160mm front rotor

[dyna-ti]

Just wondering what kind of power i should expect
Problem is im too used to 185mm rotors and they stop you fine with bags of power to spare.
I bought hopes tech X2's to replace my beloved C2's
The fork im running them on is rigid and only has provision for a 160mm rotor
Braking on the front is pants, the back can grip but the front just keeps sliding through and the pads dont seem to grip
LBS staff keep talking balls at me[they sold me it and fitted it]saying things like its the rotor ,even though c2 rotor with more gripping surface than X2 rotors, thats the reason they dont grip,too much surface area
What utter bollocks :shock: :shock:
Or the mounts need faced.Still wouldnt account for the lack of grip
Told them i cleaned them with washing up liquid and water[basically washed it]he jumps on that as another possible reason
I clean them all this way and did the saint ones before fitting,they are properly powerful but that is a 185mm rotor.
Other reasons thrown at me include-
Not balanced-Like any brake is perfect
pads not burnt in ,saint pads bedded in on the first ride,the x2's ive now run for for a couple of months
pads not used and have glazed over-What!!!,excuse me but that also sounds bull,but even then ,the first rub across the rotor would clear that.

Maybe 165's are only as good as cantilevers,for all the power it seems to have :?

Help

 

[REKIBorter]

Depends on which brakes you use I suppose. My (modern) Rocky has 160 rotors front and rear, Formula Oro K24's. These have loads of power and excellent modulation. Can take as much heat as you can generate too and I am not axactly a lightweight rider.

I had Hope Mono M4's on my Marin. 180 front 160 rear. The front had more power but was very hard to lock up - not a good idea anyway, but would take a lot of force to do it. Maybe there is some built in anti-lock system built in? restricting the power of the front brake.

 

[cchris2lou]

I think i read somewhere that 20mm on a disc brake is about 20% power .

 

[dyna-ti]

I think i read somewhere that 20mm on a disc brake is about 20% power .

:shock:
Obviously i have a problem somewhere.might be best to change from the included pads to new resin ones :? ,use brake cleaner stuff on the rotor and see how we go.
Could the pads be contaminated,can see how as im usually very careful,but things happen and maybe this is the answer :?

 

[suburbanreuben]

Washing up liquid isn't a good idea since it tends to leave a residue. Use proper disc cleaner.
a 165mm disc with a C2 caliper is easily capable of locking the front wheel/sending you over the bars, etc, but a mono mini 160mm isn't. I don't know where your brakes stand in the lineup...
What pads are you using? I find sintered to be pants, and use either Hope organics or EBC greenstuff.
Has it been properly bled? It is possible to shorten hoses without re-bleeding, but it's also just as easy to cock it up.
Also, try chucking some muddy water at them , and do several repeated 15mph-5mph hard stops, without actually locking up. leave about 30 secs between stops. THat should bed them in properly.

 

[dyna-ti]

I've never had an issue with washing them ,but to keep things straight i popped off and bought a massive can of rotor cleaner
I also put the pads through a hell of a roasting with the blowlamp to burn off any residue then sanded them a bit.I'll test it out tomorrow and see if the squirrels in the park are going to get a fighting chance

And its new out the box,well 3 months or so,been sorted at the shop i got them from to shorten the front hose a bit,they're braided ones so thats wasnt the problem
I think you may be right about the pads,maybe EBC green would help,but lets hope its just contamination before shelling out more money on them :?

 

[neil__j]

I've got 2008 Mono Minis with braided hoses on the modernish bike, 160 front and 140 rear. Still running the original pads which I think are sintered. Tried bedding them in before their first proper ride, but a lack of hills around here meant I couldn't get much heat into them so I've no idea how well that worked. Can't say I've noticed any change in their performance over the time I've had them, but there's been no problem slowing down in the Peaks or Dalby recently.

Compared to the KHS's cantis which I've always found powerful enough, they certainly take a lot less effort to work, and there's no trouble with locking either the front or the rear if necessary. They are a lot more progressive them my brother's XTs which I think are 180/160 and have a very sharp bite to them, so don't feel as powerful initially.