Brake shootout: Hayes Dominion A4 vs. Hope V4 vs. TRP Quadium vs. Magura MT7

PB Forum :: Downhill
Brake shootout: Hayes Dominion A4 vs. Hope V4 vs. TRP Quadium vs. Magura MT7
Author Message
flag Ploutre
Posted: Dec 2, 2020 at 5:10 Quote
The Germans have to be the craziest when it comes to mixing master cylinders/calipers ...

That's from them that I took information to try the Trickstuff/Magura setup (DRT master cylinder, MT5 caliper), which works well but is a massive pain in the butt to setup (due to the mt5 piston design, which easily keeps air trapped ...)

Might give the Cura4 calipers a try, could be fun.
flag ohio
Posted: Dec 2, 2020 at 14:29 Quote
Update on Dominion A4s. Even with the hayes bleed kit it has been hard to get a good bleed. Oddly, it's the front brake that is giving me more trouble than the internally routed rear. Neither have gotten to what I would consider perfect, so take the resulting experiences with a grain of salt.

On the hybrid pads and 200mm SRAM centerline rotors, they feel very similar to my old Code RSCs with sintered pads. The front is not as powerful as I'd like, but I suspect contaminated pads (I've bled them ~5 times, and even though I always remove the pads and rinse with alcohol, there's a chance of left-behind DOT fluid). I've just swapped in the full sintered but haven't tried them yet. Rear feels great, but not any revelation over the Codes. In the future, I wouldn't overthink it between those two and definitely wouldn't toss a pair of Codes to try to "upgrade."

Code RSC:
+ easy to get spare parts and bleed kits
+ fit every adapter that I have
+ easy to bleed (in my experience)

Dominion A4:
+ easy to align (the crosshair grubscrew is great)
- hard to trim (fiddly olives) and bleed (still a little spongy, esp. front)
- don't fit any adapters I've tried so far

Resulting difference in power, feel, and ergonomics once set up seem negligible.
flag DHhack
Posted: Dec 2, 2020 at 14:48 Quote
ohio wrote:
Update on Dominion A4s. Even with the hayes bleed kit it has been hard to get a good bleed. Oddly, it's the front brake that is giving me more trouble than the internally routed rear. Neither have gotten to what I would consider perfect, so take the resulting experiences with a grain of salt.

On the hybrid pads and 200mm SRAM centerline rotors, they feel very similar to my old Code RSCs with sintered pads. The front is not as powerful as I'd like, but I suspect contaminated pads (I've bled them ~5 times, and even though I always remove the pads and rinse with alcohol, there's a chance of left-behind DOT fluid). I've just swapped in the full sintered but haven't tried them yet. Rear feels great, but not any revelation over the Codes. In the future, I wouldn't overthink it between those two and definitely wouldn't toss a pair of Codes to try to "upgrade."

Code RSC:
+ easy to get spare parts and bleed kits
+ fit every adapter that I have
+ easy to bleed (in my experience)

Dominion A4:
+ easy to align (the crosshair grubscrew is great)
- hard to trim (fiddly olives) and bleed (still a little spongy, esp. front)
- don't fit any adapters I've tried so far

Resulting difference in power, feel, and ergonomics once set up seem negligible.

Water will turn milky white when in contact with DOT brake fluid. Easiest way to tell if something is actually clean. Also the way to keep paint from getting ruined.
flag JTownsc
Posted: Jan 1, 2021 at 12:18 Quote
According to Hayes their rotors are thicker and must be used with the dominions.
flag pedro46
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 11:15 Quote
For anyone trying to get the perfect bleed on an Mtb or motorbike there is one very quick simple thing you can do to get the best out of your brake -
After you have bled either brake and have done the best bleed you can put back the caps/ bleed screws on whichever system you have and have system sealed like it would be when riding…
Now put a zip tie around the grip and lever pulling the lever into the bars fairly firm….
Then leave the bike upright overnight , next day cut off the zip tie(s) and there you have it a perfectly bled brake!

WARNING do not attach the zip tie when the system is open!

This method forcefully pushes all the air in the system to the top of the lever reservoir where it should be
Your brake will feel firmer and more powerful , try it!
I have been using this method for over 40 years , works every time.
flag Kidklayko
O+
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 11:29 Quote
JTownsc wrote:
According to Hayes their rotors are thicker and must be used with the dominions.

TRP's new rotors are even thicker, I would check out DHR-evos
flag noakeabean
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:14 Quote
Mt7s are SO good. So much power. Plenty of modulation. Look dope. Checks all my boxes. Wish the levers weren't plastic but as long as you're carful you're fine.
flag Kidklayko
O+
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:20 Quote
noakeabean wrote:
Mt7s are SO good. So much power. Plenty of modulation. Look dope. Checks all my boxes. Wish the levers weren't plastic but as long as you're carful you're fine.

Levers are plastic cause their dirt cheap to replace, you can buy alloy one finger levers from magura if you want.
flag los36
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:25 Quote
I've ridden Hope E4, Magura Sport Trail (HT5 front), and Hayes Dominion A4.

