Magura MT7 have a clearly defined bite point and maximum power. The new HC lever blade modulates the braking power as desired.

>>> The best mountain bike disc brakes

Reader review by Kyle Collair | Aggressive Trail Rider

What rotor size?

203mm Storm HC.

How long have you had it?

18 months.

Tell us about the features. Lever reach, bite point adjust, ease of pad replacement etc.

I have the CarboTecture SL levers with HC1 lever blades. I do not find the tool-free BAT (bite-point adjustment) very effective, with only a minor effect. I find the tooled-version of bite point adjust a bit more effective. The tool-free reach adjust, however, is excellent. If you are worried about the plastic levers, don’t be. I’ve crashed a couple times and these feel as robust as the day I got them. The calipers are beefy and robust. Easy to see why many pros have the MT7 or MT8 raceline brakes on their bikes. The bleed process is pretty standard and the course thread screws are well designed to work with the plastic levers.

How easy is it to bleed?

With the Magura bleed kit, I found it very easy to bleed. Compared to the latest from Shimano and SRAM, I’d say these are slightly more difficult to bleed.

How powerful is the disc brake?

The MT7 is unbelievably powerful. This is really excellent on long descents where I have put it on my 170mm Enduro bike. To me, this results in less hand fatigue at the end of the run. I have the MT7 on the front of my 140mm trail bike and I find the power to be perfect for the bike.

How much feel and modulation does the disc brake offer?

Superb. I sometimes find the MT7 brake too powerful on the rear so the modulation has to be really good.

Ergonomics. How does the brake lever feel and function?

The two-finger levers from Magura are not great unless you have really big hands. I would suggest that part of what makes these brakes really good is the ergonomics on the HC1 levers. Definitely consider the HC1 levers or upgrading if this isn’t fitted standard. I have found these to be excellent.

What sort of riding does this disc brake work best in? XC racing, trail riding, enduro, downhill etc.

The MT7 brakes front and back are powerful enough for long downhill runs. I had this configuration fitted to my enduro bike and there was always power in reserve even on 20minute downhill race stages. I would recommend this kind of set up for anything other than full on DH bikes.

Reliability. How well has the disc brake stood up to use? How frequently does it require bleeding? etc.

I have had two sets of levers leak from the master cylinder despite still being within the warranty period. I’ve had them bled twice a year just as part of routine bike maintenance. The pad wear is crazy though. I have found the Magura Performance pads last less than three months with frequent riding and I’m not talking bike park and DH shuttles. I am now trying the Swissstop metalic pads for the winter riding season and these definitely last a bit longer. For summer, I will change back to the Magura pads as the performance is excellent.