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#2 ·
Yes. Any Shimano master will work. Do you want servo wave? Do you want free throw adjustment?

If you want free stroke adjustment then xt level masters. If not then slx or even deore.
Do you want toolless adjust? then slx or better.. No? then deore is fine
if you dont want servo wave - you have a few options. Either expensive(xtr race) or cheap (forget which model but its a lower model that offered no servoWave).
 
#3 ·
Any Shimano master cylinder/lever will work eg M6000-M9000 to the current M6100-M9000 series. You 'll need BH59 barbs, shimano olives and compression nut. The retail levers I bought didn't come with the compression nuts.... had to scramble to find a store that had them in stock. You can find them on Amazon but it's either over priced or too long and the rubber boot doesn't fit on them. My buddy bought OEM levers off AliExpress and his came with the compression nut, olive/barb kit.
 
#7 ·
Technically you can run any min oil lever you want. I scored deore servo levers for 30 a side. I bought generic Shimano hose nuts, barbs and olives off eBay. Works great, though I'm still not a fan of the servo cam. I tried non servo Shimano levers too. Not enough power. Weaker than stock mt5 levers, but the power deliver was great. Nice and linear.
 
#11 ·
Recently converted a set of Magura MT Trail sport brakes to use Shimano levers. I chose 6100 levers since they are so well priced. Sourced the BH-90 compression bolt locally. Everything went together without issue. Used Magura mineral oil since I already had it on hand. No leaks so far. Taken them on two rides so far. Doesn't feel that far off from Shimano brakes on flat trails. But on downhills there is definitely more modulation. Pretty happy with how they feel. Fun experiment as well.
 
#12 ·
For anyone considering Shiguras in the future you'll need Magura calipers and hose, Shimano levers, compression nut and barb/olive. For fluid magura royal blood will work but it has a high viscosity so lever feel will be a little slow especially in colder climates, would run Shimano fluid instead for something easy to get but for best performance Redline "Like Water" or Putoline HPX 2.5 is the way to go imo. Feel free to ask any questions, I've done 3 sets so far, MT5/XT and MT7/XTR
 
#13 ·
Two month updated. Brakes are still working as well as day 1. No leaks, no wandering bite point, just works. Plenty of power and still better modulation than a full shimano brake. Seems like an easy fix if you have a problem with Magura levers. I got lucky and had a set of MT trail sport brakes donated because the previous owner stripped the bleed port on the lever. Cheap fix for a nice set of brakes.
 
#14 ·
I have a set of MT Trail brakes and XTR Race levers.

Just to double check...I just need the olive and barb for Shimano brake levers. They will work with the existing Magura hose. I have both the Magura and Shimano brake fluid. Is one preferred over the other?
 
#15 ·
Yes to Shimano olive and barb. They will work with the existing Magura hose. I used Magura brake fluid but others have used Shimano. Don’t know if there is a preference. I used the Magura fluid because it was already in the brake hose and caliper.
 
#17 ·
RS VR6 said:
I have a set of MT Trail brakes and XTR Race levers.

Just to double check...I just need the olive and barb for Shimano brake levers. They will work with the existing Magura hose. I have both the Magura and Shimano brake fluid. Is one preferred over the other?
Click to expand...
Out of the two Shimano works better, less viscosity, I find Royal blood too thick. For best performance I run Redline Like Water or Putoline HPX R2.5.
 
#18 ·
SB Trails said:
If you look around, you can find xt masters for almost the same price as the slx. That is what id go for- xt. Free stroke adjustment/ tool free lever adjust/great lever/ servo wave ...
Click to expand...
Do you find the free-stroke adjustment actually works ok on the 8100 XT levers? I'm very tempted to buy some but I've read differing opinions and so have been holding off. I have SLX levers with no bite point adjustment and have small hands. If I set the SLX levers to where I can reach them they just about touch the bars by the time they bite.
 
#19 ·
Taz Errant said:
Do you find the free-stroke adjustment actually works ok on the 8100 XT levers? I'm very tempted to buy some but I've read differing opinions and so have been holding off. I have SLX levers with no bite point adjustment and have small hands. If I set the SLX levers to where I can reach them they just about touch the bars by the time they bite.
Click to expand...
No. I find it does nothing. Having experimented with this on different levers, I have discovered that the screw on SLX levers is as long as it can be. It is screwed all of the way in - making the free stroke as short as possible. I have tried longer screws and possibly got 1mm less stroke but ended up breaking one of the plastic pieces that pushes the piston in. They are fairly delicate.
TLDR: The SLX free stroke screw is already set at near minimum free stroke. As the XT free stroke screw comes completely tightened from the factory, it can be used to increase free stroke but not reduce it.

Regarding a Shigura setup. I have found the least freestroke to be with servowave levers and MT7, MT8 or Trail SL Calipers.
The quad seals are slightly different allowing for less pad retraction and therefore a shorter distance between pad and rotor. They are a pain to setup and keep from rubbing however. The MT5, MT4, and Trail Sports allow a little more room while still offering very little free stroke.

I have both setups and find if I'm being picky, I prefer the feel of the MT7/8/SL calipers despite the PITA setup and potential rubbing.
I prefer very little freestroke and run my levers on the close side as well. There is only about 10mm of movement (measured at the lever tip) before bite and no way I could get them to touch the bars.
May want to verify a good bleed.
 
#20 ·
JaxMustang50 said:
No. I find it does nothing. Having experimented with this on different levers, I have discovered that the screw on SLX levers is as long as it can be. It is screwed all of the way in - making the free stroke as short as possible. I have tried longer screws and possibly got 1mm less stroke but ended up breaking one of the plastic pieces that pushes the piston in. They are fairly delicate.
TLDR: The SLX free stroke screw is already set at near minimum free stroke. As the XT free stroke screw comes completely tightened from the factory, it can be used to increase free stroke but not reduce it.

Regarding a Shigura setup. I have found the least freestroke to be with servowave levers and MT7, MT8 or Trail SL Calipers.
The quad seals are slightly different allowing for less pad retraction and therefore a shorter distance between pad and rotor. They are a pain to setup and keep from rubbing however. The MT5, MT4, and Trail Sports allow a little more room while still offering very little free stroke.

I have both setups and find if I'm being picky, I prefer the feel of the MT7/8/SL calipers despite the PITA setup and potential rubbing.
I prefer very little freestroke and run my levers on the close side as well. There is only about 10mm of movement (measured at the lever tip) before bite and no way I could get them to touch the bars.
May want to verify a good bleed.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your reply and sharing what you have tested – much appreciated. I did buy some of those longer screws for the SLX as well but then read about someone breaking the plastic bits that push the piston in. Maybe that was you! I'm going to do a full bleed tomorrow before I decide what to do next re changing/modifying the brake system. At the moment I'm using a hack I found on this forum – a plastic pronged clip intended to stop Shimano caliper bolts from coming undone. I've clipped it into the lever around the reach adjustment screw. It blocks the lever from fully returning and brings the reach in thus keeping the reach and bite point closer together. A bit of a rough solution but its working for now.
 
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