*_Which brakes have you loved? Which have you had issues with? And which do you want to try next??_*

Got Hope V4 Tech 3s and love them, main reason is i can get the lever throw insanely short as i hate the long pull before the pads contact the rotors With fresh pads they always rub initially but are immaculate afterwards

Thank you guys so much for making this video. I have been looking at replacing my codes with one of these three and have struggled to find a direct three-way comparison video.

Mike and crew, great vid as usual. My history with these brakes.. I had the 1st Gen Magura brakes (neon yellow) on my GT RTS-2 and OEM Hayes on my 2000 Specialized FSR BIGHIT (still own). Both of which work way better than my current Shimano brakes on my Intense Carbine. My next upgrade will be brakes, so this vid comes at a great time.

After 3 years with the Magura’s I had a lever body break off riding (yes, whilst riding along and just applying the lever…!!!) which was upsetting because the Magura’s are the best I’ve ever used (I’m 66yrs and been there and done that). The fracture was in the body , not the clamp part. So, I loved the callipers so much, I went Shigura by adding Shimano XT levers (M8100). Hard to believe, but these are even better. The slight initial ‘sponginess’ (the initial ‘hump’ at the start you mentioned) in the Magura lever (only weakness) has reduced a lot, despite it being the Shimano lever with a bit of a rep for that . I have power, modulation and unrelenting predictability. Since I dint crash, I’m glad the MT lever broke.

I’ve got Magura MT7 Pro’s and they’re ridiculously powerful, tons of customizability, and are half the weight of other brands. Best brakes IMO

Sub'd soon as that Mechanic guy walked in explaining the ends and outs of the brake systems. I always wanted to try all these brakes just didn't know what bleed kits they required, saved me from going done a huge rabbit hole!!!!

Great video, I’ve got Hayes a4 on my smaller bike and Trp dhr evo on my bigger bike. Love them both. Easy to forget which ones I’m even riding.

I rode code rsc the last two seasons. Giving the dominion A4 a go this year. I’m excited!!!

Heavy rider here riding very steep and long descents but also climbs as well (no lifts). Kudos on a well written review on alternative brake options. Most people I know only talk about SRAM and Shimano brakes when there's so many options out there. After being very unhappy with those last two brands, I jumped in the Magura bandwagon and I've been perfectly happy with them. Very easy to maintain and bleed, and fantastic lever feel as well, throughout the life of the pads (I do have the HC3 levers) 😎

Love this! I’m picking up a set of Hayes dominion A4 very soon!!

Great video. Great breakdown of the differences.

If ur ever stuck for hayes dominion pads. Code pads fit if u drill the hole in the pad out a little

I picked up some Hayes brakes some months back and I was really pleased how good they are, especially for the price.

TRPs are definitely my type. I only have lower OEM slate 4-pistons and stopping power is amazing.

I have the magura mt8 pro brakes they have been awesome so far. I paired them up with trp 33 break rotors been a great combo.

Have only used TRPs lower end trail brakes but even those have really impressed me. Enjoy them as much as the XTs on my other bike

I’ve had Magura MT7 with HC3 (?) levers and currently ride Hayes Dominion titanium version brakes. Both are great and performed much better than Sram Brakes that came on my bike. Other than the Magura carbotexture material which does feel like it would break easier than other brands (though I never broke them in 2 years of riding) the biggest difference is ease of install I found. As I home mechanic I was able to install Magura brakes with tools on hand. I did order the Magura “pro bleed kit” which I thought was overpriced garbage. Just get the jag wire bleed kit. The Hayes were much more finicky to install and required 2-3 specialty tools the average diy’er does not have. Good luck finding the one size of crab claw wrench you need at a local hardware store (I had to end up ordering a whole set). When installing the rear brake the olive with integrated needle thing broke in the reservoir requiring a full rebuild of the caliper. The needle was much harder to install than on Magura. Hayes manual calls for a specific needle insertion tool. The Hayes bleed process was fairly easy for me. My advice is to read the instruction manual for Hayes prior to purchasing to make sure you have the tools needed. If I were to do it again and now that I have the specialty tools I would get Hayes again. If I didn’t have those tools already I would either pay a shop to install the Hayes or go with Magura.

