Upgrading my brakes... again ? SLX vs Magura Thirty

[Nakiri]

Ok, my SPZ Turbo Levo came with SRAM Level T brakes (2-pistons)
Not bad, not good. I would like it to have more power.

I have a pair of Shimano SLX around here, so I put it in my Levo this week. Had no time to test it yet. I was thinking about buying a new pair of Shimano MT520 (4-pistons) calipers and mount it with my SLX levers

But now I have an option to buy a complete Magura MT Thirty Sport brake kit (4-pistons front, 2-pistons front). New.

Magura is almost twice the price. But does it worth ?

If fact, will it be MUCH better to change the SLX brakes for any of these 2 options ? 4-pistons is a must-have to e-bikes ?



Cheers !

 

[Snrbrtsn]

Watching with interest….
Ive Slx 4 pot brakes that I’ve paired with Magura mdr-p rotors, initially performed well
Starting to chatter now, perhaps sticky pistons, but also thinking of changing to Magura or XT levers and calipers

 

[04fuxake]

I've got the MT520s front and rear with 203mm/180mm rotors. They are a huge improvement over the 2-pistons I had before. I've yet to encounter a situation where I wish I had more braking.

 

[Nakiri]

I've got the MT520s front and rear with 203mm/180mm rotors. They are a huge improvement over the 2-pistons I had before. I've yet to encounter a situation where I wish I had more braking.

Thanks ! Mine has 200mm rotors in both wheels, so I should have the same feeling. Did you mount it with which levers ?

And about modulation ? Is it good with these M520 ?
Apparently it doesn't worth to pay double the price to get a pair of those Magura Thirty Sport...


Thanks !

 

[04fuxake]

Yeah I'm just using the Deore levers with them. They are plenty good and I don't think I miss any of the SLX features.

Modulation seems good, I think. I don't lock up the brake, but they bite when you really honk on the levers. It's all a bit subjective anyway. My main criteria with brakes is - can they bring me to a complete stop in the time I want them to? They do this, so I'm happy with them.

 

[Just get out there!]

Magura gets my vote. For me, there's more to it than just coming to a stop. Equally important is predictable modulation so you don't get launched over the handlebars unexpectedly due to a nebulous bite point. Rotor warpage and noise is another factor. The SRAM's that came on my 2021 Turbo Levo worked well but howled like banshees when they'd get hot. Switched to 220mm Magura MT7's with MDR-P's front and there's an amazing difference. Both stopped me with no problems, but the Magura modulation is far superior and the rotors don't warp as much as the SRAM's when they get hot. One finger braking is superb with the Maguras. Only issue was Magura noise, which turned out to be that the post mounts weren't flat and true (that no-doubt contributed to SRAM issues as well). Had them re-surfaced using a park dt-5.2 and issues are gone (see separate post under magura mdr-p brake noise). Don't use a file! Use a proper facing tool.