Overheating smoking discs
ianton2
Posts: 14
Hi fellow mtbers...can anyone tell me if your discs starts to overheat and smoke on an insane downhill single track.. will it fail, should i stop for it to cool....
or is my technique of breaking all wrong...
Narrow forest track lots of switchback and obsticles... half hour to get down
or is my technique of breaking all wrong...
Narrow forest track lots of switchback and obsticles... half hour to get down
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what brakes and pads are you using?
Smoking :P0 -
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If they're smoking, then you're properly cooking them!
Only thing i'd address there is your technique, try to lay off the brakes now and then if they're getting hot.. Even if you're dragging the brakes, and you need to, try to find a quick 4-5 seconds mid descent where you can let go of the brakes to try to keep them cool and reduce the fade that you'll eventually get.
I've had my brakes smelling before, but that was on a steep fast DH track..
You'd also be surprised on how much more grip you'll get in corners when you're off the brakes. Tyres can't turn anywhere near as well when you're on the brakes compared to when you're off them.0 -
Ha Ha! A few years back on my first trip abroad I had my brakes go on fire! Hope M4's and Maverick forks which had leaked oil and lots of dry dead leaves had stuck to the oil. When I stopped at the bottom of the hill it just went up! There was more smoke than flames
We were at the bottom of the hill and I set off again along the road and they cooled down and everything was fine after that!
Problem: I was tense and that combined with poor technique meant I was doing too much braking in the wrong places. Now I ride stuff like that a lot... I try to scan ahead and pick places where I'm going to brake and sections where I'm going to be off them. Like anto says you'll be surprised how much grip you get when you're off the brakes, not just in the corners but in rooty, rocky, slippery sections too.0 -
Small rotors and mechanical brakes, probably organic pads, You probably feel the need to brake longer and harder than you need to thus burning the pads, not really what you want on downhill singletracks, at least with v brakes there is the rim to dispate the heat. Yeah people go on about steve peat using 160/140 rotors but he is very good at what he does and certainly uses top end brakes with pads that only have to last one run. I went big on my FS and find I only have to use occasional dabs to shed speed so don't seem to dragging them anywhere near as much.
I'd find out what the biggest rotors you can ft on your bike are as mechanical disks systems really need the mechanical advantage, or go for a new system but that is my throw money at problem attitude :roll:-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Mongoose Teocali
Giant STP0
Why are MTB economics; spend twice as much as you intended, but only half as much as you wish you could afford? :roll:0 -
IME You can heat pads up with a blow torch and they will not smoke unless they're contaminated.0
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my ambition is to get my brake rotors glowing 0
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Dirtydog11 wrote:IME You can heat pads up with a blow torch and they will not smoke unless they're contaminated.
That makes sense. I've seen discs glowing bright red on cars...but not smoking. There has to be something there to produce the smoke.0 -
the biggest problem I see is you didn't take bacon and eggs with you0