It would have been nice to discuss also rotors. The Magura offer the MDR-P, this look great. Also riding the MT-7 myself I can only recommend going for the split pads rather than the ones you were showing. Great video, keep it coming!

Thank you guys for making this video.

I loooooove my MT7 brakes with the hc3 lever. I have gotten it perfect for what I need. having that leverage adjustment is a game changer, it makes it possible to get exactly the same feel on the front and rear brakes wich make them incredibly consistent. and then there is the power. all the power you need and more, and because of all that power, not that much arm pump. I came off code brakes and I immediately felt the difference when it comes to arm pump. and that power never stops coming. I have the race pads on my brakes and they are really strong at the start of the run and even stronger towards the end of the run. they just keep on braking and the more you abuse them the more stopping power you have. I have a feeling that I will never switch from magura going forward, that's how much I love mine.

My experience… Magura = noisy, inconsistent bedding in, weak lever blades, but a good lever feel Hayes = smooth/light lever pull, simple caliper alignment, but overheated or just not enough power during DH race runs and gave gnarly arm pump TRP = not enough time on them but seemed good while I rode Neko’s bike After trying nearly everything, I’ve come to love Shimano Saints, Galfer Pro pads, and SRAM HS2 rotors for the most power/bite and ease of use.

This is great roundup of all the non big S brakes, really covers it all! Personally I have Shimano on all my bikes now but I briefly owned a bike with MT7s and have demoed bikes with Maguras a few times and have always really gotten along with them. The lever shape and bite point are really what I like and frankly the only reason I don't have them now is because of what I heard about the bleed process but maybe I should give them a long term shot next time.

i still ride Hayes Aces 4 poc. Love them and the lever looks more like the Magura. Annyway love em and love the video!

TRPs with Freedom Coast levers are insanely good! Also change out the blue TRP pads for the TRP golds. Also the 2.3 Trp rotors are what sets them apart.

TRPs are definitely the easiest to maintain and setup, the thicker 2.3mm rotors never go out of true or even have a little wobble. Any brake that uses a open bleed cup on the lever is always nice too.

I recently switched from the MT7 to Tech 4 and the Tech 4 is amazing. Nothing wrong with my set of MT7 but the quality and craftsmanship for the tech 4 is next level. It's got great modulation, power, all the adjustments and it's also totally rebuildable for the home mechanic.

Excellent analysis guys thanks 🎉

Nice Video. Had the Hayes, super nice brakes. Now Magura in my ebike

I started out with basic Tektro 2 piston brakes and upgraded to the TRP. I am very happy with how they perform and would recommend them to anyone.

I have been riding the Magura MT5 brakes for years and they are really amazing. I would choose these over Shimano brakes anytime. But remember! It is all about preference!

Hayes has the same adjustability as the Magura MT7 HC3. On Hayes, theres a screw that you can adjust for pad contact but to me it only does the same thing a reach adjust but if you remove the lever blade, there's a screw with the ball you can adjust for leverage of the blade. I dont touch it since its tedious to adjust.

Great comparison vid. One major factor not mentioned is what hand size/reach preference these brakes suit as reach adjust on brake levers significantly impacts the dead stroke (generally reducing lever distance = increases dead stroke). For people with small hands - go Magura. Shortest throw of the three and can get the throw even shorter with a different lever. For people with bigger hands - Go any of them. TRP works best for people with medium-larger hands as they have a very linear power delivery and dead stroke is significantly affected by the reach adjust. For people with medium hands - Go any of them. But if you like to run your brakes closer to the bar then go with the Dominions or the Maguras.

I liked the modulation on SRAM RSCs. Don't like both Magura and Shimano because they bite too fast. Have to be more careful with them not to lock the wheel. I have this small rock jump into a rock garden brake section and with the RSCs I could start breaking as I'm landing. Where as with the Maguras and Shimanos I had to brake before the jump because can't modulate the power well enough to keep traction while the suspension is working.

I LOVE that backdrop!!

