Magura MT7 brakes - The good the bad and the ugly

[leocompositing]

Hi there,

After spending some good amount of money trying to get my SRAM codes to work and failing it’s time to move on !

I’m about to pull the trigger on a set of Magura MT7 brakes with MDR-P 220mm rotors front/back ...

I’m planning to install the brakes myself, and possibly shorten the cables and bleed again. Has anyone here done this? Is it possible for a home mechanic who’s bled some sram brakes to do the same on the Maguras? I hear it’s a pain in the arse! Also are there any issues using a 220m rotor in the rear? What are people using to clamp their dropper post? Does the HC3 lever works? Is it similar to the contact pad adjustment on the RSC Brakes? Thanks in advance

 

[MrSimmo]

Which bike? Reason I ask is the cable pull effort varies massively depending on the frame design. ?

 

[Gary]

They're slightly trickier than sram. So if you struggled to get codes working I'd get a shop to fit the maguras for you.

 

[Gary]

Which bike? Reason I ask is the cable pull effort varies massively depending on the frame design. ?

No it doesn't

 

[stiv674]

Epic Bleed Solutions do kits for most brakes, including instructions etc. Might be worth a look.

 

[leocompositing]

They're slightly trickier than sram. So if you struggled to get codes working I'd get a shop to fit the maguras for you.

Ok thanks. I had a dud calliper from factory with the seals gone so couldn’t really get a good bleed. I’ve done good bleeds before. What’s so tricky about the maguras?

 

[leocompositing]

Which bike? Reason I ask is the cable pull effort varies massively depending on the frame design. ?

YT Decoy. I think it’s not going to be a big deal to route the cable

 

[Gary]

Ok thanks. I had a dud calliper from factory with the seals gone so couldn’t really get a good bleed. I’ve done good bleeds before. What’s so tricky about the maguras?

They're basically just a poor design with poorly designed bleed ports. If you can bleed any other brake successfully you should be fine. Just make sure you have magura bleed port adapters

 

[MrSimmo]

YT Decoy. I think it’s not going to be a big deal to route the cable

Cool, should be relatively easy ?

 

[Rosemount]

Watch out for the crappy plastic screws they use on the lever bleed ports .

 

[Neeko]

I just fitted some MT7 Pro's to my Levo and ditched the Code R brakes. Couple of things to note before you pull the trigger.

• Buy the correct mount adapters as there are quite a few to choose from
• Get yourself the Magura matchmakers if you're running SRAM shifting. I've heard there are others out there for cheaper but I just went all out. Something to note, you sadly lose the tilt adjustment.
• They're noisy, due to their strict tolerances the pads sit very close to the rotor. Sometimes you can hear a "ting" as the rotor flexes with the wheel.
• Follow the youtube videos for bleeding. I found them super simple to install using a professional brake line cutter and needle driver to push the barb into the brake line. Just get ready for a bit of a mess as others have mentioned their bleeding isn't like SRAM or Shimano.
• Don't cut brake lines until everything is mounted correctly on the bike, the line will be longer on the MT7's.

So far I'm absolutely blown away with how powerful they are. If you can deal with a little bit more noise I highly recommend them.

 

[VWsurfbum]

Bleeding MT5/7's is identical to bleeding Shimano's so if you're used to doing SRAM brakes then these are a doddle.
Plus they look pimp.
Neeko, what noise are you getting? I've been running various Magura's for the past 3 years and ever had noisy brakes? (genuinely interested)

 

[Neeko]

Bleeding MT5/7's is identical to bleeding Shimano's so if you're used to doing SRAM brakes then these are a doddle.
Plus they look pimp.
Neeko, what noise are you getting? I've been running various Magura's for the past 3 years and ever had noisy brakes? (genuinely interested)

Have you ever rubbed a damp finger over the rim of a wine glass? ?
On my ride home recently at 30kmh I was getting this resonating squeal happening that wouldn't go away unless I pulled the brakes on. Might try a different pad, not sure if it comes with scintered or organic.

 

[N9VNS]

Looking to get some for my whyte E160rs, the sram code R’s are awful!

Where did you get yours from?

 

[Shinn]

Bleeding MT5/7's is identical to bleeding Shimano's so if you're used to doing SRAM brakes then these are a doddle.
Plus they look pimp.
Neeko, what noise are you getting? I've been running various Magura's for the past 3 years and ever had noisy brakes? (genuinely interested)

View attachment 49785

I used to get something at least similar on my Haibike that had TRP's Only had it at higher speeds on the road, it did get worse if I started swerving. It did go away over time but I never did figure out exactly what it was. Everything was tight and centered...

