Optically, the MT Trail Carbon makes quite an impression and stands out from the other Magura brakes with the blue splashes of color on the brake master and the polished brake caliper. The Carbotecture SL brake caliper and the Carbolay brake lever make a high-quality impression, and although I'm not a fan of carbon levers on trail brakes because of the risk of falling, I'm happy to be proven wrong.

Even though it's a trail brake, Magura doesn't offer tool-free adjustment of the lever width, which I personally welcome. There shouldn't be a lot of fiddling around if the brake has been correctly mounted and bled anyway.

During assembly, the Magura mechanic looks at me a little askance when I request a 180 millimeter brake rotor on the front wheel and a 160 millimeter rotor on the rear of my enduro bike. Although sometimes borderline, this combination has worked so far. So the MT Trail should be able to do the same. So that I'm not at a loss at the first race if the power isn't enough, the mechanic also packs another 180 and a 203 millimeter brake disc.

Attention, ready, biking!

Curiosity literally drives me out onto the bike. Now we'll see what the brakes can do. In the dry test, the pressure point and ergonomics of the brake lever are impressive. After around 30 minutes of riding uphill, the downhill fun begins. The fact that I hadn't run in the brakes in the parking lot beforehand was proven at the first brake contact. The pads and disc are still too new to provide satisfactory deceleration. Mind you, this is no different with other products.

After the first descent, the first test is already over. The bite of the MT-Trail has increased significantly in the meantime, but is not yet at the level we had hoped for.
I take the second ride with the new Magura stoppers in training for the first enduro race in Italy. The first downhill stage is very fast - the brakes are under a lot of strain. Now it really shows its teeth and decelerates superbly. I can reduce my speed to the point with little finger force.

What's that smell?

With prolonged braking, however, the performance of the rear brake decreases slightly. But I don't worry about it and ride on. After all, the pressure point is still the same. "What's that smell?" a colleague asks me, wrinkling his nose. It does indeed smell of overheated brakes - it's my MT-Trail-Carbon. The rear rotor is clearly discolored, the front one isn't, so the braking performance is still good. I was probably a bit optimistic with the 160 mm rotor on the rear wheel. Because my colleagues ride with 203-millimeter brake discs at the front, or at least 180-millimeter discs at the front and rear.

I can't change anything during training, but I'm reserving the right to change the disks for the race. By the next stage, however, the brakes are cold again, the disc is colorless and the braking power is back. Even on the longest downhill stage, the braking power remains constant, which surprises me a little after the first descent, where the rear brake overheated.

I decide to ride the race with the small brake rotor on the rear wheel - so it's serious business for Magura's trail brakes. But that doesn't happen. Overnight inflammation in my hand makes it impossible for me to ride the race and thus subject the brake to its first big endurance test.

Conclusion 1/3

The first impression of the brake is good. The ergonomics of the lever, the pressure point and the bite of the brake are very good. Although the performance dropped off a little during sustained braking, I still put off the decision to fit a 180 millimeter disc at the rear. The brake will have to endure one race with this setup, then I'll draw the next conclusion - that will probably be after the Enduro World Series race in La Thulie (ITA) in mid-July. By then, the brake will have a few more tours and park rides under its belt. With over an hour of added downhill time, the race will be the absolute endurance test. The third part of the test series will be a long-term test on the stoppers.

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