Love my Maguras, found the bleeding super easy and straight forward, like any other brand to be honest.

I have the SRAM Code and thinking of the TRP’s. I like to have a good response when braking and simplicity

Great review!

Ive used the trp dhr evo brakes and had no problem with them and the power and modulation is great.

I was always a fan of Saints till I switched to the MT7. Same power without any of the wandering bite point or other issues. Love them

Went from Code R to Saints, felt instant improvement. I'm around 115 kg with the bike.

props for the rough af shirt!

Love the vids!

Went from trp g-spec (which i thought were awesome) now i run hayes and im super happey with their performance and feel

after having used all of these 3, if you want the best of them all, hope tech 4 v4.

All three are good. Magura MT7 is my favorite. I run steel race pads and 200 mm rotors front and rear.

Great vid. On the Hayes dominion, what's the difference between the sfl version vs normal. Are the levers the same length or actually shorter? if shorter, how is that more designed for a smaller hand?

i have had various sram then tried hayes and now the TRP. I actually wish i would have had more time on the hayes brakes(being that they were on a fat bike i didnt care for). I recall that lever feel and bite was really nice. I have a lot more time on the TRPs and have really been enjoying them. coming off the code RSC brakes they have been a dream. I recently rented a bike with codes on it and was honestly super disappointed in them.

From riding them in the car park I love the Maguras. I myself ride Formula Curas. Maybe you can get them into a next review, I would really want to know how they compare to other systems

I have the Magura MT5s. They kind of feel like a mix of Sram and Shimano. They have decent modulation and a powerful bite. Those who are more of a finesse braker will get along great with them

I've had multiple sets of MT7s (for different bikes) and they were probably the most noticeable upgrade for me, and really helped my confidence downhill. To be fair many 4-Pistons would be! So much power. Their service kit was def nice to have for the home mechanic. They can be a little noisy with the close pad contact. But, I've since upgraded to Oak Levers which have some adjustability built in. Before that I was a Shimano fan. I'd probably run Saints otherwise!

My TRP Quadiem's are my fave brakes so far.

I have the Hayes Dominion and I have never in my life ridden a brake that strong. I have them set up with a 203 magura mdrp rotor and the red galfer pads. They have so much power that a friend of mine nearly went over the bars in the parking lot( he rides shimano) as he pulled them. Worth mentioning is that I had to tinker with the pad and rotor because I couldn’t get them to brake silently. With the current setup there is minimal to no sound.

Are those stealth black TRP limited edition? I’ve only seen silver and gold. Awesome video. I’m in the market for a new bike build. Was deciding which non SRAM/Shimano brakes to spec.

I tried the magura mt7 and mt5 I liked the mt7 but I broke the lever after 2 weeks of use and couldn't find a replacement within a month, at a reasonable price the whole system was just 400$ cdn, the TRP are very fine brakes but I had one caliper failure, covered under store warranty. Presently I'm running code rsc, DB8 and Lewis LH4 on my bikes, still have the mt7 they are on my wife's bike.

I'm running the Hayes Dominions currently and like them. I do wanna try out both the TRP DHR-Evo and the new Hope brakes. Btw please make a video about the new Hope brakes!!!!

When I upgraded from sram rsc to shimano saint I was amazed. Idk if I'll ever try another set of brakes because the saints are just perfect for me

I have the TRP DH EVO's on my DH bike with 220mm rotors and they are ridiculously powerful. All day bike park laps with zero fade or change in performance. Nearly a year in without a bleed too which is also pretty amazing. Something to be said for a MTB product that just flat out works consistently without issue. Huge fan of the TRP's.

I run shimano xt 4 piston brakes with 200mm hs2 sram rotors love the combo on my nuckproof mega 290

This video was very helpful. Perfect timing for be too. I was considering these three.

