MT7 vs Trial Zone

[rupintart]

If Hope is using Jitsie pads and the MT7 is using the 9.r or 8.p pads, which brake is better on the rear???

[AdamR28]

Hope

[Matt24.]

Out of interest @Adam@TartyBikes is that down the pads or the brake?

[Maintenance Justice]

I'm using exactly that calliper set up but with the Hope up front. The Hope is definitely 'grabbier' with better hold. The MT7 has plenty of power with the Jitsie pads but doesn't have the immediacy in bite and lock that the Hope has. The power of the Hope calliper is down to the piston size, the addition of a Trials brake pad gives it a sharper bite but once the brake is locked it'll hold on whichever pad is in there if things are bedded in properly. If you're looking for ultimate power then definitely Hope on the rear with a Trials pad, it'll grab and hold very much like a well set up HS on a ground rim.

[Matt24.]

Thanks for the rundown. I’ve just put some MT7’s on my Hex. Part of the appeal is for something with power but has some modulation. I had XTs on with trialtech pads which felt very on / off - any experience with best balance on par setup for the MT7’s for what I have described? 

[Swoofty]

I run MT5s on multiple bikes and my pad of choice now is BBB sintered MT5 pads.https://www.bike24.com/p2169564.html

They have been outstanding. The trialtech MT5/7 pads are great too. I could never get the Hopes to feel the way I wanted and MT5s are much less expensive. The MT7 lever is too finicky for me; the MT5 lever isn't fancy, but it's simple and solid.

[Daan]

On 07/08/2021 at 6:30 PM, Swoofty said:

I run MT5s on multiple bikes and my pad of choice now is BBB sintered MT5 pads.https://www.bike24.com/p2169564.html

They have been outstanding. The trialtech MT5/7 pads are great too. I could never get the Hopes to feel the way I wanted and MT5s are much less expensive. The MT7 lever is too finicky for me; the MT5 lever isn't fancy, but it's simple and solid.

Interesting, also that the Trialtech/Jitsie pads are sintered. On the MTB, I always feel that with sintered pads I need to get some heat into the system to make it perform, compared to organics. Figured with trials I would never get them consistently warm enough to always perform at their best. Is it more hold with sintereds, or have they changed lately?

[AdamR28]

My thoughts / experience:

 

Trialtech / Jitsie pads are the best by miles.

MT7s work well when new, then develop issues over time. Slightly more power than a Hope.

Hopes wear in rather than wearing out, you can get spares if you need (rarely). More resistant to crashes / knocks.

MT5 virtually same performance as MT7 but better value.

[Matt24.]

@Adam@TartyBikes on the MT7’s. what should I look out for problems wise as just fitted some this week!

[rupintart]

So I currently have a Saint lever with an MT7 and a 220mm rotor on the rear of a custom stock bike.  While it does lock and hold for most situations, there have been situations where it just doesn’t hold.  
 

Granted, I only have the Magura Performance (or race…I can’t remember) pads…not Jitsie pads.  It will slip backwards if I don’t land perfectly on the ledge.  I just don’t trust it like I do a smooth rim with Heatsink blues or a grind with Coust pads for big gaps where you really push out the rear to catch and 100000% trust your brake.  It just lacks that bite and hold.  Is that really the pads and I’ll see a big difference going from the Magura pads to the Jitsie ones???