Lots of power, wrong timing: Magura Gustav Pro in a disc brake comparison

Conclusion on the Magura Gustav Pro

As far as the pressure point is concerned, the Gustav Pro is a matter of taste: some find it undefined, others appreciate the uncomplicated dosage. When it comes to power delivery, we have a clear opinion: the power is there, but it unfolds too late. There is praise for heat resistance and ease of maintenance. - Max Fuchs, BIKE Editor

Technical data: Magura Gustav Pro

The Gustav Pro marches into this comparison with a big load of USPs in front of its chest. Above all, the Easy-Link system, a type of quick-release coupling for connecting and disconnecting the brake line, the thickest disc in the test and huge pads with cooling fins make an impression. Also striking: the brake fitting made from the Swabians' characteristic Carbotecture injection-moulded material. The Duplostein look may be a matter of taste, but the Swabians certainly have their own unique look. The Bad Urach-based company has eliminated the biggest criticism of the plastic levers on the Gustav: tear-out threads in the Carbotecture body are a thing of the past - because here only aluminium is screwed into aluminium. The lever itself is also made of aluminium. The integrated ratchet screw is used to adjust the lever width. There is no free travel adjustment.

King-size fitting of the Magura Gustav Pro

Due to the long grip body, the pivot point of the lever is comparatively far away from the handlebars. In combination with the long lever, the ergonomics of the Gustav are particularly flattering for large hands. The lever reach adjustment is just about sufficient for particularly small hands, but the pressure point is still too far in front of the handlebars - making hard braking manoeuvres more difficult.

Power costs extra (strength)!

The extremely linear power delivery of the Gustav Pro is another unique selling point. When you reach into the lever, surprisingly little happens at first. On the one hand, the high counter-pressure on the lever means that you hardly feel the pads hitting the disc, and on the other hand, low manual forces have little braking effect. True to the motto "action, reaction", the Gustav requires a good deal of power to decelerate properly. On the test bench, it rewards 80 newtons of hand force with the second-best braking force value in dry conditions. However, if the hand force decreases, the front runners from TRP, Hope, SRAM and Fahrwerker quickly overtake the Swabians. In practice, the very good-natured response behaviour is impressive. Loss of traction due to braking force peaks or gripping the lever too hard out of fright? Virtually impossible. The disadvantage: On long, steep descents, the brute power reserves of the Magura only benefit riders who are able to apply enough hand force at all times.

Heavy-duty anchor

If there is enough force on the lever, the Gustav becomes an insider tip for heavy riders. 2.5 millimetre thick discs, solid calipers and pads with cooling fins - the Gustav Pro handles heat with ease. The high pad thickness and the thick disc extend the replacement intervals and are easy on the budget in the long term.

The BIKE rating

How BIKE tests disc brakes

Our impressions of the character, modulation and handling come from practical tests. We determined the maximum braking power and thermal stability in accordance with the DIN standard on the roller test bench of the brake manufacturer Magura.

Braking force test in the laboratory

To ensure that the brakes can deliver their maximum performance on the test bench, the test standard prescribes a defined braking procedure. All models must maintain a constant braking force of 200 newtons over 20 braking intervals in order to come up to temperature and rule out pad fading during the brake force test. Only then does the actual test of strength begin. It consists of three brake applications per force applied to the lever. It starts with 40 newtons of manual force. The test stand increases the force on the lever in 20 Newton increments until the brake reaches its maximum lever travel. Each brake undergoes this procedure twice: once in the dry and once in the wet.

During wet running, the disc is continuously wetted during the entire measurement. For optimum comparison, all models run with 180 mm discs. The pad compounds always correspond to the standard equipment. The manufacturers were allowed to select the discs themselves - if several options are available in their own range - in favour of braking performance. For uniform comparative values, we carry out the braking force test and the heat resistance test with a fresh pair of pads and a new brake disc. For the evaluation of braking performance in the laboratory, we only use the results at 80 N manual force. In this range, all models still deliver practice-relevant values below the 600 N threshold, especially during dry braking. Above this level, there is a risk of rollover under ideal grip conditions.

Heat resistance

As a second hurdle in the laboratory, all brakes have to pass a standardised heat resistance test twice. After all, the candidates should decelerate reliably even under high thermal loads. The programme includes three five-minute endurance brake applications per test cycle. Shortly after each interval, an abrupt control brake application follows, which shows whether the brakes still decelerate perfectly despite the heat. Finally, the test bench calls up the required minimum braking force three times. All brakes passed this test.

Practical test

No test bench can measure how a brake develops its power off-road, how it reacts to low manual forces, how finely it can be metered and how it feels in the hand. This is where experience counts. And our testers have plenty of it: over 100 complete bikes go through our test procedure every year. Our editors therefore know most of the brakes inside out. In addition, two testers rode all the brakes in this test in direct comparison on standardised bikes with identical setups.