Disc rotors - much of a muchness or not?

bartimaeus

Having stuck a 180 on the front of my GT (new rotors as new wheels - centrelock), I now want to do the same for my Anthem (Deore M486 with 160s - 6 bolt).

Are all rotors pretty much the same, or are there significant differences in weight/quality that I need to consider?

I'm not looking for anything bling, so my current choice would be the ever-reliable Superstar which at £11 plus £5 for an adapter seems pretty reasonable for more controlled braking.

EH_Rob

Yep they're fine.

Much of a muchness really.

Greer_

Well you can get ashima rotors for around 93g compared to 150g, but it depends what you're after! Will 100g and an extra £20/30 make matter to you?! XCRacer make some lightweight things too.

bartimaeus

Greer_ wrote:

Well you can get ashima rotors for around 93g compared to 150g, but it depends what you're after! Will 100g and an extra £20/30 make matter to you?! XCRacer make some lightweight things too.

I'm not a racer, and I couldn't afford to be a weight-weenie even if I wanted to be one. That said I'm trying to make sure that any changes I make are overall 'upgrades' - no bling, no Ti bolts. My Anthem is down to 27lbs (size L with flat pedals) from >29 lbs - and that's a by-product of making changes I wanted (wider bars/shorter stem) or replacing stuff that's worn out (new wheels).

I'm happy to trade a few grams for more controlled braking... but if it's £10-15 for 50 grams then I might consider it for the Anthem... possibly * heads off to weigh existing 160 rotors *

The GT is supposed to be my cheap winter bike so I am resisting the urge to spend much money on it... I only put a 180 on it as I had to buy new centrelock rotors.

The Rookie

Some have better surface hardening, look out for those labeled as use wiith organic pads only as they MAY not be as well hardened and if you use sintered you may chew through them a bit quick.

Alligator are a good lightweight budget option but they and Ashima are both more likely to squeal due to the lack of stiffness.

I run 160's on my MTB, Alligators are 82g, I have a Tektro at 101g (some are heavier as Tektro make a range) and a Hayes at 112g, average for a 160 is probably around 130g.

fat_homer

I've found my new shimano RT76's to feel better than my old Superstar flame rotors, which I'm pretty sure is down to the flame rotor shape?

ilovedirt

I got some super cheap rotors in a hurry on the downhill bike this summer before i went to france. Two weeks in france pretty much totally wrote them off - made some serious grooves in both of them and on the last day i completely burnt the front one out.

So yeah, try and avoid really cheap ones, but past a point they're pretty much the same. Mostly they won't be too bad, but decent ones won't be that soft, they'll be better vented and they shouldn't weigh too much.

mrmonkfinger

The superstar vibe look identical to hayes v2 rotors = they're fine.

PERSONALLY I'd avoid any "lightweight" rotors i.e. anything with more holes than metal (ie superstar's flame rotors). Huge cutouts and weird shapes may well make the brakes feel odd, too.