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Magura Marta SL

Average Rating 4.2/5
# of Reviews 10
MSRP $
Weight
More Products from Magura

Description:
  • Integrated reservoir
  • Radial master cylinder
  • Carbon-fiber lever is lighter
  • Pre-bled and ready to mount
  • Superlight fully-hydraulic disc brake
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    Nashbar
    Performance
    JensonUSA







    Submitted by Michael a Weekend Warrior from Torrance, CA
    Date Reviewed: April 30, 2008
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:
    Strengths:Weight, decent stopping power, looks
    Weaknesses:Price, finicky to set up, balloons during long decents
    Similar Products Used:Avid , Formula, Shimano, Hope
    Bike Setup:Intense 5.5, Uzzi. Upgraded the stock lines to Goodridge steel braided lines.
    Bottom Line:If you are XC kind of guy, these are fine. If you don't do lots of long, steep or technical trails where you need to constantly brake, these aren't for you. If you aren't technically proficient to set these up, these aren't for you. It took me a while to get them to bleed just right.

    My main problem is that the lines/mineral oil balloons up during a long/medium descent. I go from one finger braking to two. I even upgraded to Goodridge steel braided lines, and didn't make any difference. I must have bleeded these brakes dozens of times over the last 2 years, and didn't make a difference.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by J H a from South Florida
    Date Reviewed: March 17, 2008
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:Big Wheel Cycle
    Strengths:Awesome brakes. Mine were pre bled. Aside from a little time aligning the brake and rotor these brakes were plug and play.
    Weaknesses:Price
    Similar Products Used:Avid Junky (Juicy) 5's & 7's
    Bike Setup:07 Stumpy Comp with XT set up.
    Bottom Line:I upgraded the Juicy 5 & 7's on my 07 Stumpjumper. I spent a fortune replacing, repairing and trying to get the Juicys to function. I was so frustrated I finally yanked them off the bike, tossed them in the trash and went out and bought the Maguras. Best thing I ever did. I weigh 190lbs on a large framed bike and these brakes are great stoppers with 160mm rotors front and rear.

    The Avids had a 208mm front and a 180mm rear rotor that couldn't not bring the bike to a safe stop. I ride XC on some pretty technical trails and the Maguras are awesome.

    The set up took a little time to get right, but it was not difficult.

    Note to anyone listening. Avid Juicys are junk. Just about every problem you could have with a brake I had with them. From fluid gushing through seals to having zero stopping power. I mean zero. Over half a dozen bike shop trips could not repair them. And the bike down time was killing me.

    I am sure there are other good brakes on the market, but the Maguras are tops. Thumbs up.



    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Lee a Cross Country Rider from Albuquerque, NM, USA
    Date Reviewed: September 14, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:any Cedro Peak or Los Alamos trail
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $369.00
    Purchased At:onlinecycle on ebay
    Strengths:Great all around cross country brake. Bought the 2007 model in late 2006, still the lightest brake on the market. ZERO MAINTENCE! Great Modulation. I have the Red martas, and they look very sexy with my jet black cannondale frame.
    Weaknesses:They took more shims than supplied (not big deal, go to a hardware store and buy some more!) for the rear wheel. Which means instead of taking half an hour to install they take an hour + whatever time you spend in the hardware store.
    Similar Products Used:Magura Louise (an old pair, awesome braking, but single piston caliper, so I had to adjust them before almost every ride).
    Bike Setup:Cannondale CAAD4, FSA XC-300, Salsa stainless steel skewers (DO NOT USE TITANIUM SKEWERS WITH THESE BRAKES! RTFM!!! (read the f'ing manual))
    Bottom Line:These brakes are amazingly light. I've been on a bike with the Formula Oro, and these feel better (IMHO)! They're a tiny bit harder to setup, but if you read the manual and you take your time you don't have to mess with them again (at least until you replace the pads). They only lock up when you want them to lock up (i.e., when you're messing around waiting for your friends to finish getting ready), so they stop on a dime and don't tear up the trails. They work fine on downhills (I wouldn't trust them on a DH bike, but I've been on Guaje ridge in Los Almos, which is an insane 9 mile non-stop downhill and the brakes worked like a charm). And, for those who are using mechanical disc brakes and are considering hydraulic discs, I have 3 words for you. ONE FINGER BRAKING! I imagine these brakes could be overkill, if you're not a serious XC rider or racer. But if you don't mind dropping ~$300-400 on a pair of brakes and you want to drop every gram you can (and want some sexy looking brakes), these are the brakes for you! Oh yeah, I recommend buying the 180mm front disc/caliper, the added stopping power is definately worth it.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Mike a Cross Country Rider from Novato, CA
    Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:Pogonip
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $336.00
    Purchased At:eBay
    Strengths:Good modulation, power, very light weight, mineral oil hydro.
    Weaknesses:Expensive lever replacement cost (>$150!), unknown durability of lever, bar clamp should be two-piece at this price, not as easy to set up as Avid discs.
    Similar Products Used:Avid BB7.
    Bike Setup:2006 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR 120:
    http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pWYXYHVI0VnU437GQX-MOTw
    Reviewed: 2007 model. Modifications: Shimano XTR RT97 centerlock rotors.
    Bottom Line:These came with a slightly used bike I picked up on eBay.