I haven’t ridden the Hayes brakes but saying the brake with more power and bite that reduces arm pump is like a code doesn’t seem to make sense to me. Even the highest end Code RSC has significantly less power than a Shimano XT in my experience. I personally tend to dislike brakes with lots of modulation, I want the most power possible for the least effort (within reason obviously) but I feel like the Codes require so much input to get any power out of them which doesn’t compute with what I’ve heard about the Hayes

I'm riding a 50 lb e-bike and on high speed, long, steep descents the stock Code RS' needed so much finger pressure to slow down that I felt like my hands would seize up. Recently put on Hayes Dominion A4's and the reduction in pressure needed is unbelievable. Pro tip: SRAM caliper adaptors don't play nice with the Hayes calipers. I ended up having to shim to make them work.

Just got the new Levo SL and now swapping out the SRAM Code Silver and putting on my old MT7’s. The Code, to me, has inconsistent bite and I’m more comfortable on my old MT7’s even though you guys think the bite point is hard. I just bought a set of Swissstop pads to improve modulation. As you said, all these will stop you but modulation is most important so maybe next I’ll try the TRP.

The issue with crosshair alignment is that it only minimizes caliper twist on the top bolt when tightening them down (from experience and general mechanical knowledge). The top of the caliper will twist in until it hits the crosshair adj bolt. However the bottom one will still twist away from the bolt. The bottom bolt would be more effective on the inside of the caliper (of course the disc is in the way) to stop the caliper from shifting when the bolt is tight. Two bleed ports? Ughh. I grew up on Hayes but I think the TRPs are better overall. TRP flaw is that the bleed port screws allow too much oil to sit in the threads after bleed. If you don't spray them out with air pad contamination is VERY easy. For all the issues I have with Scram, especially their brakes, Bleeding edge is the single best bleed kit/feature of ANY brake I have worked on over the last 20+ years. Unfortunately it's only on some of their brakes and nobody else has caught on yet. Magura, brake caliper flex? Did Gary Fischer invent that hype? I don't buy it.

Hi guys i have question for you. Recently i bought my dream bike Norco Optic. Bike has TRP slate evo brakes but i noticed after long downhill ride brakes started to faded. Do you think uprage to DH-R will be noticable? And one question, can more powerful brakes damage my front fork in time? I have Rock Shox Pike Select 140mm. Thanks for your answer.

great sales voice dude with the rough AF shirt you have a gift expand it

I run magura mt8 with 4 piston sl calipers and hc3 levers and love them. Had hope brakes before which look really nice but performance was lacking.

MT7s with HC3 levers. Easy to bleed and maintain, tons of power, and great lever feel with those hc3 levers. My personal set has been transferred over to a 3rd bike at this point, and we have Magura on all our other bikes as well. I have no reason to try anything else right now. The Dominions feels pretty great though, but I prefer mineral oil brakes.

Probably worth noting the Magura has a radial mounted lever where the TRP and the Hayes have a axial mounted lever which will effect how they feel and modulate.

Curious about the pads, I know the TRP ships with a semi sintered I wonder if a sintered pad would bumped up the power.

How is it with the adapters for Hayes Brakes, have you got any idea? Will the sram 180 to 200 mm adapters work with Hayes calipers and the 203 rotor? PM standard front and rear.

I wish all brakes buy that has options bleeded or apart as a pain letting fluid out to feed though frame to then bleed

I had the top of the range Hayes years ago, the leaked, felt great when they worked thou

Trickstuff Maxima. Best brake out there. Will never go back to anything less.

I got Brakeforce one on my bike and I absolutely love them. They are the only brakes on the marked which run on water instead of oil and it is sooooo convenient to bleed them. Normally they are pretty expensive because it is a one man company, I just got pretty lucky and was able to grab a pair for 100 euros of Ebay.

Hope Tech 4 V4, best brakes I’ve had, so consistent

I have only had issues with my old Hayes Stroker (piston slop/seize). Shimano's have been super reliable, love the fact that the brake fluid in shimano/trp/magura won't kill you if you drink it :) Also better for the environement.

I went with the MT5s because i liked the way that they felt. I like a brake that bites quick but one impact and the master cylinder is dead. Definitely very frustrating.

Hi there Soni ride street trials with TRP evo but i think i need to sell them and get something else. 1. Problem - pad rock. It make horrible noises. 2. Problem - everytime i start my ride my brakes do not work. I have to first pour water on them and then bed them in.

