Test: Magura MT Trail Carbon 2/3 | Ride MTB

Test: Magura MT Trail Carbon 2/3

Many rough kilometers have passed since the first report of the three-part test series on the Magura MT Trail. In addition, the stoppers had to prove themselves in two very different enduro races - again with the small brake rotors - and there were also crashes to contend with. The second test report reveals how the brake is doing, where its strengths lie and what has been changed.

As mentioned at the time, I had to postpone the first race on the MT Trail due to my hand problem. Now the Enduro Jura is ready for the premiere - ideal: two days of racing in rainy weather with downhill stages on which there are many steep sections to master and controlled braking is half the battle.
I decide to keep the setup with a 160 millimeter brake disc at the rear and a 180 millimeter disc at the front. The brake pads are also still the first ones - but replacements are ready and waiting.

It's really wet on the downhill sections, and it's important not to lose traction on the slippery, muddy trails. The Magura MT Trail surprises in the wet with good and, above all, fast deceleration. I'm used to the fact that the output is usually not as powerful when the brakes are first applied when the rotors are wet. The MT Trail reacts surprisingly quickly. The braking power can also be controlled very well on muddy sections, which is particularly important with the dry tires.

The stoppers survived the first race weekend without any problems: no change in the pressure points, always good bite with good modulation, and to my amazement the brake pads are still good. Even though I didn't ride very much because of my hand problem, I really expected the pads to have worn away after this rainy weekend.

Maintenance and sloppy work

After the many short descents in the mud, the bike needs a thorough wash. The brakes are also scrubbed clean. I don't do the fine wash with a cloth, which is normally used to remove the brake pads. The first brake pads remain in place.

By the next enduro race in La Thuile, the MT Trail will have covered around 100 kilometers on the saddle. I hardly bother with the brakes as they work reliably. I only shorten the brake lines, as I get annoyed by their length. According to Magura, you should be able to shorten the brake hose without having to bleed the brake afterwards. The job is done quickly, but I'm a bit scatterbrained and lose oil from the front brake during the operation. In keeping with the situation, the brake oil is missing in my workshop - in the case of Magura, the "Royal Blood" The loss of oil is not quite as bad, and the pressure point can be pumped up surprisingly well, even if it is no longer quite as full as before. I brace myself for a constant shifting of the pressure point, but this doesn't materialize on the upcoming ride. This also remains constant during further rides.

Destroy altitude meters and material

I go to the Enduro World Series race in La Thuile (ITA) with the intention of continuing to use the small brake discs. The steep and sometimes very fast downhill stages will show how well the brakes cope with the heat dissipation. But as I'm once again not coping, I'm hanging too much on the brakes. As braking continues and the discs get hotter and hotter, the braking power slowly and slightly decreases, which is not surprising. On the positive side, however, the brakes neither close nor does the performance drop off completely.

After the first day of the race, I decide to ride with the 160/180 brake disc setup on the second day as well. The tracks are very steep in places, and although the braking power is good even with the small discs, it's no longer enough for relaxed deceleration. As I get increasingly tired, I tense up more and more on the handlebars and brakes. But even then, the stoppers don't really want to overheat and I can still decelerate, albeit not as efficiently. With the increasing wear of the pads, the pressure point of the front brake, which I hadn't bled, also diminished somewhat. However, a total failure is still a long way off and the bite is still there.

In the first test report, I was critical of carbon brake levers on trail brakes because of the risk of crashing. You don't really want to test things like that. But on one of the stages, there was a real bang and I was thrown through the air along with the bike. Fortunately, I stay intact. To my delight, the brakes weren't damaged at all either.

Conclusion 2/3

The first impression of the brakes was good, and they really impressed during the last test phase. The braking performance is great and the pressure point remains stable, even if the brake is not optimally vented - which will definitely be rectified. To my greatest astonishment, the brake can also withstand long descents with small brake disks with only a slight loss of performance. The heat dissipation works very well. Nevertheless, I now switch to the larger setup with 180 and 203 millimeter brake discs on the rear and front wheels - this simply leaves more reserves. The final report of the three-part test series will be a long-term test and will only follow in the fall, hopefully after many tours and the last race.

www.magura.com


Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.