    These are my first hydros; before that I had the Avid BB7. These weigh less, mostly due to the carbon levers and additional removed rotor material, and have better modulation (very linear response to lever displacement) and power. I don't have to adjust the pad distances regularly, unlike the cable-actuated brakes.

    I'm using Shimano RT97 XTR centerlock rotors, since the wheelset (XTR M965 hubs) had that interface. They work just fine together.

    I've heard stories of warped wavy SL rotors - the Shimano rotors have a beefier spider, which should be more warp-resistant. The superior stiffness also should increase pad life (so says Shimano). I haven't evaluated mud-clearing performance yet, which Magura claims is very good with the wavy rotors. The weight is comparable.

    The bar clamp is wider than others I've dealt with, and has exacted a space premium on my low-rise 31.8 mm bars with Grip Shift. I compensated by cutting my ESI grips a little shorter (down to 3.125" ea.).

    I haven't had to service them yet, but the mineral oil fluid shouldn't need to be replaced as often as other petro-based fluids, due to its hydrophobic properties.

    You can put this on the short list with the Formula Oros for the price-is-little-object builds. For XC applications, I'd generally recommend the BB7s, and spend the extra $300 elsewhere (like on the wheelset or frame).
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Lance Stephenson a Racer from Cape Town South Africa
    Date Reviewed: June 7, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:Grabouw
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:
    Strengths:Super light, sexy organic looks, simple design. Great power, very good quality of product build and materials. Fantastic rotors excellent pad life.
    Weaknesses:to build light , they've not used the universal adjusters that are ugly and cause brake squeal. So you have to face your frame and fork tabs. THESE ARE NOT NEGATIVES! you should face your frame to get the best possible performance from your brakes anyway, some people find this extra work, but building bikes is A ZEN THING! my brakes work flawlessly for over 2 years still and the spacing is perfect, because i've faced the frame to space the calipre over the rotor!
    Similar Products Used:Shimano XT, Formula B4, Avid 5's.
    Bike Setup:Merida Mission 2000d alloy frame, Manitou R7 super, DT 240s disc hub, mavic x717d rims dt swiss revolution spokes Full Sram
    XO
    Bottom Line:these brakes are no bull, they are light and beautiful. People give the brake a bad name because their LBS is to lazy to prep their bikes properly.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by D a from Ny
    Date Reviewed: May 29, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $500.00
    Purchased At:Brickwell cycling
    Strengths:They are light easy to use and maintain ... only bled the brakes once in 3 years ... pads wear slower than hayes ... rotorsw are thicker and stay true ... little noise
    Weaknesses:price and modulation ... more modulatation needed ... however once they fade over riding up and own for an half an hour ... the modulation is trick ...
    Similar Products Used:all hayes all avid all shimano ... hope is crapolla ... hope you stop ... and formula... has been soso
    Bike Setup:1fg and ferrous with these babies ..
    Bottom Line:they cost a lot ... but they work ... if you have setup issues ... check your disc tabs and or take to a shop that knows or has someone who can setup brakes properly ... They stop better than anything in it's weight range ... they are worry free ... maintenance free qand just simply beautiful works of art ... like chris king headsets ... once properly installed you'll have years of success!!!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by mr turtell a Weekend Warrior from tazmania australia
    Date Reviewed: May 5, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:original equipment
    Strengths:light weight
    Weaknesses:leaked before i got the bike home(in the car)
    Similar Products Used:magura julie juicy 7s
    Bike Setup:07 stumpjumper pro
    Bottom Line:it is a good thing they came with a 5 year warranty since they didn't last 5 minuites. sent them back to
    "TOTAL RU(bbis)H and after only a month they were came back. the only problem was they had a rear calliper connected to a front lever and hose, which i would have had to mount the lever to the seat post to work. when i sent then back again i was told that they took them off a new bike so i wouldn't have to wait so long(sic) to ride my $6000 aus new bike. when i asked them what bike they took them off (maybe a clowns bike from the circus), i was screamed at saying "you calling me a liar" repeatedly although i tried to reassure her that it was easy to make a mistake especially at christmas time. when i talked to the manager he told me there was nothing wrong with them some people run them euro not moto. i explained that the hose wouldn't reach the bars whether you ran them left or right side, upsidedown or rightside up i was told "you want to be careful mate or i'll take the warranty off you". when i laughed and said how are you gonna do that i was told that i would get a black mark against my name and no-one would deal with me(presumably $6000 in cash couldn't sway the "black mark" system). the bottom line is i have no faith in the ability of a mech to bleed a brake if they don't know which way they go. this is more a criticism of TOTAL RUbbisH in RICHMOND MELBOURNE than the brakes, which are very light (70g per end lighter than juicy 7s and without the tazzie devil with its bollocks in the spokes noise of the juicy sevens)
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:1

