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I've had my current gravel bike since June 2019 and it seems to eat brake rotors. The brakes are Ultegras with resin pads. It's done 5,500 miles since I got it and after 2,000 the first set of rotors, some cheap ones, were worn so much there was a big notch on each of the spokes. I think maybe a third of the rotor had gone.
I replaced them with some fancier Tektro ones, which have black painted sections that act like a wear indicator on a rim. These have just started to wear out. While I ride quite a bit, and around 3/4 of it is off road (though an awful lot of it is just old railway lines and paved paths), I don't brake that much because of the nature of gravel riding and this seems a bit much. I've gone through four sets of pads in the same time.
Is anyone else munching through rotors? Can anone suggest a cure, like different pad compounds? I'd be interested to hear if there are any rotors that last well.
Do we have to bump stuff for it to appear now?
Not changed the ones on my CDF yet after about 3 years of regular use still appear fine.
sorry found it
Tripster been used for commuting, gravel, bimbling since 2015 on the same rotors (Shimano)
What size rotors?
I'm guessing the amount of wear is proportional to the diameter, i.e. 140mm rotors are going to wear faster than 200mm, both because they're ~30% more material and usually thicker.
I think there must be some sort of technique to it as well, I get through lots of pads across all my bikes, but haven't worn out a rotor since the days of HFX-9's.
Do you find the rotors and pads rub a lot, particularly when wet or muddy?
I’ve found that an issue, seems like less clearance than on mtb brakes.
So much so I’ve spent small fortune on SRAM clx road rotors in hope the marginal thinner disc helps clearance. So far less rubbing.
Never worn out a rotor. Got through a lot of pads though
Is it normal for pads to touch the spokey bit of the rotors?
Changed one set of pads in 7 years/12000 miles. Still on original rotors!
Have a Trek Boone 105 disc brakes same rotors and bike was new oct 2015 been through loads of crap do not get that have had ten year old MTbikes with same rotors pads yes but not rotors.
Sram rival on the last bike ate pads due to poor clearance/trapped grit and the rotors didn’t look to healthy when I sold it.
No problems with my 12mth old GRX.
10,000 km and they are fine
Just bought 2 new ones for a second wheel set. Put the new rotors as fronts and the old as rears. The old ones looked fine and I did look. Some rides I brake allot. Semi cintered if that makes any difference
Do you think the old railway line has some evil grit that catches even when your not braking?
It's worth measuring the thickness of rotors, I discovered this after having a a rear Ashima one come apart on a descent.
The front was junked later when I measured it at 2/3 original thickness...
Just checked my Tripster, the SHIMANO rotors aren't at all worn. Then I realised I've got 2 set of wheels, so it's probably about 3 years on each set of rotors (160mm RT76s)
That twonk on the video above - how many 1000s have made videos of their rotors not wearing and being in perfect use after 5 years? Yeah. None, cos those videos don't get made.
There's something wrong there Luke. The XTR970.rotors on my Amazon have many, many thousands of miles in them and are still fine. Much (but by no means all) of that will be road miles but still..
The other (RT66?) rotors on my "gravel" wheels still look like new and they're subject to the granite-filled grit that eats my jockey wheels
you must be going through hundreds of pads? like most ive never worn through a rotor. i would change pads, any sintered aftermarket ones should work ok
About 4k miles on my gravel bike - it has 2 sets of wheels but probably 2/3 or more of the mileage is on the 700C set. One rotor replaced due to bending it on a rock, but the other is original and doing fine. Across all bikes, I've never replaced a rotor due to wear but pretty sure this would be the set that had seen the most mileage.
I've never worn one through, I did bin a set on my CdF tho (after probably 6 years of use?) after reading a thread on here (I think) about them snapping after getting too thin, and I measured them & they were WAY under spec.like most ive never worn through a rotor.
But it answer to the OP, a LONG time 😃
There must be something going on. I do ride in some total filth (my mileage on this bike naturally goes up in winter). The rotors don't rub- I use one of those pad spacer tools to set them up and they don't rub at all. But there must be grit getting in when I'm riding in filth. There's not a clearance issue like bri-72 mentions but maybe I'll try thinner Sram rotors.
The rotors are 140s, I'm 11 stone.
As I say, I've probably got through 4 sets of pads (maybe 5). When I say a notch on the spokes, that's right at the top of the spoke (i.e. the base of the braking surface).
At the moment, I'm replacing rotors roughly every time I replace my drivetrain (chainrings, chain and cassette each last about 1 year/2,500 miles which isn't that much really. It must be filth related...).
I remember a year at the Kielder 100 where the reason they suggested packing spare disc pads became clear - I wore right through a pad. So the grittiness of your local mud could easily explain different experience to the rest of us.
I gone through a set of pads on a single ride before, but never worn out a rotor!
Tripster been used for commuting, gravel, bimbling since 2015 on the same rotors (Shimano)
Same bike with same make of brakes here, mines still working a treat as well 🙂
I suspect your pads are running slightly inboard and over the spokes of the disc. I've done the same on my hardtail.
Are you using diamond pads?
I gone through a set of pads on a single ride before, but never worn out a rotor!
Have you actually measured them though, and checked against spec?