Reddit mentions: The best bike brake rotors
We found 11 Reddit comments discussing the best bike brake rotors. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 7 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.
1. Syntace Disc Shims Bag of 8
- Unit of Sale: Bag of 8
Features:
Specs:
Height | 0.25 Inches |
Length | 2.5 Inches |
Weight | 0.1 Pounds |
Width | 2.5 Inches |
2. GHH 2pcs Heat Shielding Disc Brake Bolts Rotor 160mm Silver fit for Avid HS1
- Avid HS1 Rotor
- Size:160mm 6''
- With 12 Bolts
- For: Avid Elixir, BB5, BB7
Features:
3. Shimano SM-RT51 160mm 6-bolt Rotor
Rotor Size: 160mm
Specs:
Height | 1 Inches |
Length | 8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 160mm |
Weight | 0.5 Pounds |
Width | 6.5 Inches |
4. SHIMANO SM-RT54 Disc Brake Rotor CenterLock (160-mm)
Resin pad onlyCenterLock design is easier to mount than six-bolt rotorIncludes steel lockringShimano Reference Number: SM-RT54
Specs:
Color | Silver |
Height | 7.75 Inches |
Length | 8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2012 |
Size | 160-mm |
Weight | 0.1 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
5. Magura Storm HC Rotor 180mm 6-Bolt
Material: steelAttachment Type: 6-boltCompatibility: Magura brakesDiameter: 160mm, 180mm, 203mmClaimed Weight: [160mm] 127g, [180mm] 148g, [203mm] 182g
Specs:
Color | Silver |
Height | 0.65 Inches |
Length | 8.95 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 180mm |
Weight | 0.35 Pounds |
Width | 7.05 Inches |
6. SHIMANO SM-RT56 Disc Brake Rotor 6-Bolt (160-mm)
Resin pad onlyMounts to IS six-bolt hubsIncludes rotor fixing bolts with anti-loosen plateShimano Reference Number: SM-RT56
Specs:
Color | Silver |
Height | 7.75 Inches |
Length | 5.5 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | August 2012 |
Size | 160-mm |
Weight | 0.440924524 Pounds |
Width | 1 Inches |
7. Campagnolo AFS Rounded Disc Rotor, Black/Silver, 160mm
It offers enhanced wet-weather performance and takes braking to a whole new level of smoothIt results in a stable rotor with predictable, smooth braking capabilities that lets you fly down the trail with confidenceThis rotor helps reduce overheating for consistent braking power on long descents and ...
Specs:
Color | Black/silver |
Height | 1 Inches |
Length | 8 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Size | 160mm |
Weight | 0.26235009178 Pounds |
Width | 7 Inches |
🎓 Reddit experts on bike brake rotors
The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where bike brake rotors are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
It depends on conditions, how you ride, what brake pads you use, etc etc. I'd personally start super cheap with something like this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F0653KG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and upgrade as needed. Worst that will happen is you destroy a set of pads and have to get new rotors and pads but they very well might be fine and you can save a bit of money. If you ride in mud a lot and you burn through a set of pads too fast maybe get a set of Mud Runners. Otherwise the only reason to upgrade from super cheap simple steel rotors is weight and better heat dissipation (Shimano IceTech stuff, though this is mostly for MTB).
As far as the Mud Runners overheating on MTB trails, I'm not really sure... You might just have to try it out.
I bought mine on Amazon. I've got Shimano Deore (m445's) and the rotors are $17 for the 180mm on Amazon. I bought spares but haven't needed them. Rotors are as true as when I first rode the bike, and I've went quite a few times downhill where they got plenty hot.
They'd fit yours, the 180's generally work fine replacing a 185. They're not heat treated though so you have to use resin pads, not sintered.
What kind of rotors are on yours now? I like circular, and just drilled. Some of these wavy and "light" rotors don't seem all that great an idea to me. They just introduce weak points for the rotors to warp, and present less surface area for braking. FWIW, I bent the hell out of my front rim months back, and the LBS lent me a rim a few weeks while mine was getting rebuilt. It had one of those "light" rotors and the difference in braking power was almost scary.
To me, this rotor is going to work a lot better than this one.
There unfortunately is not any standard caliper thickness.
Potential solutions include:
RS11 wheels are not disc brake compatible, you'll have to filter by disk wheelsets on whatever website you were planning to buy from. Make sure whatever wheels you pick have the same hub spacing as your bike, which is probably 100mm front 130mm rear if you have a road bike.
Everything else you said is fine, that's all you'll need. If you have dual-caliper disk brakes you won't have to worry about adjusting them between wheelsets, if you have single-caliper brakes some disk spacers might come in handy https://www.amazon.com/Syntace-Disc-Shims-Bag-8/dp/B001PTBPY0
For those that were asking, these are the rotors in question:
Cheap Rotors
If anyone has links to other cheap rotors that work, please share
I'm using resin Shimano B01S pads with the Magura Storm HC 180mm rotor:
https://www.amazon.com/Magura-Storm-Bicycle-Brake-Rotor/dp/B0178UGTEA?th=1&psc=1
I was previously using the Shimano SM-RT56 160mm rotors, and though their stopping power was inferior to these new 180mm Maguras, they never experienced any issues with heat dissipation, even under the most extreme conditions. They seem to have more drilled area and less metal surface area.
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-SM-RT56-Brake-6-Bolt-160-mm/dp/B00971FX82/ref=sr_1_3
Are there any particularly good rotors that you would recommend over the Magura Storm HC 180mm that I'm using?
Thanks for bearing with me as I learn about all this
Centerlock and the diameter is all that matters, right? I'm looking at this campy rotor (I'd be getting a 160 for up front and 140 for rear) - it says it's for their H11 Hydraulics, but it'll work for my application too, right?
I think that the only real solution is using very thin spacers (for the cassette) and shims (for the rotor). Otherwise you're just running up against minor differences in spacing between hub manufacturers.
https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-SM-RT54-Brake-CenterLock-160-mm/dp/B007Q4M6PU/ref=asc_df_B007Q4M6PU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312065280674&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7948621623917630703&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021359&hvtargid=pla-571345704636&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62425943472&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312065280674&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7948621623917630703&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021359&hvtargid=pla-571345704636