Can I......Disc brake content....

donslow

Swap the levers/housing on my Magura mt8 brake set with something else?

As I’ve read, common issue that the threads on the lever housing strips and, being plastic, isn’t really fixable, so can I replace the levers and housing for something else or is it time for a new brake set altogether?

veronese68

Possibly.
You need something that uses the same fluid, not sure if Magura use mineral or DOT. You'd also need to be sure the hoses are the same diameter. Finally you need similar volume of fluid moved by the levers so the caliper moves the right amount relative to lever travel.

donslow

I can’t escape the feeling that you’re subtly saying “just buy new brakes” ha ha

I figured that’d be the simplest option

veronese68

Even more probability 😁
I'm all in favour of fixing things and it might work, but if not you'd have been better off buying new brakes. Sensible advice is to buy new brakes, but I'm an idiot and would look at fixing them first.

whyamihere

I haven't tried this myself, but the search term you want is 'Shigura' - There's a lot of people who run Shimano levers with Magura calipers and report very good results.

donslow

@whyamihere id read about the whole shigura thing myself but something is telling me, nope, for you, bad idea ha ha

I’m a bit of a noob when it comes to brakes and have no complaints with the mt8’s that I have, other than the stripped threads in the plastic housings

Been looking at hope x2 brakeset, are they are any good?!

Looking for recommendations on something equal or upgraded from the MT8’s I currently have, metal lever housing being a big bonus...

donslow

@veronese68 i’m with you, all in favour of fixing first but I’m feeling, in this instance it might just be better to replace rather than fix and hope for the best.

The leavers are tight on the bars at the minute but I can’t help but feel it won’t be long before they bow out and say goodnight

donslow

Can anyone tell if these would do the trick?!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373382221008

donslow

The more I look, the more it seems the brakes on my bike are the pros rather than standard (for want if a better term) mt8’s

bobbydigital

I ran m785 levers with mt8 calipers.

The Magura levers are awful, flex, the horrible plastic port screws and the "carbon" stuff they use for the MT8 is ugly.

They flex a lot because they are long, like the old Shimano M810, M665 stuff, very poor design.

I also run TRP G Spec levers with old Zee m640 4 piston calipers, it's a great combo, the Trp is very high volume, so a tiny movement on the lever relates to a lot of modulation.