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Magura MT-8 Loss of Brakes

7K views 35 replies 16 participants last post by  006_007 
#1 ·
Did a Ride this past Monday Night: start temp 35*f finish temp 24*f

I was riding with my usual Monday Night group when after a 1/4 mile uphill we encountered a tree that had fallen across the trail. A few of us had saws so we took about 15-20 minutes to clear the branches. I then jumped back on the bike and started the downhill section which is fast and rocky,,it was then that I went to apply the brakes and to my terror, both levers went right to the grips, absolutely no brakes and not a hint of hydraulic pressure. I crashed my new 2012 Epic S-Works wrecking the frame and gouging the rear shock as I went head over tail thru the biggest of rocks!!!

I could not possibly be more angry or amazed that both brakes would go from working perfectly to zero in one squeeze of the lever!!!

I guessing this happened because of the cold, but this is the first time in 6 yrs of riding Magura brakes,, summer and winter,,that I have had this experience.

To say I'm dissapointed in the new MT-8's would be a severe understatement
 
#13 · (Edited)
Did a Ride this past Monday Night: start temp 35*f finish temp 24*f

I was riding with my usual Monday Night group when after a 1/4 mile uphill we encountered a tree that had fallen across the trail. A few of us had saws so we took about 15-20 minutes to clear the branches. I then jumped back on the bike and started the downhill section which is fast and rocky,,it was then that I went to apply the brakes and to my terror, both levers went right to the grips, absolutely no brakes and not a hint of hydraulic pressure. I crashed my new 2012 Epic S-Works wrecking the frame and gouging the rear shock as I went head over tail thru the biggest of rocks!!!

I could not possibly be more angry or amazed that both brakes would go from working perfectly to zero in one squeeze of the lever!!!

I guessing this happened because of the cold, but this is the first time in 6 yrs of riding Magura brakes,, summer and winter,,that I have had this experience.

To say I'm dissapointed in the new MT-8's would be a severe understatement
I had lost half the lever throw ~ bite contact and half the braking power with my rear brake all of a sudden, I was applying a short but firm pressure to the brake, this was a brand new Magura MT8, the hose had not been cut at all for installlation, after looking at the brake system, you can't find any oil that might have leaked. Temperature prob. in the 60"s F. I did notice the caliper piston on the opposte side of the brake hose was flush with the caliper, while the piston on the opposite side was partly out, not sure if the piston is sticking or just not enough pressure to move both pistons out at the same time, The first time this happened to me, I thought just a sticky piston, worked the piston in and out several times rebleed. But this has happened to me about a total of three times, half the power and half the bite contact point on the rear brake. First I called Magurausa no answer, then I emailed them about the problem and wanted a warranty replacement, no reply. Then I emailed racemechanic on the Magura forum, said you should of replaced them sooner, man I tried with no Magurausa response, so I'm going to keep trying so I don't end up wrecking my 2011 Epic S Works, I would want a new bike after that if I crashed like the other guy on here, People have been telling Magura the MT8 is having sudden loose of pressure, I think they should have a full recall on MT8s. I'm not happy with Magura service or response, have the receipt, had registered the brakes online with Magura within the thirty days of purchase. Getting the run around, tried the Magurausa first, no response, tried contacting someone in Europe, said go back to Magurausa...just to let you know how fun it can be with Magura. Will say the front brake works perfect, and is the best brake I have ever had, the rear brake works great, then dosen't, works great, then dosen't, continues to give me trouble with rebleeds, glad its only the rear brake. JUDE CAN YOU HELP ME ALSO?
 
#2 ·
Did a Ride this past Monday Night: start temp 35*f finish temp 24*f

I was riding with my usual Monday Night group when after a 1/4 mile uphill we encountered a tree that had fallen across the trail. A few of us had saws so we took about 15-20 minutes to clear the branches. I then jumped back on the bike and started the downhill section which is fast and rocky,,it was then that I went to apply the brakes and to my terror, both levers went right to the grips, absolutely no brakes and not a hint of hydraulic pressure. I crashed my new 2012 Epic S-Works wrecking the frame and gouging the rear shock as I went head over tail thru the biggest of rocks!!!

