LOUISE BAT - REVIEWS IN THE PRESS

Louise is Magura`s long-running all-rounder trail brake, and the sixth incarnation is better value than ever. The distinctive (and much imitated) right-angled lever looks are retained, but for 2008 the Louise gains single port bleeding, a hinged clamp and slight reshaping so it`ll sit happily inside or outside shifters. The external BAT bite adjustment wheel gives a usefully wide range of touchy-feely tuning, and the `Heat Eater`hose-calliper junction means the hose can be swivelled to the best postion without the use of tools. Maguras still take a little longer to settle in than most brakes, but it`s worth it to avoid erratic feel later. The lever shape and feel aren't to everyone`s taste, but there`s certainly plenty of power from the broad lever.

WMB verdict

Power: 8/10

Control: 7/10

Trail: 7/10

Value: 10/10

Remarkably cheap yet powerful allrounder.

Overall: 9/10

This German company still makes their brakes in their motherland and the Louise Carbon is ther premiere stopping package.

We mounted the Louise Carbon on a Titus Moto lite Exogrid (a five-inch-travel trailbike). We chose to go with a seven-inch front rotor and a six-inch rear rotor. Stock brake pads are the performance version.

Adaptors were necessary to to mount the brakes to the Titus and a Fox fork that both use the International Standard for caliper mounting. The brakes mounted without any hassle, and the Heat Eater hose fitting makes hose routing simple. Lever reach is is adjusted by a 2.5 Allen. Once reach is set, riders can fine tune when the pads make contact with the rotors by turning the red BAT knob. The brakes performed ideally in this application. Their power was perfect to handle the demands of aggrssive trail riding on a bike with ample travel and fat tires. Brake fade was never detected, even after intentionally dragging the brakes on extended descents. We didn't notice that the brake howl.

Pad wear thickness can be checked without removal of the pads, but these pads are so easy to remove (remove the bolt and pull the pads off their magnetic seat) that you'll want to pull them out to check wear.

Finally, a great performing product is only as good as the company that stands behind it. MAGURA backs their brakes with major event support and bicycle shop education programs , so there is support available at many levels for this product.

We bestow the coveted five-star rating because this is the brake that all others brakes will have to compare themselves to. If your are building the ultimate trailbike, the MAGURA Louise Carbon brakes have to be part of your build kit.

MBA Rating: ***** (Five stars)