MILESTONES IN OUR COMPANY HISTORY
An overview of our most important milestones. From the first hydraulic pumps, to motorcycle components and ultimately the first hydraulic bicycle brake.
Gustav Magenwirth founds MAGURA. Buoyed by his new inventions and entrepreneurial spirit, he establishes the family business in his hometown of Bad Urach. Gustav soon began to develop and manufacture his own technical equipment. The first products in the range included boiler pumps, pipe testing pumps and press pumps, which were used by vintners, for example, as wine presses. Single-cylinder petroleum engines were later added to the product line as transmission drives for crafts and trades. The successful inventions of that time evolved into the hydraulic compressed air pumps. This know-how laid the foundation for today’s company.
Rudolf Reich from Bad Urach, racing driver and BMW chief engineer, inspires Magenwirth to develop a new improved motorbike lever for throttle regulation.
Gustav tinkered with the problem and devised the straight pull control lever. This revolutionary invention made it possible to regulate petrol, air and ignition. It was a milestone in MAGURA’s history – and the beginning of a partnership between BMW and MAGURA that continues to this day.
In 1931, MAGURA was registered as a trademark at the Patent Office. The founder created MAGURA from the first syllables of his name, MAGenwirth and his hometown, URAch. He also created the logo design consisting of a toothed wheel segment.
In 1957, Eugen Munz decided to take over a plastic injection moulding company – a big step forward. This decision was groundbreaking and has enabled extraordinary innovations at MAGURA to this day. At first, only simple parts such as levers, covers, housings and fittings for agricultural machinery and handle covers for motorcycles were produced. However, the company gradually gained the position of leading supplier – and soon, all the motorcycles manufactured in the Federal Republic were equipped with MAGURA components.
From 1961 to 1967, the fuel gauges for the VW Beetle were produced by MAGURA in Bad Urach. The fuel gauges were specially designed for the VW Beetle. At that time, VW ordered a railroad car of fuel gauges every week, which were delivered directly to Wolfsburg. To this day, the original fuel gauge needle with the MAGURA logo embossed on the front and the VW logo on the back is a much sought-after classic car spare part among Beetle fans.
Mountain bikes are now becoming the trend in sports equipment. MAGURA drew upon its technical know-how in the hydraulic motorcycle brake segment and presented the first hydraulic brakes for bicycles as a pioneer in their development. This new development for cycling was christened Hydro-Stop (HS). It opened up new vistas in braking comfort, precision and safety. The HS was marketed in 1987 as the first hydraulic rim brake on the market, and that same year already saw its breakthrough, with more than 7,000 sets ordered from one OEM in a single order.
As a further development of a motorbike brake, MAGURA launches the Gustav M hydraulic disc brake for bicycles. It achieves cult status and becomes synonymous with the “Swabian anchor”. As a result of this great success, more brake variants such as the “Louise”, “Julie”, “Clara”, and “Marta” – named after the founder’s family members – were developed, expanding the product range. MAGURA asserted its leading role in the broad bicycle market by introducing these new disc brake variants. Thanks to its exceptional braking power, the Gustav M remained the benchmark for years. It was produced for the last time in 2011.
Market launch of a retrofittable HYdraulic MEChanic Coupling System for motorcycles. (The picture shows today’s product.)
Decades of experience with plastics pay off: MAGURA develops a new high-tech material made of carbon fibre. CARBOTECTURE revolutionises the bicycle market and the motorbike market.
MAGURA develops suspension components with electronic radio control (eLECT). The system offers different modes and customers can choose between manual lockout operation and automatic sensor technology.
When only professional quality comes into question, the HC3 is without alternative. Weight, performance, ergonomics and control – these criteria have shaped the development of the HC3 for motorcycles. Milled completely from the solid.
In cooperation with Bosch, MAGURA presents the first generation of eBike ABS. The breakthrough follows in 2022 with the second generation.
The megatrends of integration & design are making their way into brake development and MAGURA presents the innovative MCi – a brake integrated into the handlebar.
MAGURA develops a IBS for bicycles, once again taking advantage of the technology transfer between its Bicycle & Motorcycle business units.
What once started as a milestone became a benchmark.
And while this story continues to grow, we’re already shaping the next innovations that will define the mobility of tomorrow.
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