Impressions – Magura MT Trail SL Brake System

The Magura MT Trail SL brake system features premium materials and technology and dedicated front and rear calipers, which combine to offer powerful brakes and lightweight. They accomplish this feat by utilizing a 4-piston front setup for maximum braking power and light 2-piston rear for optimal modulation, and an ergonomically-optimized 1-finger HC carbon lever blade.

The MT Trail SL brake system combines their potent Enduro MT7 with their lightweight cross-country MT8.

Features

The brakes feature their gorgeous 1-finger HC CARBOLAY unidirectional carbon lever blade, both front & rear, and they also include a front carbon split bar clamp for additional weight savings. The trick Carbotecture SL radial master cylinder was created by injecting their proprietary Carbotecture material, short or mid-length carbon fibers in a thermoplastic matrix, into a mold. The fibers are aligned to optimize strength and lightness under extreme heat and high pressure using their Carboflow Process. The flip-flop designed Carbotecture body attaches to the bar with a split handlebar clamp, which allows running the levers on either side of the bar without having to swap hoses, making a moto-style brake setup simple. It uses their EBT (easy bleed technology), which has a mirror-imaged bleed port on either side of the body for simplified installation.

The chrome polished one-piece forged aluminum caliper has a 74mm post-mount design and an adjustable banjo/hose fitting. The front caliper uses four Duroplastic injections molded composite 17mm pistons for less heat transfer to the brake fluid. The pistons use their magnetiX system, which utilizes an embedded high-powered magnet to hold the pads in place.

The 2-piston rear caliper has the exact same features as the 4-piston, albeit with slightly bigger pads and two larger diameter Duroplastic injections molded composite 22mm pistons.

Magura MT Trail SL measured weight:

• Rear 225 grams
• Front 233 grams
• Total 458 grams

Rotors and Pads

I used a pair of their MDR-C CL centerlock rotors (180mm front/160mm rear) on my Ibis S28 Carbon rims with Industry Nine Hubs. The one-piece steel rotor has an inner aluminum connecting ring for the centerlock system. I played around with different pad compounds, and their softer Sport pads offered the best combination of performance, durability, and noise.

Impressions

My test steed for the MT Trail SL brakes was my new Ibis Carbon Exie downcountry bike, which seemed the ideal testbed for this setup. I have used Magura’s excellent full-on MT7 4-piston system on most of my bikes over the last few years, so the 4-piston front and 2-piston rear combination took some acclimation. Pulling in the front lever felt exactly the same as my MT7, while the 2-piston rear provided slightly less power delivery but offered up better modulation and skid resistance.

The tactile sense is superb, allowing the system to feel like an extension of your hand. The more technical and gnarly the terrain and conditions, the more comfortable and functional the brakes felt, and they offered fine speed adjustment with short lever pulls. They thrived when doing high-precision moves and maneuvers on mild or heinous terrain, with excellent feedback and response, giving rise to an innate sense of security and control. I liked the smooth lever feel of the carbon blade and how their curve cusped my hand, though I tended to still use two fingers instead of one (an old habit). It was simple to adjust the reach on the blade with a 3mm Allen key in front of the pivot point.

The brakes offered tons of power, and anytime you needed to slow down, a quick and light stab of the lever gave you any desired deceleration. The modulation allowed excellent control in any situation, whether that was at high speeds or in slow-speed technical maneuvering. I especially enjoyed the ability to feather the brakes at any speed, and the lever feel was fantastic, and it felt like I was one with the bike. In direct comparison to the full MT7 setup, there was a slight loss of power in the rear, but it was only noticeable after riding down uber-steep trails with huge amounts of vertical elevation loss, where you might feel a moderate amount of hand fatigue, but it wasn’t very consequential. The rear brake’s large-diameter pistons and bigger pads improved the power somewhat, but not quite on par with the 4-piston, though the fade seemed the same.

They were quiet, especially with the Sport pads, and their muted usage was a major highlight, as I enjoyed not having a set of brakes squealing while I was riding down a trail. The MDR-C rotors offered excellent stiffness and vibration resistance and synergized with the Sport pads. The MDR-C rotors are heavier than their Storm SL.2 and Storm HC brethren, but their improved robustness and higher braking power were greatly appreciated. The Sport pads provide powerful braking capabilities, high durability, low noise, and fast bed-in time.

Their EPR (easy pad replacement) system, which uses top-loading pads, is simple to remove and doesn’t require wheel removal. Remove the retaining screw, grab the tabs on the pads and pull them out, insert a new pair, let the magnets on the caliper’s piston hold them in place, and then replace the screw. Obviously, the front 4-piston caliper utilizes 4-pads, while the rear uses a larger 2-pad setup, making carrying spares more difficult.

Bottom Line

The MT Trail SL brakes utilize a Carbotecture SL master body, a 1-finger HC CARBOLAY carbon lever blades, and forged alloy calipers, with 4-pistons in front and 2-pistons in the rear. The brakes have a superb tactile feel, which gives rise to incredible touch, control, and communication, especially in technical terrain. Combining a beefy 4-piston in front and a light 2-piston rear provides optimal power and weight savings. The brakes offer excellent modulation, weight, power, and heat resistance using their premier materials and technology.

Specs:

• Scope of Use: Trail, All Mountain, Enduro, E-MTB
• WeightFront: 240 g / Rear: 220 g
• MasterMaterial: Carbotecture SL, Flip-Flop-Design
• Lever Blade: 1-Finger HC, Carbon
• Hydraulic: Yes
• Brake Fluid: Royal Blood (mineral oil based)
• EBT (Easy Bleed Technology): Yes
• Bite Adjust: No
• Reach Adjust: Yes, 3mm Allen key
• Banjo Fitting: Yes
• PistonsFront: 4 / Rear: 2
• Tubing: MAGURA Disctube
• Shift Mix: Yes (optional)
• Remote: MixYes (optional)
• Recommended Rotor: Storm SL.2, Storm HC, MDR-C, MDR-P
• Mounting: PM/IS
• Colors: Black / blue / chrome polished