You may have flashbacks to the mid-2000s when Dangerboy CNC'd brake levers were all the rage, but the Oak Component's Root Lever does more than just look like a sculpted stick of aluminum. In addition to providing more adjustments to fine tune a broader lever throw distance and personalized pad bite point contact on Magura brakes, there are some structural bonuses built into the lever as well.
We've seen a number of World Cup teams, like Specialized Gravity, specifically select Magura's MT7 brakes as their top choice. The riders at Oak Components also prefer those brakes and set out to improve the stopping procedure by creating the Root Lever that works with any of the Magura MT Next master cylinder bodies.
Oak Root Lever Details• Compatible with all Magura MT Next master cylinders
• Bite point and reach adjustments
• Anti-kink hose protection
• Black or silver anodized finish
• 100% made in Bavaria
• €148 per set
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oakcomponents.de Based in Bavaria, the startup tech company manufactures their own CNC components in house for an incredibly niche product, but builds an impeccably finished product that is available in two anodized colors for €148, per set.
Technical DetailsBite point adjustments can be cheated by manipulating the amount of brake fluid in a given reservoir, but that's not necessary with the Root Lever. Oak Components call this the Contact Point Adjustment or CPA - basically it's where the lever stops in the travel. A tool-free dial uses detents to set the lever in quarter millimeter increments that can be locked in place via a 1.5mm grub screw. On the back of the dial is a rod that pushes on the master cylinder plunger to moves the pads closer to or farther away from the rotor. The grooved outer edge of the round dial provides plenty of grip to turn, even with muddy or wet gloves on. The throw or Empty Path Adjustment (EPA) of the lever is another tweak that can be set with another screw of the same size and the hex key is included in the box.
You may also be drawn to the spring wrapped around the brake line - something you don't often see on mountain bike brakes. This mechanism relieves and dissipates energy that might be directed to bending the brake hose as it enters the lever body. To secure the spring in place, another one of those tiny grub screws runs through a separate barrel that first slides over the brake hose and butts up against the outside of the master cylinder, held in place by a third screw.
Lastly, Oak Components claim that the lever is stiffer than the stock Magura HC 1-finger lever and is also more resistant to bending in a crash. It's also a touch longer overall than the HC 1-finger lever and has a more pronounced square edge around the purchase area where you'll find further machining for extra grip.
At this up-close angle, you can see how the CPA dial pushes on the reservoir.
Installation & SetupTo guide you through the installation, Oak Components has created a full
tutorial video. Overall the process is fairly straightforward and doesn't require a full brake bleed.
Removing the stock lever is done with a couple gentle taps with a punch to push out the press fit pin with a low amount of force. The pin can slide through in either direction as both it and the lever bodies are symmetrical. The Root Lever can then be installed with little effort to push that pin back into place. Unbolting the lever body from the bar and placing it on a flat surface will be less finicky than trying to do it on the bike.
Next, unthread the compression nut and strip the squished olive to slide the spring and barrel over the hose, then replace everything in the reverse order, finishing with the spring and stopper barrel. Before you unthread the hose, it should be noted that you will need a new olive as the brake line needs to feed through the spring-securing barrel. It would be thoughtful if a new olive was also included with the purchase of the levers. On a side note, I have found that cutting the brake line, inherently making it shorter, isn't necessary if you can pinch the olive enough to split and break it off of the line.
Once you have everything assembled, start with where you'd like the pads to contact the rotor using the CPA, ie: how far away the lever is from the bar when the brake is fully engaged. From there, use the 1.5 hex key to dial in the levers to your desired maximum reach. Oak does include two of those tiny spares, but I did add Loctite to each of these minuscule grub screws for peace of mind. There is some overlap of how the two settings influence each other, so getting things just right takes a bit longer than a SRAM Code RSC brake set.
The range of adjustment can swing from nearly 25mm all the way in to 55mm from the bar with this ODI grip. It takes a little bit of mucking around to get things right, but ultimately, more options means more tinkering. For those who are very particular, they will be delighted to finally have their levers perch and engage at symmetrical distances. It's worth pointing out that the swing-out safety of the stock lever is also lost with the inclusion of the reach adjustment - those will only get you so far and I have never had a stock lever damage the master cylinder because of this.
The Root Lever is the same length as the stock Magura 1-finger blade, but straighter like the bronze coloured Loic Bruni signature lever.
PerformanceThe CPA dial is bar-none, the standout feature of this lever. One little dial that gives you the capability to totally sync the contact point of the brake engaging is a game changer. That also means you can make tweaks to the lever feel as the pads wear. I even had some other long-time Magura fans become startled by the crispiness of the Root Lever. Similar to Shimano brakes, the stock Magura free stroke dial has little effect on the system. Magura's HC3 lever provides this same action, but the usable range is much smaller and the lever blade shape is the most aggressive curve of the bunch.
