Road Disc Brakes- Rotor Choice

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mdeth1313
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Location: Dutchess County, NY

by mdeth1313

My new bike has 160 mm rotors. I've searched but haven't found an up to date topic that covers the best compromise for weight/performance for rotors. The stock wheels came with (heavy) shimano rt 56 rotors, I definitely don't want to go with those for the wheels I'm waiting for.

Looking for input...
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joejack951
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by joejack951

I settled on the RT99 XTR rotors (though I'd have bought the new Dura Ace rotors if they were available for the looks alone). I figured I am paying an overall weight penalty for running discs in the first place so I might as well run the best discs I can. And the weight penalty is ~50 grams vs. a true lightweight pair of rotors which really doesn't bother me.

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wheelsONfire
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by wheelsONfire

Perhaps try a few and see what you'd like best?
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madik
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by madik

mdeth1313 wrote:My new bike has 160 mm rotors. I've searched but haven't found an up to date topic that covers the best compromise for weight/performance for rotors. The stock wheels came with (heavy) shimano rt 56 rotors, I definitely don't want to go with those for the wheels I'm waiting for.

Looking for input...


Theoretically the best Centerlock rotors are Absolute Black ones. They have a float construction so they doesn't deforme too much under increased temperatures and they are also the lightest on the market. But they are not selling them from some reason, probably some issues with them or with manufacturing...

Otherwise​ the best are XTR rotors. In case you don't care too much about the best cooling properties of the rotor, you can settle with XT rotors. They work fine and weight penalty is very small to XTR rotors.
Functionality > Performance > Weight

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

I've been using and bleeding/truing/cleaning hydraulic disk brakes on my mountain bikes for well over five years. I would say that you definately want to buy a floating rotor type as the previous poster suggested. I never really liked the Shimano rotors, always very heavy.

I always loved my avid floating rotors, even on Shimano.

Image

jlok
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by jlok

Lewn777 wrote:I've been using and bleeding/truing/cleaning hydraulic disk brakes on my mountain bikes for well over five years. I would say that you definately want to buy a floating rotor type as the previous poster suggested. I never really liked the Shimano rotors, always very heavy.

I always loved my avid floating rotors, even on Shimano.

Image

Is it really floating design? It seems that the rotor is fixed by the pins and hence not "floating".
Rikulau V9 DB Custom < BMC TM02 < Litespeed T1sl Disc < Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc 1 < Propel Adv < TCR Adv SL Disc < KTM Revelator Sky < CAAD 12 Disc < Domane S Disc < Alize < CAAD 10

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

jlok wrote:
Lewn777 wrote:I've been using and bleeding/truing/cleaning hydraulic disk brakes on my mountain bikes for well over five years. I would say that you definately want to buy a floating rotor type as the previous poster suggested. I never really liked the Shimano rotors, always very heavy.

I always loved my avid floating rotors, even on Shimano.

Image

Is it really floating design? It seems that the rotor is fixed by the pins and hence not "floating".


It's not technically speaking totally floating as the pins aren't hollow, but it performs just the same, with the same weight reduction. Being that the heat is dissipated and the inner is alloy.

stormur
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by stormur

Have limited experience ( Magura Sl 6b, Shimano 99 CL, Sram Centerline CL ) but my hoice was and will be Sram Centerline. Best braking, relatively light, impossible to overheat. And sit most far from frame ( tight tolerance ) from all mentioned.
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jlok
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by jlok

I thought by floating it means sth like that...

https://youtu.be/R9YXDcLR_5w
Rikulau V9 DB Custom < BMC TM02 < Litespeed T1sl Disc < Giant Propel Advanced SL Disc 1 < Propel Adv < TCR Adv SL Disc < KTM Revelator Sky < CAAD 12 Disc < Domane S Disc < Alize < CAAD 10

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Lewn777
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by Lewn777

stormur wrote:Have limited experience ( Magura Sl 6b, Shimano 99 CL, Sram Centerline CL ) but my hoice was and will be Sram Centerline. Best braking, relatively light, impossible to overheat. And sit most far from frame ( tight tolerance ) from all mentioned.

Image
Makes sense, I would run these too. :beerchug:

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MattSoutherden
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by MattSoutherden

On my commuter/gravel bike I started out with Hope X2 lightweight rotors. While they were light, the lack of actual braking surface means that they wear really fast. I also tried some A2Z dots which were a bit better, but they also wore pretty fast as the waves at the top get worn faster and the braking surface gets milled into a v shape.

I decided that mega weenieism is probably pointless for anything other than a 'cross or XC race bike. And I'm now running Shimano RT86 ice-tech. The braking is also much smoother than the 3rd-party rotors.

The Sram centreline rotors are supposed to be pretty good though, and for a 'best bike' I would probably get those Centreline X ones.
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Broady
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by Broady

I went from Ashima 140 to Avid HSX 160 and the difference is night and day, far better feel. I think they're discontinued but you can find them in a few places, saying that they're somewhat similar to the Centreline.

joejack951
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by joejack951

stormur wrote:Have limited experience ( Magura Sl 6b, Shimano 99 CL, Sram Centerline CL ) but my hoice was and will be Sram Centerline. Best braking, relatively light, impossible to overheat. And sit most far from frame ( tight tolerance ) from all mentioned.


What is the weight of a 140mm and 160mm SRAM Centerline rotor (Avid HSX, centerlock preferably)? The only quoted weight I could find was heavier than a Shimano RT99 rotor. Perhaps I'm just not looking in the right places. I'd be happy to save some rotor weight so long as I'm not giving up much, if any, braking performance and I had not seen these rotors previously. But what's up with no included lock ring?

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maddog 2
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by maddog 2

I run the Hope lightweights. They are six bolt though, if that's relevant.

The centrelines are good too. My mtb has them in std. metal. The spider ones will be lighter but they are quite expensive, I seem to recall.

lobuxracer
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by lobuxracer

The car guys figured out 40 years ago that beryllium makes awesome brake discs. Super light, very heat tolerant, but sadly ridiculously toxic. Next best thing is aluminum plasma sprayed with stainless steel. Motorcycles were using that in the late 80's and 90's. Now we have carbon fiber discs. Haven't seen those for bicycles yet though. Probably not enough heat to make them work well unless the discs are tiny, and that's not fashionable so it won't sell.
lance - no, not that guy, I started racing in 1976.
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