, you may just need more power… BUT I am over 220 with gear and Saints work fine for me on my DH bike.

Drew: can you store your bike vertically, front wheel up, for a few days between each ride and then report back?

Thanks

That's the only way I store my bikes. Keeps the stanchion/bushing interfaces and seals well lubricated.

What am I reporting back about?