Skip to main content

Magura MT5 brakes


MAGURA'S LATEST BRAKES are the most powerful we've ever tested, but not the most user friendly. The new four-piston callipers with a single mini pad for each piston are the only ones to have ever completely stopped our test dyno.

The price-for-power ratio is also good, as long as you need the supplied rotor and bracket (the lack of separate options is irritating). Flex in the resin 'Carbotecture' lever body, blunt power delivery and extra power as it heats up mean the MT5 needs treating with respect in slippery conditions. The hose needs trimming before fitting (thankfully bleeding is easy) and the pads take several rides to stop screaming. The new lever and calliper design will hopefully improve on previously poor Magura reliability but the reservoir lid has already proved vulnerable to crash damage.

WEIGHT 463g
POWER 155m/s-2

PRICE 190$







Popular posts from this blog

Cannondale Trail SL 29 SS

The fat aluminium tubes are a constrast to the skinny items seen elsewhere in the test, but this rigid Cannondale uses them to create one of the most old-school - and lightest - rides here.

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

SKS Airbuster CO2 inflator

The alloy Airbuster has a large knob so you can regulate the flow of gas, a mechanical stop to prevent the cartridge being pierced in transit and a dust cap to keep the valve free of debris. While it works with Presta and Schrader valves, switching between them requires a fiddly change of the valve head. The thin rubber sleeve doesn’t provide much protection from cold spent canisters. You can’t insert much of the valve into the inflator head, so you have to be careful to avoid leaks. Price $33 w/16g cartridge

Merida Big Nine 100

Wit the bikes swapped over, we head out on the same loop again, this time on the 29in Big Nine 100. Whereas the Big Seven was snappy off the line, the 29er takes a couple more pedal strokes to get up to speed. That said, once it's up there, it's easy to keep the big wheels rolling, allowing us to cover ground with ease. The fire road is at times a little rough, and the bigger wheels roll over the imperfections so we barely notice them.

Anthony Messere’s Morpheus Vimana Slope

A flying chariot built with one thing in mind – slopestyle domination