First Ride: Magura Relaunch the Gustav Pro Brakes

Whereas something like SRAM's Maven brakes were heralded as a large jump in power for the American brand, Magura say they're already very happy with the power of their top-line gravity brakes. Instead, they wanted to take that power and make a brake that was as absolutely consistent as they could make it. Each component, whether lever, calliper, hose or rotor, offers a real distinction from what one might see from other brands currently, and there's a lot here to pique your curiosity.


A Very Different Lever and Hose

I've always been irked by Magura's use of self-tapping screws on premium, high-end brakes. While it is essentially a good solution, there was just something about it that seemed so archaic and not befitting a reasonably expensive product. Well, good news for me, at least, that is now gone. They're sticking with the flippable levers, meaning you don't need to bleed them should you be setting up the bike for somebody who runs an inverse setup to your own, but they now use one T25 bolt and a hinged part. This hinged assembly can also take fittings to suit different droppers and shifters.

The lever has reach adjustment, but no bite point control and it drives the master cylinder directly. I wouldn't rule out something arriving at some point, and Magura seems very receptive to the idea of after-market tuning kits to suit rider preferences. The lever on the Gustav Pro is derived from the HC-W brake lever developed together with Loic Bruni. The lever also has a subtle notch in the middle. This feature is essentially a built-in failure point should you have a crash. By being able to control the point where the lever would snap, they're able to choose a point where the lever is still usable so you can make it to the bottom. Changing the lever is now quicker than in previous models, thanks to the bolted lever.


They've also doubled the volume of the reservoir. This was done for two reasons. Firstly, more oil, more consistency and less need to bleed the brakes, and secondly, the Bosch ABS system requires a greater volume of oil. While I do not doubt that the exact volume was set by the needs of the ABS system that you might see on some e-bikes in coming years, all riders who want more consistency can benefit from having more oil, both in terms of performance and servicing. When pads near the end of their life, it means that there will be less oil in the reservoir as it's drawn into the system. This means the diaphragm can create a vacuum, leading to inconsistency. If you've ever bought your pads further out and had the lever feeling great at home only to have it come to the bar again once heat is introduced into the system, this is most likely why.

The master piston on other Magura brakes has been enlarged from 10mm to 12mm, and the calliper pistons have increased by 2mm to 19mm. The Gustav Pro has a reduced system pressure but keeps the same hydraulic ratio. A lower system pressure will suffer less from hose expansion, and it also means that should an air bubble be in the system, it will have less effect.


The levers will be sold pre-bled, with a membrane covering the hose-port. This is where Magura's showpiece comes in - their Easy Link connection system. The crimped piece on the end of the hose pierces the membrane. You then secure the mechanism to lock it, and that's it - that's your new lever installed. The really clever bit about Easy Link is that the new crimped connections are the same diameter as the hose, meaning you can disconnect it, pass it through a frame (or headset) and not have to shorten your hoses as you remove a nut.

There are some small issues, however. Firstly, the crimping tool to factory install the fitting is quite expensive, so when shortening the hoses to fit your frame you'll probably end up cutting off the insert and replacing it with a more traditional fitting at home. The replacement would have the same interface as the lever but would use a nut and then not be able to reap the full benefits of being the smaller diameter, crimped part. A way around this, of course, would be to shorten the hose from the calliper end. This would then mean you have to bleed the whole system, but I think that's a small price to pay to keep something neat. When you do bleed the brake, the syringes now go straight into the port without a hose. Magura suggests this provides one less point of failure.

This system will be used in all future Magura brakes and is retrofittable to older Magura brakes with an adaptor.


Caliper and Disc

While Easy Link, clever injection moulding and a significantly larger amount of oil are all good and well, my personal highlight is the massive 2.5mm rotors. These rotors are so thick that you now only need to make sure the calliper itself is aligned because the rotor is stiff enough to push the pistons back. In fact, the disc is so thick its interface has to have material machined away to offset the rotor and keep it within tolerances for the bike brand's brake mounts. There is enough oil in the system that, should you choose to, you can run the 2mm rotors without needing to rebleed the system.


The thicker rotors also, Magura claims, vibrate less, meaning brakes are quieter. Interestingly, Magura also say that thanks to a combination of features (mainly power, pad surface area and rotor stiffness), the brakes don't need a prescribed bedding in, and you can just get on and ride. Having ridden these brakes fresh out of the box I would say it's largely true. There are probably two braking instances where the power isn't great and then it's good from there on out.

The pads themselves still use their magnetic system, which I quite like. Using four individual pads means that you can run the same, larger pistons throughout the caliper. Typically, larger pistons are positioned closer to the rotor’s trailing edge, while the smaller pistons are near the leading edge. This is done to provide a more balanced application of pressure, reducing the risk of the pads wearing unevenly and improving overall braking performance. However, with individual pads, it's not required, Magura claims.


Ride Impressions

While I only spent a short period riding these brakes on an incredibly wet Austrian mountainside, my initial impressions are very good, and they've certainly piqued my curiosity. At one point between runs I rode the ebike (yes, ebike park laps are a thing in Europe) in turbo mode down a steep road with the rear brake dragging heavily. The disc began to glow red but power remained consistent. Once I got to the bottom and let the bike cool, the lever did feel slightly softer. However, after one or two hard braking efforts, the positive feel returned. Throughout, they remained quiet.

The power is very good, if not mind-blowing. I think we're at a point where we've been spoiled in recent years. However, it's got plenty there, even if it does without the lightweight action of something like the Hayes Dominions. Personally, I prefer this slightly heavier feel as I find it a lot easier to modulate the brake. In its stock guise, the lever doesn't come close enough to the bar for my liking. Magura says there will be aftermarket lever blades available in due course and explains that the minimum reach point was set due to constraints provided by the ABS system.

Overall, Magura has made a brake that is very different, and I, for one, will be curious not only to put this setup through a long-term test but also to see if other brands follow suit to the 2.5mm rotors in time, much like they did with 2.3s.

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