The MT8 is the flagship of Magura’s all-new four-brake range, tempting racers to spend £300 per end with a super-light composite front end and an impressively consistent performance.
Bike brakes are only a tiny part of the Magura product line and given that they specialise in high precision injection moulded parts for people like BMW, it’s not surprising that they’ve switched to a composite ‘Carbotecture SL’ material for the master cylinder and lever on the MT series.
The MT8 gets the top grade material too, combined with a single piece calliper and titanium bolts to drop weight to a very impressive 339g. There’s a bit of flex when you’re hauling on the lever which means a softer feel than previous stark Magura brakes but modulation is good enough for staying upright on the slipperiest descents.
The Storm SL rotor provided consistent torque delivery on the dyno and while power isn’t dramatic it’s enough for most trail situations. There’s a five-year anti-leak guarantee and bleeding with mineral oil is straightforward, though it's intolerant of any air you get in when tweaking. The MT8 certainly isn't cheap either.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.
