Magura MT5 Disc Brake and Lever [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Although Magura might not be as common as bigger brands like SRAM & Shimano, the quality and performance of their brakes go toe to toe with the big dogs. In fact, many people prefer them. Our customer Ari is one of those people. Check out what he had to say about the Magura MT5 brakes!

Overview

I have been a bike nut for as long as I can remember and always strayed towards custom builds because I always wanted to have something "different". It started with BMX bikes and as I got older it became a weight weenie fascination with road bikes. Both BMX and road bikes allowed me to ignore the disc brake world. I enjoy completing all of my own builds and my routine maintenance so hydraulic brakes just seemed like something annoying to have to deal with. I finally gave in on my most recent road build in an attempt to future proof myself and avoid the N+1 bug with a dura ace disc build. Now if you aren't a roadie, that is Shimano's top-end road groupset. It came with some pros and cons but I learned what was important.

Now, what does that have to do with mountain bikes...Well, I had been playing with the thought of entering the MTB world and found myself, once again, searching for something that caught my eye. Then guess what...there are no bikes available! Thanks to a pesky pandemic. That sounds like a reason to go custom! So I started my search. I made a build list and checked it twice. But what!? Brakes aren't part of a group? What kind of horse dookie is this? How the heck would I choose a set of brakes and why in the world are a set of MTB brakes more expensive than a set of road brake/shifter combos?

Everything I read pointed me to 4 piston options for all-around use and after a call to the World Wide Cyclery gents, I settled on Magura MT5s. They were swiftly installed on an Alchemy Arktos.

So let's start with aesthetics and the actual feel in your hand. In my opinion, they are clean looking and remind me of BMX brakes. There are a bunch of customization options. One look at the more expensive MT7 will quickly draw your attention to the colorful piston rings. You can buy the same kit for the MT5. That is rather enticing when you are dumb like me and want to color coordinate things.

The brake levers are plastic but they don't feel or look, cheap but they also have lever customization options. So I give this category a solid winning score.

Installation

That takes us to installation. I am going to isolate the fact that my frame is not tube in tube internal routing, which just sucks. Overall, the install was pretty smooth once I fiddled with the cables through the frame. Magura is a German company, and just like most German companies, they do a nice job of putting out well-written procedures and they have some nice instructional videos. I used them all with good success. I did have one mishap but it was my fault. I went to shorten the front cable after my first ride and I didn't have the hose pushed all the way into the lever body before tightening it down. I was initially surprised when I sprung the leak but quickly facepalmed after investigating.

The bleeding process was a bit simpler than Shimano's road system. These brakes are not right/left specific but have a bleed port on both sides of the lever body. This made it really easy. I chose to do a full bleed rather than a gravity bleed and it took about 5 minutes per brake. I bought the Magura MT5 kit and it included everything needed to make it a quick DIY job. I suggest buying the bleed kit because it also comes with a second set of the olive and hose barb if you need to do any further shortening (or if you are dumb like me and end up damaging a set during a mishap.)

First Ride

I paired the brakes with Magura rotors and the first ride went off without a hitch. They have plenty of modulation and I really only needed to make reach adjustments which did require a quick tool adjustment. I don't really understand why people complain about the lack of tool-less adjustments. Most riders will make that adjustment before leaving for a ride. I do wish that they had a bite adjustment. But I only missed that because a buddy of mine told me to check...I wouldn't have known that even existed on more expensive brakes otherwise...

Final Thoughts

So ultimately, I only missed things that others brought up. I have roughly 100 miles on the build and I am happy with the Magura MT5 brakes. I would surely buy them again and I suggest them to anyone looking to buy a good set of brakes that won't break the bank... after all, you shouldn't need to spend $400 on a set of brakes.