 

[Johneracer]

I spent a good amount of time messing with my mt7. They are amazing brakes. I crashed my bike many times and levers are fine, I was worried about the plastic master cylinder but no issues there. The initial install was fine, just follow instructions. I had a leak in the rear hose and eventually that caused the fluid to leak out and empty the master cylinder. That bleeding took several times to complete. Every ride I was loosing rear brake as more air moved to the top of the master cylinder. Eventually it went away. There is a good video on quick bleed procedure where you bleed the master cylinder only and I did that several times until all of the air was removed. The good thing is tools needed are minimal and it’s very quick.

 

[Johneracer]

center the calipers carefully and there will be no noise coming from the pads. I did upgrade to hc3 levers and love them. One finger stopping power that could stop a locomotive. No issues with fade, no overheating. Tons of modulation as others have mentioned, very similar to motorcycle brakes. i Am now running jag wire pads having worn out stock pads. I also run magura discs 220 front and 200 back. I do not recommend 220 in the back as that will be too much and you are constantly locking up the rear. Even with 200 in the back I’m locking up the rear easier than I would like but this will be something I get used to.

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

Why does everyone hate the Code R's? I used them on a DH bike once (actually the bike in my profile picture, Mondraker Summum) and had no issues at all, great stopping power and I was happy with them in general. Genuinely interested.

 

[KeithR]

Why does everyone hate the Code R's? I used them on a DH bike once (actually the bike in my profile picture, Mondraker Summum) and had no issues at all, great stopping power and I was happy with them in general. Genuinely interested.

Quite agree. Properly set up (I've actually for REs on my SL, and they're great) they've been as good as Shimano XT and Maguras for me - particularly where modulation is concerned.

I get that people might prefer the characteristics of other brakes, but that doesn't make the Codes "awful" - just different.

 

[VWsurfbum]

I think my experiance with them has been that they need constant adjustment and they can be really good one day and pony the next. then there's the noise when they get wet. Squeeeeeel piggy.

 

[VWsurfbum]

Have you ever rubbed a damp finger over the rim of a wine glass? ?
On my ride home recently at 30kmh I was getting this resonating squeal happening that wouldn't go away unless I pulled the brakes on. Might try a different pad, not sure if it comes with scintered or organic.

Sounds like they are rubbing? What i did notice on my Heckler over my other bikes was that the washers under the calipers had to be the correct height, too low and they were noisy on the discs, too high and they were going over the top of the disc.

 

[leocompositing]

Looking to get some for my whyte E160rs, the sram code R’s are awful!

Where did you get yours from?

Got mine from Bikester in Germany. They are still shipping to UK but it could take weeks!

 

[leocompositing]

center the calipers carefully and there will be no noise coming from the pads. I did upgrade to hc3 levers and love them. One finger stopping power that could stop a locomotive. No issues with fade, no overheating. Tons of modulation as others have mentioned, very similar to motorcycle brakes. i Am now running jag wire pads having worn out stock pads. I also run magura discs 220 front and 200 back. I do not recommend 220 in the back as that will be too much and you are constantly locking up the rear. Even with 200 in the back I’m locking up the rear easier than I would like but this will be something I get used to. View attachment 49844

Some people say that the HC3 adjustments do nothing? So are you able to adjust modulation? I suspect the choice of pads will affect the bite therefore locking up more. I see people using perfomance pads as they don’t have a strong bite as the race version ... what jagwire model are you using?

 

[Johneracer]

Modulation is excellent as is expected. With hc3 I for the bling factor (important) plus I was really able to tune the position since it is a one finger brake and needs to be comfortable. I do a lot of single track, dragging brakes, hard breaking etc. my fingers are always one the lever.

 

[Johneracer]

Jag wire semi metallic. The braking is good but they are definitely noisier than stock organics. I actually don’t mind the noise as it Alerts the hikers I’m going up behind them. Any water on them and they sound like flock of geese ready to take off

 

[Singletrackmind]

center the calipers carefully and there will be no noise coming from the pads. I did upgrade to hc3 levers and love them. One finger stopping power that could stop a locomotive. No issues with fade, no overheating. Tons of modulation as others have mentioned, very similar to motorcycle brakes. i Am now running jag wire pads having worn out stock pads. I also run magura discs 220 front and 200 back. I do not recommend 220 in the back as that will be too much and you are constantly locking up the rear. Even with 200 in the back I’m locking up the rear easier than I would like but this will be something I get used to. View attachment 49844

I just started running 220mm front/rear on my YT Decoy and Yeti 160e. Definitely much more power, had to adapt more when using front brake. Have Shimano Saint levers and like the modulation much better then stock Magura levers. Understand touch points are a personal preference that can be subjective but feel Shimano levers provide better modulation/feathering and you still get to enjoy those 220's in the rear