We've seen some Magura riders, like Danny Hart opt for the longer 2-finger HC lever, which gives more leverage and less sensitivity. The Root Lever could be a good compromise for those riders who want a less curvy blade of the stock HC 1-finger option, but less travel than the 2-finger. I always got along well with the stock 1-finger levers and the only detail I noticed on the Root Lever was a more prominent square edge that your finger has to wrap around.
The protection features built into the component are also a highlighting design from Oak. During the test, I may have touched the dirt once or twice. There was solid evidence of the lie down since I had to scrape mud out of the CNC cut outs. Both the levers and the hose connections came out straight and unscathed, even after a serious tangle in some cleared brush. The ends of the levers are beveled nice and round, however the leading edge does have a sharper edge. I wouldn't call that a problem, but for safety's sake, taking a bit more material off might be worthwhile.
€148 sounds like a lot of cash for a pair of machined levers, but the functionality that the Root Lever brings to an already impressive set of Magura stoppers puts the whole package well above any combination of brake I've tried before. That goes for performance, workmanship, and design. Having that solid connection at each finger tip adds confidence and security of the feeling while braking. They also have zero slop and nothing will unwind or bounce around.
There is roughly 30 mm of useable reach adjustment.
Pros
+ Wider range of tuning adjustments over stock levers
+ Solid construction with hose protection feature
+ Adjuster dials stay put
Cons
- Need to remove brake line to install system
- Lever blade might be too square for some riders' preference
Pinkbike's Take![bigquotes](https://es.pinkbike.org/246/sprt/i/bigquotes-left.svg) | I've been a fan of Magura brakes for a long time and adding the Root Lever to the system raised their performance even higher. This niche product is on par for pricing with Magura's highly adjustable HC3 lever, but provides a more traditional lever shape. With the Contact Pad Adjustment, you can dial in where you want the brakes to engage on the spot without having to overfill the reservoir and keep that crispy feel for a longer period of use.— Matt Beer |
Also the Magura pads wear really fast, I’ve been using Koolstop pads and they last way longer.
Sheesh.
I'd be keen to try these, but don't want to punt €148 just to try them.
Am on a Shigura setup now and really really like it.
edit: i used mt7 mt5 and mt trail and all my issues was from master cylinders .
The best analogy I can give is the cereal aisle in a grocery store. The actual choices/differences are small to meaningless, yet we as consumers are overwhelmed by the sheer number of boxes with the same crap in them.
Trickstuff brakes are expensive and fussy, but at least an actual alternative to the other products on the market.
A third (or fourth) lever option for Maguras when you can also pair their calipers with Shimano levers isn’t offering meaningful choice.
Been riding them for years, had pretty epic crashes and nothing wrong with the brakes. How exactly you guys manage to break them?
I use the Shimano barb and olive too, because I figure that's what the lever is designed to mate with. No issues
After it happened for 2nd time, I lost all the trust in the levers. Their price is also laughable for the "quality".
I'm on shigura for over a year now, and so far so good. The XT complete lever body is less than just the lever from Magura and much higher quality.
flomotorsports.com/products/copy-of-beta-brake-lever-1
Much better than zees. Very consistent
Otherwise, my favorite brakes to date. Is Shigura the best long term solution?
Interessing combination. The problem with Magura is not that the levers break a lot but that the membrane where the lever pushes against the master cylinder becomes leaky.
Even though the 5 years warranty is a game of chance anyway using a non-Magura lever won't make it better and the MT7 master cylinder is rather expensive.
"Worst they can say is no" ... + the dealer charges you for handling the non-warranty case (yes, that actually happend in the past)
Any brake could fail from an impact. Are you over-torquing the fixing bolts?
Oh and they look awesome
ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb22100881/p5pb22100881.jpg
It may be for preventing something other to break, but the downside is that another part broke off.
I love how they feel initially, but this rate of failure is way too high.
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this lever is a real safty hazard
Also for 150€ you get aluminum rubbing on steel. pretty sure igus is still in business, so why don't they put some bushings in there?
Easier bleeding also and I personally love the latest shimano levers
Love thoose Frankenbrakes
- Bed them in properly and they won't wear down so fast.
- The banjo fittings don't leak when you torque them correctly.
- The compression nut doesn't leak if you torque it correctly.
And Magura have a 5 year leak proof guarantee, so if you think your brake(s) is faulty send it to them for an inspection.