Apart from a 5g weight saving and carbon lever the Carbon is identical to the £144 Louise BAT. The right-angled master cylinder syncs well with all shifter types and the long lever has adjustable reach and bite point. A hinged clamp allows easy fitting and the calliper hose is fully angle adjustable too.
It’s not flip-flop but the mineral oil innards are easy to bleed if you do need to switch or shorten the very long supplied hose. Weight is average but power is impressive and consistent in wet and dry conditions. While the distinctive sharp lever feel might not be to everyone’s taste there’s lots of fine control available.
The pads will need careful bedding in but Magura’s excellent reliability is backed up by a five-year no leak guarantee. The Louise Carbon is available widely online and while the official price is up £20 for 2011 the new Storm SL rotor saves 15g. There’s a vented rotor version too, although that’s a weighty beast, the 180mm option being 210g.
