twowheelsgood
Senior Member
- Location
- Zurich Switzerland
Need some advice here. I'm not an aggressive rider but I am heavy and tend to ride long mountain routes. I live in Switzerland so we do mountain biking with real mountains. You can easily run 40mins to an hour downhill.
Now my problem has been brake fade. Last time I rode from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald, my Hayes 9s and 160mm disks simply stopped working about 2/3rds of the way down levers to the bars. Clearly they'd overheated and the rotor was discoloured.
Now for the next season I got some cheap Shimano SLXs which are killer value at the moment to the point it's hardly worth servicing the old set-up. This replaces the Hayes which are a PITA to keep serviceable - my bike shop HATES THEM. My question is, is it advisable to go for a big rotor to help my braking problem? The main problems being my weight and the relatively lightweight stock fork (it's a Manitou black with quick release dropouts.
What would be my best option? I was thinking 203mm/180mm, the rear being larger than normal to act more as a drag brake and cope with the heat. Would 203/160 be better or 180/160 enough?
What are your thoughts on a stronger, solid axle without QR handles for extra security?
It's a minefield of options and my MTB knowledge isn't great. My current thinking is my style is gentle and I don't think it'll be a problem, it's just if I use the set up as aggressively as it has the potential to be I could cause damage.
Thanks folks. Hopefully it'll have 7kg less to cope with next spring.
Now my problem has been brake fade. Last time I rode from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald, my Hayes 9s and 160mm disks simply stopped working about 2/3rds of the way down levers to the bars. Clearly they'd overheated and the rotor was discoloured.
Now for the next season I got some cheap Shimano SLXs which are killer value at the moment to the point it's hardly worth servicing the old set-up. This replaces the Hayes which are a PITA to keep serviceable - my bike shop HATES THEM. My question is, is it advisable to go for a big rotor to help my braking problem? The main problems being my weight and the relatively lightweight stock fork (it's a Manitou black with quick release dropouts.
What would be my best option? I was thinking 203mm/180mm, the rear being larger than normal to act more as a drag brake and cope with the heat. Would 203/160 be better or 180/160 enough?
What are your thoughts on a stronger, solid axle without QR handles for extra security?
It's a minefield of options and my MTB knowledge isn't great. My current thinking is my style is gentle and I don't think it'll be a problem, it's just if I use the set up as aggressively as it has the potential to be I could cause damage.
Thanks folks. Hopefully it'll have 7kg less to cope with next spring.
