New MT A2 disc brakes and Combined Braking System launches from Magura

Monday, 19 June 2023 Jonathon Harker

Magura’s lifted the embargo on a couple of new products today; A new disc brake, the MT A2; and the Combined Braking System, aimed at the cargo bike market. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Swabian family-owned company is also unveiling a new logo to celebrate its 130^th year anniversary. So let’s get on with it:

The MT A2 is the latest from the MT family, featuring proven braking performance, effortless installation and maintenance with a five year leak guarantee. And at an attractive price, we’re told.

Operating discreetly in the background, the MT A2 stops powerfully, ready for a broad range of bikes, from City to MTB to light duty eBikes. Sleek integration appears to be the thinking, with the MT A2’s tubing outlet lying parallel to the handlebars, ensuring that the line routing also meets modern demands for clean cockpits. Ideal for bikes with internal headset routing.

Magura has focused on reliability as well as powerful braking force and design. The MT A2 relies on the proven MAGURA Royal Blood brake fluid, which does not require periodic changing.

Developers have also succeeded in integrating large brake pads into the MT A’s calliper. This significantly extends maintenance intervals. When worn, the pads can be easily removed from the top even with the wheel installed – an unusual feature in this price range and one which saves a lot of time during maintenance procedures. The MT A2 features a newly designed caliper with maximum piston retraction which allows for easy, noise free installation.

Should a crash or a defect occur, MAGURA offers pre-bled brake masters and callipers as spare parts for the MT A2. This enables dealers and experienced customers to repair the brake even faster.

As with all its in-house bicycle brakes, MAGURA also gives the first purchaser of the MT A2 a 5-year, leak-proof guarantee for the brake master and calliper.

The MT A2 is designed to match the most common standards and hub options. Three different rotors enable the combination with 6-hole, 5-hole and centerlock hubs. There are 180 and 160-mm rotor diameters to choose from.

It will be available on complete bikes only, from summer 2023. More details at the foot of the page.

MAGURA Combined Braking System (CBS)

We’ve been making a fuss about cargo bikes for years now and that market is what Magura’s Combined Braking System study is designed for initially. But it won’t end there – the medium-term will see the CBS system roll out to city, trekking and all-road bikes.

CBS is based on Magura’s research which has revealed that most cyclists tend to over-rely on the rear brake, the front getting little or no action – possibly because riders are fearful of the front wheel locking or skidding. As Magura puts it: “The inner calm and the routine to use both brakes optimally is often lacking, especially in unexpected dangerous situations, when everything happens so quickly. However, it’s in situations like this that perfect braking is absolutely crucial.” Thanks to Magura, cyclists will not need inner calm with regards to braking.

The new Combined Braking System from the MAGURA brake experts especially helps inexperienced riders to use both brakes together, significantly shortening the braking distance.

Magura revealed it has cribbed this idea from the motorcycle, where CBS systems have long been proven and established; “MAGURA has once more combined the technologies of its two business divisions and brought them to the bicycle as a world first. The CBS will complement MAGURA’s existing in-house range of ABS components.” Unlike ABS, it doesn’t require a power source, so it’s a significant and low-cost addition.

“If you decelerate your bike mainly with the rear brake, you not only increase the wear on the rear brake enormously, you also lose a lot of safety and stability,” says Dennis Wohlbold, Product Management MAGURA. A study shows that combined braking with the Combined Braking System leads to a braking distance that is about 40 % shorter – compared to braking without CBS using the rear brake (on a dry road). The stopping distance with the CBS is at about the same level as with optimal braking with front & rear brakes. If the CBS is used exclusively, a very good stopping distance can be achieved even in frightening situations.

When the rear brake is applied, the CBS also provides a simultaneous and proportional deceleration of the front wheel. Combining both brakes in this way provides much better deceleration. The distribution ratio to the front and rear wheels can be individually adjusted at the factory for each usage scenario or vehicle. The Combined Braking System from MAGURA complements the MT C disc brakes family – and it’s not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes, says the Magura team. The CBS’s understated design is barely noticeable, and integration into wheel concepts is both possible and easily done.

The system works purely mechanically, without any power source. Special brake tubings with Easy Link couplings make handling easy. During servicing or maintenance, the CBS box can be disconnected from the tubing in a few simple steps. A retrofit option is not planned for the time being.

For the market launch, MAGURA first designed the CBS for cargo bikes, particularly for the “Long John” design, meaning two-wheeled cargo bikes on which the load is transported in front of the rider. MAGURA will present its first design and functioning example at Eurobike 2023. Complete bikes with MAGURA CBS will be available in 2024.

New logo, a go-go

For any readers still with us in this long update, we’ve got a few further words to note the logo change at 130 years young Magura. The fourth-generation family firm is looking back and ahead during its 130 year milestone, aiming to be at the forefront of more sweeping changes in the cycling industry, such as the introduction of ABS and CBS-assisted braking. Magura’s Hydro-Stop was the firm hydraulic rim brake and the Magura Gustav M the first hydraulic disc brake for bicycles. These days around 680 highly qualified employees in Europe, Asia and the USA develop, produce and market Magura’s quality components, with a emphasis on brake and clutch systems.

MT A2 Details: