MAGURA's MT Trail Sport, new for 2018, shares the 4-piston front and 2-piston rear caliper configuration of the more expensive MT Trail model. It comes stock with the massively hooked HC lever blades and the master cylinder is made of the same 'Carbotecture' material as MAGURA's BMW Motorcycle clutch bodies.

As with other high-end MAGURA brake systems, the Trail Sport uses one-piece calipers, Royal Blood mineral oil, a specific bleed fitting and a unique bleeding procedure compared to other brake systems.  At $275 (USD) they are roughly half the price of Magura's top end MT Trail system.

MAGURA's MT Trail Sport comes spec with their generously curved HC lever blades, one-piece calipers and a 4-piston front & 2-piston rear at a significantly lower price than the excellent MT Trail system.
 

First Impressions

The Trail Sport is quick and easy to set up. Center the calipers over the rotors and tighten them down. Then squeeze the brakes a few times to set the piston position. It's easy to manipulate the pads with a screwdriver against their back plates until everything is running drag free.

I bolted the Trail Sport's 4-piston front caliper onto the RockShox Recon Silver fork and 2-piston caliper on the accompanying Marin Hawk Hill frame. After a quick brake-in period consisting of a dozen short hard stops on a hill near my house it was time to hit the trails.
 

The Trail Sport brakes are a huge upgrade in power, feel and ergonomics compared to the stock Shimano Acera brakes on the Hawk Hill. At $275 they are more than double the price of the stock brakes but they offer great value when measured against their quality and performance.

After several rides I can say that as good as the stock Shimano Acera brakes are, especially considering the price, there is no question that the Trail Sport is a more advanced system in every way.

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By Andrew Major