The Good:
- Reliability
- Price
- Power
The Bad:
- Plastic feel of lever
Overall Review: <p>Great brake for the Price! Got these mid summer last season when the Guide brakes that came on my bike encountered a warranty issue. Not wanting to miss out on riding bought these based on recommendations from my local shop. I have ridden these ever since and have had zero issues. </p>
The Good:
Stopping power
Modulation
Lever feel
Mineral oil
Ergonomics
The Bad:
Not as set as easy to bleed as shimano,what is though?
Hardware required a care and attention. Over-torquing is easy if you treat them like any other break.
Service parts/oil is more expensive the rivals ( at least in Australia)
Have been running MT5’s for 9months and love them. Great stoping power and modulation. Have found them to deal better with long descents than the shimano SLX brakes (With ice-tech pads and rotors) they replaced. Lever feel is great, I personally am not a fan of the on off feel of Shimano’s but dislike dot fluid and the my previous pot luck of bleeding avid/SRAM brakes. They do require care however as there design means they need to be torqued correctly or minimally in reality. I’ve crashed multiple times and have found while the master cylinder is of the plastic “Carbotecture” material it is very strong. Ended up Read More »
The Good:
Power, modulation, Noise free, consistent feel when heating up. --> Unparalleled for me with competitors brakes.
The Bad:
Lever handle shape is not great
Clamp using wood screws Overall fragile lever. Made out of plastic which doesn't like being disassembled/assembled a lot.
Bleeding is finicky, takes commitment to remove the last bubbles and syringe removal is not as clean as sram or shimano.
I wanted to get a more consistent feel when riding long gnarly descent. I liked the Shimano XT and XTR lever feel but was not happy with it when heating up. Dry season coming, i was also looking for brakes with more modulation. I used the Guides for the while and i'm relatively happy with them but i was looking for more power and even more consistency in the lever feel/travel. I went for the Magura MT7 and don't regret it. After several bleeding, i finally get a great strong lever feel. The power is way higher than the Guides and it ramps up very smoothly. Delicate and strong at the same time. The only things that Read More »
The Good:
-Stopping Power
-Adjustable contact points
-Modulation
The Bad:
-Finicky to alignment.
-Could go for even quicker engagement.
I am running Guide Ultimate Brakes with a 200mm front centerline rotor and 180mm rear centerline rotor on my Jeffsy 29er. These brakes have a really good combination of modulation and power. I really like a short lever throw to contact on my brakes so the adjustable contact point makes it really nice to dial that in. I wish it had an option to get the throw even shorter, but this might be achievable with a different bleed. Another thing that has been an issue is noise at some times when braking. This is something that is improved when alignment is adjusted, but the periodic "Turkey Call" can be a bit of pain Read More »
The Good:
Strong, consistent power with good modulation
The Bad:
They are plastic and Terrifying! Maybe Magura wanted me dead?
Overall Review:Working at the LBS and dealing with the SRAM Brake warranties that seemed never ending at the time, so I decided to try the MT5 brakes after hearing about there big stopping power, "leak free garand its cool blue brake sauce. I haven't owned any Magura brakes since my Pro-flex Beast with Hydro HS11 rim brakes but I have seen enough of them roll through the shop that they peaked my curiosity again. My initial set of MT5 brakes were pretty rad... That lasted only for about 4 weeks until I was racing the local BME Trestle event when my front brake blew the MC in stage 3. I finished the stages with rear only and called Read More »
The Good:
Easy to maintain. Easy to adjust. Spare parts easily available. Good price. The lever is extremely comfortable. Power is good enough but....
The Bad:
Temperature management could be improved under long descents. Could have a little bit more power.
Overall Review: <p>I use these brakes in my Yeti Sb5.5 for all mountain / enduro type of rides. They are pretty well tested in some very gnarly conditions, from fast trails, to technical to long descents in Costa Rica where conditions are tropical. They have proven to be easy to maintain, easy to get spare parts, not expensive and the lever shape and feeling is spot on for my taste. The only drawbacks has been in long technical descents where they get hot, hence the lever feeling gets on the stiffer side, and I wouldn't mind a bit more power. I know the Shimano Saints would address this, but with the cost of added weight. </p>
The Good:
Ergonomic Lever.
