[Closed] What size front rotor do you run (29er hardtail)

180mm is fine, 203 is overkill, unless you are running a strong fork like a 34/36/Pike

I run 180 front /160 rear.

160. I'm only 65kg though and not very endurognarmax

183 Front (160rear), Hope X2. More than enough stopping power.

180 front on a rigid 29er, more than enough. The big bike has 185 and that's plenty too.

180 front/160 rear. Plenty big enough.

180/160 front/rear on my hardtail and rigid bikes (those are my only 2 MTBs)

160 front and rear - and I weigh 90kg too.

Good job I'm wide enough to act as an air brake 😉

180 front and 160 rear here too.

180 front and 160 rear for me too, I'm 90kg, and have never thought I needed bigger rotors.

180/160 for me too at 100kg.

180/160 more than enough at 80Kg.

180/160 for XC/Trail hardtail, you're unlikely to have enough traction to use more power anyway.

203/180 for the full-suss Gnarrpoon, but I am a hefty bugger.

203 / 180 for me

203 / 180 for me too, although I need all the help with braking I can get.
I'd rather be overbraked than underbraked regardless.

203 cost the same can you be overbraked?

180mm unless your brakes are particularly weak and feeble.

I reckon dropping your heels and getting your body low will have a bigger (and better) effect on braking than a bigger rotor. Give more grip and less OTB rotation...

160mm front and back. can't imagine why you'd need more

183 front and rear

180 front and 160 rear

160at both ends, I'm the wrong side of 13stone.

180/160 on both of mine HT/Rigid SS

160mm f&r, 95Kg. SS, fully rigid.

180 fr, 160 rr. FF29 90kg rider. Big mountain descents. XT brakes

I usually go 203/160. Very little benefit to smaller rotors, as long as you have a decent brake with good modulation, and they give you lots of margin for error in the event of contamination, maintenance ****-ups, and general loss of performance. So I fannied around with different sizes and arrived at this. The weight difference is titchy so having a setup you can use for anything without concern is worth it for me.

I suppose it's kind of like a big diesel- the point isn't so much the maximum power, you very rarely use it, it's constant easy usability.

180/160, I did have 160 at both ends but felt a little under braked at times.

203/180 on my 26", 'coz that's what I had.

North wind+1 to the letter.

183 each end. 90kg

160/160 has never not worked for me.

Never needed more than 160 each end here (on XTR brakes).... Formula R1's on the other hand... they couldn't make a disc large enough to compensate for the loss of performance on any grade over 1%! 😀

180/180 f/r on the xc hardtail, it's totally fine, 180 is probably overkill for that bike's usage.

203/180 on the full suss though, and might go 203 back, I drag the back far too much and got through a rear rotor in the same time as the original oem pair of resin pads on the front, 120 hours or something, me and the bike together are probably about 100kg though.

160/160 on hardtail
180/180 on full sus

75kg here. Never felt like I couldn't lock the wheels.

Any pictures?

180/160 on my 29er HT. Also 180/160 on the FS as well right now, but will probably up that to 200/180 in the new year as I did cook the brakes a couple of times this year on it. Just the right side of 13st FWIW.

203 front and back. Because that's what they had in stock. Built up a mates with 203 as well (was supposed to 180's but shop gave me wrong size).

We're both pretty happy with the set up. I'd go the same way again.

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Still leaning towards 203

203 at both ends in the Alps in the summer. I used to drag my rear but am not doing it so much now. It's all about heat dissipation. I'm close to 100 kg but can easily lock both ends here in Wales in the winter using 160mm discs- but in the summer, on the long descents.... give me 203 front and rear.

Back at home in Wales I use 185 at each end. TBH, a 185 front and 160 rear.

Using Avid Codes.

203 front on both my hardtail and full-suss, but only because I have a 2013 X-Fusion Slant on one of the bikes and that's the minimum rotor size it will take 🙁

Any more pictures from the Sunday crowd.

180/160 XTs stop my 85kg perfectly.

180/160 however that's on a 26" so will be of no use at all.

160/160 on BB7's on b+/29+ combo.
Fine for what I need.

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Fox recommend no more than a 160mm on a 32mm fork - anything bigger will put undue pressure on the bushings

spxxky - Member

Fox recommend no more than a 160mm on a 32mm fork - anything bigger will put undue pressure on the bushings

Eh, no. 203mm max for Fox 32s.

180/160 for me. The 160 on the front it was delivered with just didn't cut it whereas the back is fine as I can lock it whenever i want whatever the surface.

203.

You can NEVER have too much brake.

Northwind - Member

spxxky - Member

Fox recommend no more than a 160mm on a 32mm fork - anything bigger will put undue pressure on the bushings

Eh, no. 203mm max for Fox 32s.

203 /180 on both bikes. Partly because Im dont think you can have too much breaking and secondly because thats what was on it as standard and I dont see the point of taking perfectly good rotors off to buy some more

160/160 on my 29er, set up for pedalling long distances rather than hooning about, sometimes the brakes feel just about strong enough, sometimes they're scary.

Should get a 180 up front really (like I use on my other mtbs)

You want pictures of our brake discs?

Seriously?

203 on the front feels great. I run 180mm on my main bike, but I do have a 203 on my Reign.

When it's really steep and fast and you're struggling to stop, there's nothing like having a great mahoosive tyre and 203 rotor on the front. (Obviously you wouldn't be struggling to stop with the big tyre/rotor combination, but you know what I mean).

I've quite often stopped comfortably on my Reign at a point when I'm usually struggling on other bikes, so I figure that 203mm really does make a difference.

180/160 here, works fine, never felt the need for more.

For those on hardtails saying they are over heating what are you doing? Dragging them all the way down the hill?

my new hardtail with 180 front / 160 rear

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