I could not possibly be more angry or amazed that both brakes would go from working perfectly to zero in one squeeze of the lever!!!

I guessing this happened because of the cold, but this is the first time in 6 yrs of riding Magura brakes,, summer and winter,,that I have had this experience.

To say I'm dissapointed in the new MT-8's would be a severe understatement
I had a similar problem with just my front MT8, twice on really cold days - 5-15 degrees F. I had attributed it to cutting the line when I installed them, so each time I rebled, and haven't had a problem since.
 
#4 ·
DJ,, I understand what you are saying but I dont think this is the case. I have been riding the bike for 5 months,,, had the Shock and Brakes serviced before the VT50,, and have been riding it 4-5 times a week since with no issues.

Prior to this incident I was touting the excellence of the MT brakes,, I really felt they were the cat's meow,, Great Modulation, excellent power, all the things you would expect from a great brake.. but now I'm scared to keep them on the bike.

Maybe Jude can chime in and give me / the forum, some insight.
 
#3 ·
That is a totally unacceptable occurrence. Send them to Magura for failure analysis - so the will know it's their fault and they can implement a redesign.
I have MT6's. I believe there is a complicated hydraulic circuit in the lever because they do not react as expected to bleeding and I've had mine make a pop noise and sudden change in bite point, then it recovered. They just aren't as simple at Martas.
 
#5 ·
Magura Customer Support "wow"

I was contacted by Jude from Magura this afternoon and "wow",, Magura is driven to determine the cause of my issue. The have really stepped up and they're going to do everything in their power to satisfy "me" the consumer.

I will report back when I know more.
 
#6 ·
I was contacted by Jude from Magura this afternoon and "wow",, Magura is driven to determine the cause of my issue. The have really stepped up and they're going to do everything in their power to satisfy "me" the consumer.

I will report back when I know more.
Yup, that is typical (excellent) customer support by Jude / Magura. Even though I have never had any reliability issues with my Magura products, they have always answered any technical queries I have sent their way.
 
#25 ·
Phlegm,,OP here... It was discovered by Magura that my brake set was from a very early production run that had hard durometer seals,,, they had changed this early on but mine must have slipped thru. I have had a new set of MT-8's installed for approx 3 weeks,, these new units are Great,,, and i've been out on some very cold nights.

Magura was stellar in their respomse and customer support,,, I would reccommend Magura and their products to all !!!
 
#23 ·
I have had MT 8 brakes on my bike since April. Once bled properly and installing SwissStop pads they offer truly amazing, modulation and and great power, the best brakes I have used, period. So happy with them it is influencing my decision on a new 29er fork and seriously considering the Magura TS 8R fork.
 
#24 ·
I had issues initially with getting them bled correctly, but now I am totally happy with the MT8. The best modulation I have felt. I recently installed a 203/180 combo from 180/160, and I am even happier. I weigh 220 lbs and wanted even more stopping power, and I got it.
 
#32 ·
I have MT6 brakes and on last winter every time when temp dropped below -15C/5F for longer time, I had to bleed my brakes after ~20h riding because levers hit the bar... After this last winters cold season I have had no need for bleeding. Lets see what happens during this winter.
Luckily my brakes did not commit sudden suicide, so I did not have any no-brakes-at-all situations.
 
#33 ·
redbluecai

Its very hard to diagnose from afar as you can imagine so canotryss and I have emailed back and forth and he is sending his brakes in for inspection. I started by asking him a few basic questions,
how much pad material is left, what rotors he was using, were the brakes bled after shortening the lines or installing, riding conditions etc.

Typically the cold can relocate air that has been trapped inside the system for some time that has gone unnoticed, just like heat. In this case of cold however, the air becomes dense and therefore smaller and possibly enabling it to jiggle or move from where it was stuck and causing the system to respond differently (just like heated air in the system.)

Then of course the problem could have originated from production or production parts so until I have them in my hands for a closer inspection, its always hard to speculate.
 
#34 ·
I wanted to add that jude and magura have been extremely helpful in helping me diagnose my problem and are replacing my brakes. Just as the person before, it was determined that mine were early an early production model. I will be using magura products in the future because of how well they work and if something does happen they stand behind their products with top notch customer service.
 
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