I had the Hopes on 3 bikes over 5 years. They are good brakes. Caliper is finicky to align as pads run very tight to the rotor. Modulation is great, power is OK but need pressure at the lever to get it. Bleeds are not hard, but I had issues finding a perfect bleed - I only found this out during a long day at Angel Fire when they started losing power and lever went spongy. Ran with Magura rotors - no issues.

I'm new to the Maguras on my trail bike. So far, so good. Good power and decent modulation. Front brake (MT5 4 pot) has more power than Hope with less pressure (rear is good, but 2 pot). Bleed is easy using the suck/pop method. Lever ergos are different - the lever feels very fat compared to all other brakes I've used. Not a fan of that, but there are options. running with Shimano rotors - no issues.

Dominions - The best brakes I've used. Super-light lever feel. Little pressure to get lots of power, but still manages to be easy to modulate once you recalibrate your fingers. Bleed can be finicky if you don't do all the steps Hayes recommends. With the Hayes kit and following their videos - bleed caliper to master then elevate caliper and bleed between its two ports - I got perfect bleeds easily. Running with Galfer rotors - no issues.
flag militantmandy
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:28 Quote
Kidklayko wrote:
noakeabean wrote:
Mt7s are SO good. So much power. Plenty of modulation. Look dope. Checks all my boxes. Wish the levers weren't plastic but as long as you're carful you're fine.

Levers are plastic cause their dirt cheap to replace, you can buy alloy one finger levers from magura if you want.

Don't MT7 come with HC1 lever? They're not plastic.
flag Kidklayko
O+
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:32 Quote
los36 wrote:
I've ridden Hope E4, Magura Sport Trail (HT5 front), and Hayes Dominion A4.

I had the Hopes on 3 bikes over 5 years. They are good brakes. Caliper is finicky to align as pads run very tight to the rotor. Modulation is great, power is OK but need pressure at the lever to get it. Bleeds are not hard, but I had issues finding a perfect bleed - I only found this out during a long day at Angel Fire when they started losing power and lever went spongy. Ran with Magura rotors - no issues.

I'm new to the Maguras on my trail bike. So far, so good. Good power and decent modulation. Front brake (MT5 4 pot) has more power than Hope with less pressure (rear is good, but 2 pot). Bleed is easy using the suck/pop method. Lever ergos are different - the lever feels very fat compared to all other brakes I've used. Not a fan of that, but there are options. running with Shimano rotors - no issues.

Dominions - The best brakes I've used. Super-light lever feel. Little pressure to get lots of power, but still manages to be easy to modulate once you recalibrate your fingers. Bleed can be finicky if you don't do all the steps Hayes recommends. With the Hayes kit and following their videos - bleed caliper to master then elevate caliper and bleed between its two ports - I got perfect bleeds easily. Running with Galfer rotors - no issues.

I've heard strange things about the MT trail. People always complain about them cause the front is more powerful than the rear. Magura is known to have funky levers.
flag Kidklayko
O+
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:34 Quote
militantmandy wrote:
Kidklayko wrote:
noakeabean wrote:
Mt7s are SO good. So much power. Plenty of modulation. Look dope. Checks all my boxes. Wish the levers weren't plastic but as long as you're carful you're fine.

Levers are plastic cause their dirt cheap to replace, you can buy alloy one finger levers from magura if you want.

Don't MT7 come with HC1 lever? They're not plastic.

I think your right... forget what I said.
flag los36
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 12:41 Quote
Kidklayko wrote:
I've heard strange things about the MT trail. People always complain about them cause the front is more powerful than the rear. Magura is known to have funky levers.

I haven't noticed it, much less had an issue with the power difference. I guess I just feed in the braking that I need and don't think about the difference between hands.

RE: "plastic levers"
some people refer to the entire master cylinder assembly as "the lever". So, you know ... composite. I'm not a huge fan of that either. We'll see how they survive crashes soon enough.
flag noakeabean
Posted: Jan 26, 2022 at 14:15 Quote
Kidklayko wrote:
noakeabean wrote:
Mt7s are SO good. So much power. Plenty of modulation. Look dope. Checks all my boxes. Wish the levers weren't plastic but as long as you're carful you're fine.

Levers are plastic cause their dirt cheap to replace, you can buy alloy one finger levers from magura if you want.
Sorry, i meant the master cylinder.
flag Danzzz88
Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 1:26 Quote
Here is an actual list of measured hydraulic and mechanical leverage...it doesn' take into account pad type or heavily sprung levers like Hope for example but should otherwise give a good indicator of what is the most powerful. You can mix and match levers in the drop down menu to show you Shigura aswell etc and how it compares. Shigura in terms of overall hydraulic and mechanical leverage combined is more powerful than Trickstuff Direttissima and way more powerful than Codes unlike that previous list of Frankenbrakes that guy posted, don't know what he based his list on but it's in incorrect.

https://brakes.ddzyne.nl/

 


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