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Another of my thrilling topics, here we go
Getting some new wheels and they're centrelock. Rotors will be 160mm. Ride around the South Downs so no extended descents, beyond the odd haul on the brakes at the bottom of a fast one you don't really need them that much but discs good, rimming bad, m'kay? Can't really see the point of Icetech around here (even without reported melting, don't know if that's still a thing) and IMO the current 105s and Ultegra are both fugly, just in different ways. To be honest I don't mind the look of the Deore level mtb rotors, either these;
Or these which I assume are older but the most elegant looking of the lot I think:
https://www.evanscycles.com/shimano-sm-rt64-deore-disc-brake-rotor-00102651
Any issue with using them on Ultegra calipers? As long as they're quiet and stop well and there's no track/brake pad interface issues that'll do me I think
Any rotor the right size should be fine
I used to run Hope floating rotors on my road bike with Shimano R785 calipers as i had them lying around
Even binned the Shimano finned pads once they were worn out and replaced them with Superstar's pads
They were fine for riding in the Southdowns
Thought as much, ta. My main concern is noise, no one likes squealing brakes!
no one likes squealing brakes
I love squealing brakes, wish I knew how to always make them squeal. Moves OAPs out of the way like no bell ever can.
You and me should hook up, brah! I have the squeaky brake bad touch, if I even wave an allen key at a brake it gets irrepairably noisy.
As long as they’re quiet and stop well and there’s no track/brake pad interface issues that’ll do me I think
Rotors are just a part of equation aren't they?
I found out that good pads making much more difference to noise and stopping power than rotors themselves.
Swiss Stop green pads were by far my favourite in matter of stopping power and noise level, even in mud and wet.
Once I will wear down standard Force pads will be testing Trickstuff Standard Organic.
Cheers!
I.
I've got ice tech on one bike and conventional rotors on the other. The Ice tech rotors do feel more consistent. Dunno if the new rotors melt less than the old ones, I never melted my original ones and only swapped because the new bike wasn't compatible with 6-bolt rotors. The newer ones have much bigger cooling fins, appearing almost solid on the smaller sizes which probably helps.
My cross bike came with Tektro rotors, like most rotors with more air than rotor they weigh naff all but stopping power is lower than the more solid shimano rotors.
Whether you absolutely need more cooling depends on how you ride, if you fly down hills off the brakes then the air is doing most of the work so you just need the brakes to drag you down from 40mph to zero (still a lot of heat mind you) then it probably won't be such an issue unless the pads fade (which could still happen). If you're more the type (or the hills are the type, bear in mind UK hills are generally shorter and steeper) to drag the brakes or need to keep the speed down then you'll generate more heat.
Flying down Ventoux - no problem, it's mostly straights, goes on for miles, with no trees and wide roads.
Coming down the average hill in the Chilterns, single track, high hedges, twisty and steep. Even if you had the balls to ride the corners at 40mph, you'd be dead if a car was coming up the other way so you have no choice but to feather the brakes.
Swissstop market their Catalyst rotors as being low noise. They look very like Shimano rotors but slightly thicker (1.8mm instead of 1.6mm).
If I ever went disc it would be Swissstop RS pads and Catalyst rotors, they are amongst the few products on the market which claim to specifically address brake noise.