Magura MT5 4-Piston Disc Brake: Rider Review (Something a Little Different)

I purchased an entire brake kit including new Magura MT5 4-Piston Brakes for the front and rear of my 2017 Specialized Levo Comp bike. It previously had Sram Guide brakes that were constantly squealing and sounding poorly (squishy sound) each time I would brake hard. Their performance seemed fine but the noise was awful. That noise could not be resolved by a local bike shop so I decided to take the plunge and upgrade all the way around.

One item to note is that the brake pads come with the Magura MT5 brakes without me knowing that so I have an extra set of pads that I am sure I will use later. Furthermore, the bleed kit worked fine after I did it a couple of times. Magura brakes are known to be sensitive and bleeding them has been known to be something that you have to do a couple of times to get it right. There is also a bleeder screw on the Magura brakes that are plastic that numerous people online have complained about, I did strip one of mine and had to order replacements for a few dollars. The other complaint I heard online is the handle feels cheap and honestly, I think people are overthinking this. If you pull it, it stops your bike, I personally don’t care what it feels like and with gloves, you can’t feel much anyway.

Anyway, the brakes have been great once I bled it properly using good videos online from Germany. The brakes are quiet and powerful with no complaints on my end. The bleed kit seems a bit expensive for what you get, but I wanted to use what Magura recommends. I do occasionally hit my rotors on the trail and it takes a few miles to get the rubbing against the pads to calm down but the rotors are very beefy and thicker than “normal” rotors preventing them from bending.

Overall, if you are looking to upgrade your brakes, take a look at the Magura MT5’s as their modulation and power is tremendous.