Dammit’s adventures in mountain biking

Hit'n'Hopes? I'd rather stick with what I know, it's not exactly been fun all the time but I now know a fair amount about Magura, have all the tools, and can make the system work quite well.

I'm also familiar with what bike shop mechanics call "perfect" when it comes to Maguras, and (to me, who can feel a magura calliper through 20 mattresses) I'd say in reality they've got to "works", which is a long way off what these brakes should feel like.

I got hold of Magura service who are sending me out a replacement lever (bypassing the shop, who, it turns out, kept hold of my lever for four months before posting it) for the end of the week.

bypassing the shop, who, it turns out, kept hold of my lever for four months before posting it

Lolz.
I was reading this thread while on the train earlier, but never got round to commenting on the possibility that the delay could have been the bike shops fault.

This is why I do all the work on my bikes. People are idiots, even professionals.

bypassing the shop, who, it turns out, kept hold of my lever for four months before posting it

Good grief

In a way it’s a relief- means Magura service themselves are not the problem.

Is the conclusion then, that one day I'll be safe to pursue my childhood dream of Maguras?
And what's your availability for mentorship in the SE / BR area?

(I still have a vivid memory of my mate Christian who at age 9 had a set on his new Checker Pig - this thread was starting to cloud an otherwise happy childhood)

They're very, very good brakes, which are also a pain in the arse to get to work to their full potential.

It's my belief that more often than not, they're not working to their full potential, as the sheer time required to bleed them fully is beyond the scope that a bike shop feel they can charge for.

This is probably concealed by their performing very similarly to (say) some Shimano brakes which are at 100% when the Maguras are at, let's say, 60%.

Upper threaded hole in this picture is the bleed port:

This is the reservoir, the cylinder which forms it's rear wall is the master cylinder, so you have to get the air out of the master cylinder through the two ports halfway up the cylinder, then out through the port at the very top which goes to the bleed port.

Helpfully, the angle required to get a bubble to rise into the bleed port is the angle that will prevent all the bubbles moving through the port that leads to the bleed port - which is why these are such a pain, you have to move the lever through a multitude of angles to chase the bubbles up into the bleed port.

Amazing perseverance with the Magura, the potential waiting to be tapped but always tantalisingly just out of reach. Or is the pursuit of the potential a good part of the appeal, like the eternal search for the 8 speed XTR thumbie?

Having ridden stuff with 'good' examples of magura brakes I can understand your perseverance.

Magura's rep in the UK used to just be one guy, so way back when I splashed out and bought a set of Wotan's (real nice fork from approx 2008) was instantly dissapointed every time I needed service or tune parts and ended up just ordering from 2009/10 versions of Rose etc as the guy was nice, but unfortunately out of his depth at that time. Better now I imagine/would hope.

Had a customer in other day with a very meh bike, XT 8 speed rapidfires in perfect condition. Asked if he would sell them, or consider selling me whole bike when he was done with it, turns out he fitted them NOS about a year ago, after having forgotten buying them in 1998.

Shimano, if your listening, I will commission 10,000 XT/xTR 1st gen rapidfires to sell to all the weirdo commuter bike folks, they just worked and felt so good!

Rapidfires are one thing, the XTR edition version of the below another

1 Attachment

Ah never seen one, deore and xt versions like above yes, have a small stash

XTR thumbies unfortunately don’t exist although for some they remain untapped potential

Amazing perseverance with the Magura, the potential waiting to be tapped but always tantalisingly just out of reach. Or is the pursuit of the potential a good part of the appeal, like the eternal search for the 8 speed XTR thumbie?

The reason I have Magura brakes is because they were such a key part of the original Pace mountain bikes, in the iconic yellow.

It would have been very easy to have changed course, but Hope's aesthetic doesn't work for me, and my recent experience of their brakes was not good. Shimano crack pistons if you look at them wrong, and SRAM levers looks like they belong on a motocross bike.

Trickstuff of course get great reviews, but they're somewhat spendy and the hose doesn't fit through internally routed frames.

And, of course, we have the forums very own Howard who recommends them.

I'm also extremely stubborn, and won't accept a level of performance below that which I know the parts are capable (my own performance, on the other hand....), and it may be apparent that I like to fiddle with things.

All of that to one side, having resolved the "cable guard not long enough" issue on the full suspension bike, they've been great - apart from the master cylinder issue, but whatevs.

The bleeding process is, absolutely 100%, a massive pain in the arse to do properly.

It's very easy to do badly, and it's fairly easy to do acceptably - which I think is what happens with most peoples brakes as that's my experience of getting bike shops to bleed them.

Of the options you list and their problems I’d suggest that the difficulties bleeding etc of the magura brakes outweighs the occasional Shimano piston failure. Also with the availability of parts and ease of bleeding the Shimano option still appears to be the most attractive.

I have tears of frustration every time the maguras get a mention on this thread. It feels the adventures in mountain biking play a small part, and the tinkering and fettling is where most time is spent.

I live in London and it’s dark by the time work isn’t happening- so yes, that’s true.

Hopefully the summer will change that somewhat.

It's my belief that more often than not, they're not working to their full potential, as the sheer time required to bleed them fully is beyond the scope that a bike shop feel they can charge for.

Sounds like beginnings of a Slipknot song

Hip to be square and all that but would it be quicker/easier to just get an RC100, Magura rim brakes and all?

I tried a set of Magura brakes as they were the cheapest option when I converted my Mason from drops to flat bars. I was surprised how easily they bled!
The only issue I had with them was fluid weeping from either the bleed nipple or the banjo fitting, can't remember which, but that was resolved by actually torquing it properly rather than just going by feel!
The MT7 Raceline brakes looked awesome and I really fancied a set for the Solaris but I just couldn't justify the price.

Buy a riprow machine so you can train in technique at home?

Try finding a big one, and that aside, try finding one that’s not cracked at the head tube or seat tube.

Get Herne Hill bikes to put pressure, bicycle shop in general should be able to help your case.

edit; just seen your later respond, ignore.

They are about.

It was a few years ago now but I did look for a 21” one and was offered a couple neither of which were cracked. Prices were reasonable but for reasons I forget (but regret, whatever they were) I didn’t go through with it.

They are £! now, and very rarely come up.

And it’d just go with my 22”, period correct/complete, 1989 Klein Attitude.

A Klein Attitude Dolomite was with the RC100 and Yo Eddy on my early 90s podium of dreams.