I have impressions only with Magura. Two negatives - if you want to put a 2 brake pads to the caliper - you will have to remove it from the bike. No such issue if you put 4 pads. Also one should be really careful when reconnecting the hose to the brake body - it is very easy to strip the thread and then you go with Shimano brake lever and you have a Shigura. Which is better.

I’m interested in the different rotor requirements… and also TRP after market levers?

I did my first bleed on magura MT5-E and it was easy af X). just follow their 4min tutorial hit with a plastic tool the caliper to remove the bubbles and tadam it works fine :)

great video

I had Tektro on my beginner bike and worked really well. Ordered my enduro bike which came with Deore 4P brakes and they were great when they worked. A little inconsistent. After a long, long, long comparison between all the brands, went with TRP DH-R EVO. Overkill? Who cares, they work awesome, are very consistent and look nice! 👌

That explanation as to how “more power” can be beneficial was interesting. I run Shimano MT520, not premium by any means but I can lock up either wheel at any time. I’ve always wondered about the obsession with power, I figured that tyres would be the limiting factor with modern hydraulic brakes.

do the magura mt7 have contact adjustment like the hayes brakes?

I was pretty sure I was gonna get the Hayes for the next build. Now I’m certain

Magura's are awesome breaks but the bleeding takes practice they are not the most friendly to work but oh boy once you learn to work with them. They are awesome!!

I almost had my mind up on the trp’s and then they said “least powerful out of the group” 😅 I way 220 pounds will the trp’s be strong enough for stoppies?

Still looking for this "Magura bite", my front brake is so weak I can apply it full force and pedal through it (albeit quite hard). Clearly the issue is on me and my ability to get it properly set up, but this has been a 30 day battle so far. The rear brake is working nicely though, I cannot pedal through it if I apply the brake full power, so I must be on the right path.

manual from mt5e-stop says, Max 1.8 mm thickness rotor, all magura rotors are 2 mm, now my brake touch the pads already, when i not brake at all.. how can i fix that ? it's braking already if i not brake. can somebody help me ?

I've been riding Maguras for a couple years now. Massively more reliable and fade-resistant than the various Shimanos I'd ridden for years before (once you get them set up, that is). No experience with the others, but so far Mags seem as good as I'll ever need. Worth upgrading pads to something like MTX Red or metal pads for more bite. Stock pads were lacking.

What flat mount adapters are those on the Trp brakes

You should include Formula Cura 4 too.

Thanks

How do these compare to saints? I had saints forever and love them but I’d switch if they were that much better

To learn wheelie, of the three brakes, which one the softest bite of the caliper pad to rotor, not sharp. Or is there something outside of the three you mentioned that is best for learning to wheelie mtb

Unlike DOT, mineral oil can be used interchangeably. Magura will void your warranty tho. Yes, the boiling point is slighty different, but it is unlikeley to reach that temperature anyway. I use a 3rd party mineral oil in my brakes and never failed me so far. Any mineral oil brake lever is theoretically compatible with any mineral oil caliper, but the volume of fluid moved might be different. If you want a more "on-off" feel, look for a lever with a bigger volume and/or a ramp (like shimano mt501 -> xtr). If you want a longer throw, look for longer lever and/or lower lever piston volume. Consider changing the material of the brakepads, there are 4 main marterials you can choose from: resin, semimetalic, ceramic and metalic. They drasticly change the brake feel. The same with de diameter of the rotor. Tyres: the brake component few talk about. If you skid with front tyre on grippy terrain, you don't have powerful brakes, you have bad tyres. Hope it helps, happy trails 🤙🏻

Well i have magura mt5s on my trailbike and although they are the cheaper version i think this problem could also apply to the mt7: As the mastercylinder is this plastib, the thread for the cable is as well and in my experience its extremely easy th crossthread it and therefor make the level unusable (mabe I'm just ti dumb to thread it in but I'm going to blame it on the cheap buildquality)

across my 6 bikes i have had tektro, shimano deore, code rsc, deore xt 4 piston, magura mt5 and some flash prototype trp dhr evos and undoubtebly the trps are the best especially on downhill riding