Very good power, no fade even on Whistler Garbanzo Laps or long 17minute enduro race stages.
Simplistic, was unsure about 2 piston for DH application but appears to have no issues.
No noise.
The Bad:
One issue with front brake, has very close bite point and cant seem to adjust it, causing too easy locking of my front wheel. Can't get used to it and has caused a few near crashes on rock rolls where i need to feather the brakes. Still trying to figure if a 'perfect bleed' will cure this. No other issues at all.
Overall Review: <p>I have 2 pairs of these brakes. Live in North Vancouver, Ride the shore, Whistler Bike Park, interior BC and around lower mainland. Giant Glory fitted with a black pair - Absolutely no issues, power is great, never fades on long whistler runs. Does not have biting issue like other set does. Santa Cruz Nomad 4 fitted with a chrome pair - One issue with front brake, has very close bite point and cant seem to adjust it, causing too easy locking of my front wheel. Can't get used to it and has caused a few near crashes on rock rolls where i need to feather the brakes. Still trying to figure if a 'perfect bleed' will cure this. Very happy with these brakes otherwise, i had issues with previous Shimano XT and Saint having variable bite point which would adjust depending on brake temperature/use. </p>
The Good:
Price
Power
Long Lasting
Easy to Service
The Bad:
Bleed Often
Overall Review:I've been running Zee's for 4 or 5 years and on two different bikes(same set of brakes, just swapped them over). The stopping power is great, maybe not the very best available, but I've never been left wanting more during a steep descent. I ride mostly enduro/DH type trails in Laguna Beach, Ca and make a few trips to the bike parks each season. I've read reviews that complain about the modulation of these brakes but that is definitely a preference issue because I have had no problems with that. Rarely do they make the dreaded Chewbaca howl and only ever when they are wet. My only complaint would be that, after Read More »
The Good:
The online discounted price.
The components (lever, caliper, hose) are all compatible with every Shimano brake of the last 20 years.
They're piss to bleed and if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere you can use literally ANY oil, eg Olive oil works fine (tested in the Alps!)
They work fine - power is average
Pads are available everywhere
The Bad:
They're probably more reliable than anything, but they're still not exempt from the "master cylinder lottery" (ie they will eventually start to go wrong)
The levers are flexier than the previous version (M785)
They're only safe to use for 12 months before you should get rid and get some (identical) new ones
The finned pads are a waste of time and offer no noticeable "real" benefit
It's impossible to review these brakes without first mentioning that they're heavily discounted all over the internet, so the "real" price is closer to 100/pair (not including rotors). That makes them by far the best value performance brake available, from any brand before you even mention that they actually work pretty well too. They're light weight and pretty powerful, especially with a big ol' rotor. In theory mineral oil has a lower boiling temperature than DOT fluid, but I've never experienced an overheating problem that was due to the fluid, only the pads start to struggle if you drag and drag them Read More »
The Good:
Gobs of stopping power. Consistent braking. Tough as nails. Excellent lever shape and feel. Parts are easy to come by. Ease of maintenance, Shimano's are by far my favourite brake to bleed.
The Bad:
Some times the lever requires a couple pumps to get things feeling right and the brakes grabbing. I was told this is an issue with the lever but I couldn't be bothered to send the brakes back and not ride and now I am just used to it. I did have an issue with a rear caliper leaking after 2 years of abuse and crashes, but I grabbed a new caliper on Jenson USA and tossed it on, gave it a quick bleed, and good to go.
Overall Review:These have been my go to brakes for years. I am a big fan of the way they grab. I couldn't care less about modulation, when I pull my levers I want the brakes to grab. I have used these brakes for everything from a 6 hour endurance event to trail riding to enduro racing and have no complaints. I had a couple issues with them, like the leaking caliper, but the new caliper is working perfectly with no issues. I would recommend these to just about anybody. They look great and can be found for a pretty decent price. The SLX brake is also great if you want to save a couple more bucks and works just as well. I Read More »
