Replacement brake disc

Hattori-Hanzo

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2023
425
567
UK
I managed to bend my rear brake disc at BPW at the weekend, I've had a go at straightening it but it's a centre lock Shimano ice-tech with the cooling fins, so it's tricky getting it straight.

I can pick up another one for around £40 at the moment but I'm wondering if there are any other brands worth checking out at a similar price point that are centre lock.

Calipers are Shimano XT, disc is a 203mm

Cheers
 
Last edited:

Hattori-Hanzo

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2023
425
567
UK
Thanks for the suggestion, had a quick look and see that it's a 200mm x 2mm rotor.
I like the sound of a thicker rotor
Any fitment issues with the xt calipers.
 

RustyIron

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Jun 5, 2021
1,841
2,878
La Habra, California
Can't see why, but we only use with SRAM RSCs so can't confirm 100%

I whipped out my handy-dandy slide rule, and after a few calculations, I can confidently report that the difference between the Shimano 203 mm rotor and the SRAM 200 mm rotor is exactly 3 mm.

Running the wrong sized rotor might not give the braking performance typically desired when riding a mountain bike.
 

Hattori-Hanzo

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2023
425
567
UK
Cheers Rusty, I was referring more to the thickness rather than the diameter.
I believe the Ice-tech rotors are 1.7 - 1.8mm thick.

Anyone used the TRP RC1 rotors? with XT calipers?
They have a claimed thickness of 2.3mm


Currently running these with Shimano calipers - until I swap to MT5s.

How are you finding them?

I've never found the ice-techs to be underpowered, but I wouldn't want anything worse, or does brake pad choice make more of a difference?

Cheers.

 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
385
276
UK
If you go for a 200mm disc, you'll need a new adaptor for the caliper.

I've never tried 2.3mm discs on shimano calipers but you'll be getting pretty tight on clearance with new pads. You'll have next to no free stroke and almost instant pad contact.

What bike is it for? Will you need a magnet for the speed sensor? I've been struggling to find a suits le replacement for my XT centrelock discs. There aren't many options out there. If you wheels are 6 bolt then it's easier to solve the magnet issue
 

Hattori-Hanzo

Well-known member
Apr 10, 2023
425
567
UK
Cheers guys
Went with the TRP's in the end, read some positive reviews, and I could get two for the price of one ice-tech.

Yet to try them as my bikes still broken :cry:
 

irie

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
May 2, 2022
2,616
2,671
Chichester, W.Sussex, UK
With XT (and all Shimano 4 pot) calipers and thicker rotors what you have to do is gently push caliper pads apart a little more than with narrower rotors, and if necessary remove a small amount of brake fluid from levers to compensate.
 

Bndit

Active member
Jul 14, 2022
305
358
Finland
If you go for a 200mm disc, you'll need a new adaptor for the caliper.

I've never tried 2.3mm discs on shimano calipers but you'll be getting pretty tight on clearance with new pads. You'll have next to no free stroke and almost instant pad contact.

What bike is it for? Will you need a magnet for the speed sensor? I've been struggling to find a suits le replacement for my XT centrelock discs. There aren't many options out there. If you wheels are 6 bolt then it's easier to solve the magnet issue
Depending what disc you use, Specialized speed sensor magnet solves magnet problems on centerlock brakes. Specialized Turbo Speed Sensor Magnet | Bikeinn just make sure discs have enough space to rotate this. I'm using this with Shimano motor and discs (SLX..maybe).
 

Bones

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
Apr 3, 2020
898
1,184
Harrogate
That's good to know. How do they behave with new pads? And what pads are you using? I know some pads have less material that Shimano
I use whatever pads are available.
Sometimes Uber pads or some cheap resin Chinese shit.
Depends on weather you are x country or downhill racing.
Just stick something in and stop overthinking it.
 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
385
276
UK
I use whatever pads are available.
Sometimes Uber pads or some cheap resin Chinese shit.
Depends on weather you are x country or downhill racing.
Just stick something in and stop overthinking it.
I've tried plenty of cheaper pads and they've all been crap. Cheap, cheap from Ebay and not-so-cheap Gorrilla. Friction material wise, all of them were undersized compared to Shimano.

All of the cheaper pads were thinner as well as having less surface area. None of them lasted anywhere near as long as genuine pads and some of them burned through to the backing within a single ride. I refuse to use cheap pads.

If cheap pads vs Shimano means ~1mm of difference in thickness, there's a chance that the 2.3mm pads will make things a bit tricky clearance wise which is why I asked.
 

theremotejuggernaut

Active member
Aug 2, 2022
385
276
UK
Depending what disc you use, Specialized speed sensor magnet solves magnet problems on centerlock brakes. Specialized Turbo Speed Sensor Magnet | Bikeinn just make sure discs have enough space to rotate this. I'm using this with Shimano motor and discs (SLX..maybe).
Interesting!

I've been looking at magnet solutions and had come across these lockrings but couldn't find anything concrete to say that they would work with an EP8.

Which bike have you run them on? Any idea which speed sensor?
 

Bones

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
Apr 3, 2020
898
1,184
Harrogate
I've tried plenty of cheaper pads and they've all been crap. Cheap, cheap from Ebay and not-so-cheap Gorrilla. Friction material wise, all of them were undersized compared to Shimano.

All of the cheaper pads were thinner as well as having less surface area. None of them lasted anywhere near as long as genuine pads and some of them burned through to the backing within a single ride. I refuse to use cheap pads.

If cheap pads vs Shimano means ~1mm of difference in thickness, there's a chance that the 2.3mm pads will make things a bit tricky clearance wise which is why I asked.
Well to be honest I've never used the genuine Shimano pads with the 2.3 discs.
The Uber pads fit ok and there's an assortment of material to try.
The ones with heat fins also fit, although I only used them for a week in the Alps.
Regarding magnet with my Bosch setup. I removed the mounting plate from the old centrelock disk and I filed a small section out for the magnet and drilled the holes for the mounting screws.
 

Bones

E*POWAH Elite
Subscriber
Apr 3, 2020
898
1,184
Harrogate
PXL_20240908_093331687.MP.jpg
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

555K
Messages
28,070
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top