Another year has come and gone which means another few days spent riding the incredible red rock of Sedona with Magura USA. Having made Sedona their own for their annual press camp, the Red Agave has played host to many new Magura products over the years. In 2015 though, we’re told most of the big announcements will come later in the year at Eurobike.
However, there was one key improvement that should make some riders happy. After recently reviewing the Magura MT7, we were quite happy with the lever positioning. But the lever was adjusted all the way in for my small to medium sized hands. In order to accommodate riders with smaller hands or shorter fingers, Magura is introducing a running change that will bring the lever closer to the bar…
While the basic Magura MT Next brake line remains unchanged for 2015, the updated brake levers will be a running change in the near future. Due to the amount of time needed to change the machining and molding process, the revised lever geometry will start appearing as Original Equipment on bicycles this august, and as aftermarket sales by 2016. The levers will be completely retrofittable to current MT Next brakes so if you already own a pair but want a lever that will sit 8-9mm closer to the bar, the new levers will be an option. The change includes both carbon and aluminum levers as well as the tool-less or tooled reach adjustments.
In order to gain that 8-9mm shorter reach at the tip (the difference being carbon or aluminum levers) without radically changing the design of the lever, Magura looked at the way the reach adjuster was machined. Compared to the original lever up top and the new lever below, you can see where the reach adjust plunger sits lower on the new brake lever. By machining the area around the base of the plunger, the reach adjust screw can be pulled out further, offering less reach at the bar. The same design has been transferred over to the carbon lever as well.
In spite of the ability to bring the lever closer to the bar, the outer positioning of the brake lever stays the same.
After learning about the design similarities between the caliper on the MT7 and Magura’s Super Moto caliper, their choice to bring this HT3 motorcycle brake/clutch lever to camp leads to some interesting speculation. One of the most unique features of the HT3 is the adjustable pivot point that allows the lever to essentially virtually change the size of the piston. Equipped with an 18mm master cylinder piston, the pivot point has two additional settings which supposedly makes the lever act as if it had a 17mm or 19mm piston bore. In practice that should work out to a lever that will feel more powerful, or more modulative, depending on the setting.
Magura was pretty coy about the inclusion of the HT3 in their presentation, but mentioned it is possible that this could show up on some brakes in the distant (or not so distant) future.
Of course Magura USA Press Camp wouldn’t be complete without a ride in the 40th Anniversary Cadillac. A 1975 monster of a car for a company that got its start here in the U.S. in the same year, cruising the streets of Sedona in this monster was a sure fire way to draw some attention.
