160mm rotors or 185mm ?

[ET_SoCal]

I’ve already pissed off the wife by going over budget on new parts f/ the bike… Now questioning if I should go to 185mm front rotors?


I really only ride XC, and I like keeping everything symmetrical looking as possible, so… What’s the though?

Piss her off even more or just stay with my original upgrades:

Wheelset; Hope - Pro 2 hubs, Mavic x317 rims w/ Silver dt Comp 14/15 spokes & Nips
Brakes; Avid BB7 (160mm)
Crankset; Race Face ’06 Deus XC
Rear Derailleur; X.9 ESP
Shifters; X.9 ESP 9spd Trigger
Avid - Flak Jacket’s
[FONT=&quot]PG-990 Cassette & PC 991 Chain

[/FONT]

 

[Franky]

Go with the 185's up front.

 

[P-Funk]

Honestly, I think that 160mm is plenty for XC. Look at how long people rode with rim brakes, or even cantis, without too many problems. Of course this is coming from someone who has 200mm rotors on his Bullit.:wave:

 

[i am dino]

keep the 160mm. i dont get everyones obsession with trying to bling everything out. 160mm is most practical in your case.

 

[Skeeter]

I also stay "stick with the 160's " for your XC needs you dont need the 185's

 

[jruiz]

If you're considering going bigger...go 205 up front.

 

[Pain Freak]

Eric,
I'd stay with the 160's. The type of riding we do 160 is plenty and you'd probably never see the benefit from it. Just a little added weight.

 

[ET_SoCal]

Thanks guys.
I have a friend that asked why I didn't go bigger?
My thoughts were the same, for the riding I do; Why?

 

[FoShizzle]

P-Funk nailed it....people used to do gnarly asss stuff without disc brakes at all.

185mm is gonna be a little more powerful and likely feel like it modulates better with the avid mechs, 160 is fine. not worth worrying about in my opinion.

 

[Flat Broke]

If you have to ask someone else, you must not have noticed a need for the larger rotors yourself. I.E. if you're stopping to your liking with the 160s, why drop the coin/add the weight and rotating mass? I got by with 160s on my old XC bike just fine. Never had a situation where I felt that my riding was limited by my brakes. Maybe by my skills, but not by my brakes.

Chris

 

[ka0t1c07]

Ahh, I was in the same situation. But for now I will try the 160mm up front. Go with the stans aluminum rotors. they half the weight.

 

[dstepper]

they half the weight.

Tin is that you! The one that took a boat anchor on the Plunge Ride. Have you turned into a weight weenie?

Your friend, Dean

Oh yeah the question; I am heavy so I use 7 and 8 inch rotors on my bikes. After having no back brake in Mammath last year using 6 inch rotors I went 8 front 7 back on the 5-Spot. I put 7 inch rotors and Juicy Sevens on my rigid single speed. I like true one finger braking.

 

[ka0t1c07]

yeah, im counting grams now. Im in the process in biulding a fishing line bike.

 

[el cap]

I think 185mm up front and 160mm in the back are a good choice if you on the heavier side for aggressive XC.

P.S. Yeah, this thread is really old, but I would like to see what everyone is using now regarding rotor sizes. Is there a need for a new thread or can we just continue using this one?

 

[Dial Tone]

Necropost!

 

[cjwally]

I ride more on the aggressive side of XC and I switched from 160 to 185 in the front and noticed a noticeable improvement with modulation and power on longer/steeper descents. They tend to run cooler and fade less.

Choose what you will, but I like a bigger rotor up front....Who knows when you will need that extra stopping power. And as :steppie: said, its all about the one finger braking.

Now, I know this will throw a wrench into your plan, but why not check out some of those Hayes X9 Hydros...If I am not mistaken they are going for around $65 each. Beyond bikes has them on sale now I think...Check it.

Regardless of what you do, enjoy your new build.

 

[tbowren]

I love my 185mm in the back. I used to overheat my brakes going down Meadows or going down Harding Truck Trail all the time. I went to 185mm and it made all the difference.

I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't noticed any problems, but I did.

 

[mntbiker12]

Don't know what your size is, but as mentioned 160 is plenty for XC in most cases. I myself am 6 foot, 200lbs and rode on 160s for quite some time. I know use 200 up front on my 5 Spot, but that's because I gravitated away from XC to more aggro AM type riding.