Disc Brake Rotors

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Maherees

Über Member
Location
Northampton
I'm going upgrade my wheels and keep the old set as a spare so I'm.going to need new Rotors. The current set are Shimano 105 Hydraulic Disc Brake - 160mm Rotor. Will any 160 centre lock rotors fit? Are the more expensive ones better quality in terms of heat dissipation?
Thanks.
 
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wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Is the discrepency between 140mm and 160mm intentional? Obviously different size discs will require a different caliper mounting position..

Size aside as long as you've got the mounting type correct (typically centrelock or six-bolt) you should be alright. IIRC the Shimano jobs have steel wear faces with an ally centre for heat dissipation; which may or may not be important depending on how hard you treat them. Other factors that probably vary with cost may be straightness / runout, surface finish, material quality..
 
Location
Loch side.
Yes centre lock and 6-bolt are compatible with all calipers.

Brake discs can only lose heat through radiation or conduction. Different materials do both at different rates but since most discs brakes are made from stainless steel (of more or less the same heat radiation and conduction), there will be no difference in terms of heat loss through radiation. And, since the paths of conduction (the contact area with the hub) are the same, ditto for that.

Therefore, on the issue of heat dissipation, they're all the same.

Now, why do you care? Are your current discs not good enough in this area? You'll know, because they'll stink, fade quickly and show the tell-tale blue tinge on the inner edges.

The type of pad has more of an effect than the working temparature of the disck. Resin pads will run quieter and perform better at lower temperatures and, the opposite for syntered metal discs which perform poorly at lower temperatures and are noisy. The latter is good for downhill/enduro applications and the former for commuting.

My guess is that you don't need a new wheel upgrade and even if you do so 'cause you just want new wheels, there's no need to consider the cost of the disc as it has no bearing on performance.

Morfe of a consideration is whether or not you'll be swapping wheels from time to time. In that case, make sure both discs are compatible with the type of brake pads you're using. Low-end discs cannot be used with syntered pads.

This gets so complicated and techical, that it is best to just go for a ride and drink a beer and forget about upgrades. It's mostly nonsence.
 
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Maherees

Maherees

Über Member
Location
Northampton
On the need/desire for a wheel upgrade the main driver is the OEM wheels that came with the bike have buckled twice under my 100kgs frame, whereas my Hunt's on my other bike have stayed true. Got my eye on DT Swiss.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
Your weight is unlikely to be the cause of your wheels buckling - I assume they're going out of true more than anything else given your plans to keep them - it's probably just poorly built factory wheels. The OEM wheels I've had with bikes have all been similarly poor quality, I now loosen and retension the spokes of any stock wheels I get to make sure they're built to a slightly better (if still somewhat amateurish) condition.

Pretty much any set of rotors should work, as @Yellow Saddle notes though pad compatibility is the most important part. I've always been quite happy with Shimano rotors, the RT70 are decent, inexpensive and work with all pad types.

I have tended to run Sintered as once warmed up I find they perform better as a heavier rider, they are noisy and perform less well in cold weather though and as Resin pads start to fade a bit when braking hard over longer periods so I've moved over to ceramic pads as they seem to give more consistent performance in varied conditions.
 
Location
Loch side.
On the need/desire for a wheel upgrade the main driver is the OEM wheels that came with the bike have buckled twice under my 100kgs frame, whereas my Hunt's on my other bike have stayed true. Got my eye on DT Swiss.

Stay away from DT Swiss. Utter rubbish. I'm pretty sure I've given the reasons why before. I'll re-hash if I haven't.
 
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Maherees

Maherees

Über Member
Location
Northampton
Oh really? Read various magazines and YouTube reviews and they are usually highly recommend, but happy to hear a counterview.
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
So the consensus is a wheel upgrade is unnecessary and the only benefit is aesthetics?
Genuine question.

I think it's the same as most other cycling "upgrades" whereby choosing wisely will bring you some improvements in some areas.. However unless you have a specific, tangible problem with your existing wheels (such as being worn, damaged, regularly going out-of-true etc) then all an upgrade is likely to bring you is a small reduction in mass with little obvious, tangible benefit to the many hundreds of pounds you've spent to achieve it...

Of course all things being equal losing mass is always welcome, but typically the routes to doing so aren't great value from a performance-per-pound perspective.
 

Big John

Legendary Member
Want and need are two different things but you only learn that with advancing years, sadly. If you're young then chances are you'll opt for new ones, if you're an old git like me you'll think long and hard and stick with what you've got. Will the world seem a better place with new wheels? I bloody hope so with the price of new wheels lol.
 

Katana

Active Member
I'm going upgrade my wheels and keep the old set as a spare so I'm.going to need new Rotors. The current set are Shimano 105 Hydraulic Disc Brake - 160mm Rotor. Will any 160 centre lock rotors fit? Are the more expensive ones better quality in terms of heat dissipation?
Thanks.

Although you can fit other brand rotors as long size and fitting i.e. (centre lock or 6 bolt) are correct but good thing about Shimano RT54-S is that you can find them for less than a £15 pair.
 
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