Ultimate Force! Eight of the best E-MTB disc brakes in comparison

Magura MT4

The Magura MT4 brakes fall into the bracket of being affordable, but still boast premium features. German-based Magura have been building brakes for a long time now, and the MT4s are the two-piston little brothers of the bigger MT5 and MT7. Very light at 212 g, the Carbotecture (carbon-injected plastic) body of the lever shrugs off impacts well, and the brake lever is long and perfect for those with bigger hands, fitted with a T25 reach adjuster that is less fiddly than most. Magura has thought about the home mechanic too, using the same Torx T25 standard for all their bolts and providing a five-year guarantee against leaks. In the lab, the MT4s were solid performers, equal to the other two-piston brakes, with good resistance to fade.

On the trail, we found there was nothing lightweight about their performance, as they delivered plenty of power from a single finger. Deceleration is powerful and effective, with lots of modulation, and we had no problems with a shifting bite point. We did feel that the lever feel is a little less sensitive than the class leaders Shimano and SRAM. The Magura MT4s are like a VW Golf: they do everything well and look built to go the distance.