Best brakes for E bike?

motoadve

Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
62
Reaction score
34
Location
Washington
Have Magura M7s on my regular bike, and like the performance and feel a lot.
Has anyone tried the E Stop Maguras? any good?

Or other recommendation for very powerful brakes for E bike.
I have a Turbo Levo, brakes work ok, but on very fast descends needs more stopping power, and the feel is horrible
 
⚡ EMTB Pro Go Pro — exclusive discounts & ad-free Peaty's 25% off & more · Ad-free browsing · Pro badge See the deals →
Anything 4 pot is a good starting point.
Personally, I hate SRAM as they are a 2 pressure system and that causes a lack of feel. They are powerful but I just can't modulate them as I like. With the Shimano 4 pot (even the cheaper ones) I can feel the pulse of the disk.
Haven't any experience with anything else recently but I really liked some Hopes on a mates bike I rode early last year - not the price.
 
It comes down to personal preference.
If your already like Maguras and like the feel, then there won’t be any surprises.
Working in a shop I have had positive and negative experiences with every brake manufacturer.
One company makes pretty brakes in a whole bunch of colors, but I don’t like the lever feel.
Another company makes pretty brakes too, but I can’t get them at wholesale cost in the USA and they never have them in stock
Then there are two companies that are like the Pepsi Vs Coke of mountain bike brakes. One is really fast to bleed, but I can’t get along with the performance traits. The other is a brake I have bleed so many times I could probably do it blind folded.
Pepsi Vs Coke? I prefer Root Beer
Then there is this company that makes a 4 piston front brake and a two piston rear, so I have to buy two different brake pads. Their levers feel flimsy and cheap to me.
The brakes I prefer above all others are from a company that was once the gold standard in disc brakes. The lever feel is amazing, the power is phenomenal and modulation is the best I have ever experienced. The bleeding procedure is more work than any other brake and I always forget the steps because I never have to bleed them and the only time I do is when I install a new set on a customer’s bike.

There are a half dozen more but you’re not looking at those.
Go with the Maguras, it what you already like and know
 
I also had Shimano XT brakes as well as Sram Code R. I can say that I like Sram Code more, I didn't feel weak after long descents. But not to extend it, it is clear that it is about tastes. All that exists now on the market with 4 pistons are doing their job very well.
However, I made some changes to Code R:
- I replaced the original brake pads with brake pads from Trikstuff .... I now have more braking power and I do not have the feeling of lack of braking power after long descents.
-I bought Magura MDR-P 6-bolt Brake Rotor 220mm and 203mm. I haven't reached them yet, but I want to pair them with Sram Code R.
 
The best thing I have done is go to a 220mm disc up front, this hauls down the bike much faster, and also IMO give more feel to my braking - my bike came with Guide RE's.

Maguras newly released line of emtb brakes have the larger disc option, if you like Maguras go for these:

MAGURA eSTOP & e-Bike optimized technology
 
Magura's were powerful enough for me but didn't like the modulation so changed to Shimano zee and and seems a fair bit better. You can usually pick them up pretty cheap. I got them for £80 each.
 
4 Piston Shimano XTs. You can still find some M8020's available at great prices, and the M8120's are the current incarnation.
 
Anything 4 pot is a good starting point.
Personally, I hate SRAM as they are a 2 pressure system and that causes a lack of feel. They are powerful but I just can't modulate them as I like. With the Shimano 4 pot (even the cheaper ones) I can feel the pulse of the disk.
Haven't any experience with anything else recently but I really liked some Hopes on a mates bike I rode early last year - not the price.


Something is wrong if think Shimano brakes modulate too much and you think SRAM brakes are too snappy.. Shimanos are know for ultimate on/off power while SRAM Codes have way way more modulation. My Code RSCs modulate and my Saint/Zee brakes are the definition of on/off. 200 rotors F+R on both setups with metal pads.
 
I have a lightly used set of SRAM Code RSCs for sale. 200mm rotors. I prefer Saints so I swapped after a few rides.
 
I run saints with seem 220 rotors on very steep terrain and love them. The sram 40mm adaptor works front and rear on 180 post mounts.
 
On my ebike I run a full saint on front & saint lever on 4pot deore calliper. Would also consider Hayes Dominion A4 brakes
 
People tends to recommend whatever brand that they are using themselves. I have ridden with multiple different brands including numerous Shimano and SRAM brake systems. If you want stopping power beyond Saints with modulation like Code RSC’s, go for Hayes Dominion. They are simply the best brakes I have ever used.

Karsten
 
Trickstuff maxima.

862A1491-D540-422F-BEFF-4AF9917DC5E3.jpeg
 
Haibike FullFatSix; MT5 calipers F & R with 203 Magura rotors. For pads I use a combination of EBC MT7 resin and metallic (green & gold) pads, ie 2 of each in each caliper. You'll need to buy 4 pad bolts as well.
This combo seems to work in all conditions ??
 
Just get decent pads and a large disk for the codes there perfect I find in the kenevo ( still to do front big disk conversion) and still no issues ridden in the alps found them better than my hope e4 which is why I'm not bothering with hope brakes again
 
I must ride so much slower than all you guys. Until I got my 2020 Levo Expert, I had a 20 year old FSR Expert with V-Brakes that I was still quite content with. And I’m more than happy with the stopping power, modulation, etc. with the stock brakes on the new Levo.

Guess I need to start pushing myself a little harder!!
 
Me personally... Heavy Levo- plus I'm 230lbs ride aggressively... I don't feel confident with the other brands I've tried.
 
Keep reading
    Browse all

    Similar Threads

    Community Stats

    Since 2018
    669K
    Messages
    40,951
    Members
    Join 30,000+ Riders, it's free!
    Back
    Top