Alpine rotor size...

strudelpus

Wondering as to rotor sizes i can get away with on a 5" FS with an 94kg lump on board (carrying, say, 5/6kg total kit) for general Alpine trailriding this summer. I'll stick my 180 front onto the rear but do i put on a 203 to replace it or will another 180 be ok - running a set of 409 DualAir Revs. I'm not a particularly fast/aggressive rider but i don't want to worry about fade etc. Cheers.

peter413

Do you have enough power already?

Remember you will need a new adaptor if you go bigger.

I used to use a 203mm on my bike but went back to 180mm when I got a new brake and it is much better clearance (I notice it anyway) and has less chance of warping.

Can't really coment on how much power increase it will give since the 203 was with stroker rydes and the 180 is with a hope m4

I can definatly notice a difference between 160 and 200 though but TBH getting better pads has the same effect

strudelpus

I'm running Stroker Trails so your info is very relevant... most folks tell me that i need to go as large as poss so your experiences are making me think twice!

peter413

Well if you are running stroker trails then stick with the 180mm rotor and get some pairs of Superstar Sintered pads

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=29

Great pads. Give them a few meters to warm up down the trail and then they have excellent bite, don't be worried though, they still bite fine when they are cold.

They work a lot better when wet as well.

Also look at Ashima pads. Quite pricey at 20 quid per pair but have heard good things about them although have never tried them personally.

I found with my stroker ryde, the brake became quite grabby with the 203 rotor and lost what little modulation they had. So they were on/middle/off. That was it, nothing in between :shock:

Northwind

For really long descents the big rotor isn't just about power, they're generally less likely to overheat too. I figure I'm just going to smack a dinnerplate onto mine when we head off on hols in august, it's not a big weight penalty and I'd sooner have too big a disc than too small. Though I think Peter's spot on, big rotors can exchange power for feel and subtlety.

I think I've got a 320mm rotor off a GSXR somewhere...

nickfrog

Go 200mm front. Even if you don't use it to its potential, it's reassuring to know it's there in case, and therefore will give you confidence. Just a bit more exposed but that's OK...

strudelpus

More food for thought ...
By coincidence i'm already using S'star sintered pads and very happy i am with them too - will prob get the new rotors from them as well! Don't know if my forks will be happy with a 203, RS UK haven't got back to me yet...
As for motorbike brakes my old Buell had a stonker up front, via the 6-pot caliper it provided the most impressive braking i've had on a bike.

peter413

Revs are warrantied up to a 210mm rotor so it will be fine