    Submitted by Eric a Cross Country Rider from Ontario, Canada
    Date Reviewed: January 18, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:Hydrocut or Puslinch Lake
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:Braun's
    Strengths:Light
    Sexy
    Good stopping power
    Good modulation
    Weaknesses:Setup.
    Similar Products Used:
    Bike Setup:ETS-X Team/Tune hubs/DT Rims/Sapim CX Ray spokes
    That's all that really matters for this review
    Bottom Line:Great brakes once set up. For some reason the caliper was a huge pain to get centered over the rotor. I needed to use numerous shims. If I had to buy new brakes I would probably get Formula or Avid, just because I don't want to take 2 hours setting them up.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Hito a Weekend Warrior from Detroit, MI
    Date Reviewed: December 25, 2006
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $450.00
    Purchased At:LBS
    Strengths:Excellent modulation and lever feel. No vibrations when braking. Easy set up.
    Weaknesses:Squeaks a little bit, but I don't know any brand that is absolutely quiet.
    Similar Products Used:Avid Juicy 5
    Bike Setup:Titus RX
    Bottom Line:These are an excellent upgrade from the juicy 5 brakes. Marta SL is lighter, has better feel, less noise, and better modulation. So far I am happy with these. I didn't shorten the hose yet, but I think that there is no need to, as I don't feel that it is cumbersome yet.

    I just got the standard silver ones, (as opposed to the bling gold and red ones) and I couldn't be more happier.

    They do squeak a bit, but so does every other brakes on the market. (It is quieter than my juicy 5)
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Vaughn a Weekend Warrior from Oroville, CA
    Date Reviewed: November 20, 2006
    Favoriate Trail:
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $
    Purchased At:
    Strengths:Light weight, low profile
    Weaknesses:Stupid caliper bleed screw placement
    Similar Products Used:Avid Juicy 7, Shimano XTR Dual Control hydraulic
    Bike Setup:Ellsworth Epiphany
    Bottom Line:Swapped out the front 160mm rotor for a 180mm inch. Handles rolling fast paced singletrack just fine. Stays nice and quiet without any rotor squeal, stays self centered. Pads are easy to swap out. The carbon brake levers have a nice wide paddle that are easy and comfortable to grab. I do feel a little underpowered if it gets steep, or with high speed emergency stops. Dropped off the top of Bootleg out side of Las Vegas a week ago and found them to fade a little toward the bottom of some of those black diamond runs. That is a reasonable trade off for me since a minority of my time and effort are put into those kind of fun, white knuckle descents anymore. Although a little overmatched for the big downs, it is wicked sweet for the climbing rolling grind around the backside up to the Lake Meade overlook.

    The rear brake lost pressure after a couple months, so spent a painful hour trying to bleed the thing. Magura's website has a downloadable bleed instruction for which I am thankful. I had purchased the Magura bleed kit which includes a hollow bleed screw. The most annoying aspect is having to unscrew the entire caliper from the frame and let it hang by gravity. After squeezing the mineral oil in there and watching it overspill the reservoir at the handle, it was a pain in the behind to remove that bleed screw and reinsert the solid screw in it's place without losing oil all over. After several trial and error attempts my solution at that point was to elevate the back end of the bike and lift the rear caliper and that bleed hole to the highest point. It seemed to work. I prefer the other systems that have a bleed screw in place that simply requires a quarter turn with a bleed hose attached and that can be quickly and smoothly shut without the extra manipulation. Once set though it has played nice for several months. After six months, it is still what I would prefer and shop for if I were out looking again for another disc setup.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5






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