Best $142.02 I've ever spent! - Bigger MTB Disc Rotors

In this video I discuss why upgrading to bigger disc rotors are a great solution to the “decent brake” problem, give you a few tips on where to start your journey if you want to upgrade to bigger disc rotors, and at the end of the video I am going to take the new rotors for a test ride and see if I would truly recommend this upgrade to you guys! Using Shimano's F203 Post Mount Disc Brake Adaptor, I am upgrading my rotors from 180mm to 203mm SRAM Centerline 6-Bolt Rotors on my Santa Cruz 5010!

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#MTBRotors #MTBBrakes #Shimano #Sram

[NickandKatieMTB]

*For more tips like this, check out the playlist below* 👇

[olliechristopher]

Thank you Nick!! I'm upgrading my brakes from 180/200 to 200/220 on my Trek Slash. I appreciate your honesty that shows you are just a normal dude with "regular riding skills" most of us have. No fancy camera work and outrageous stunts. I'm a 63 year old dude who got the big suspension bike so my body does not get tore up on the trail. My last mountain bike was a hardtail Trek with rim brakes. After almost 2 seasons on this bike it's time for brake service.

[trailpimp]

203 front and rear is the way to go man. Steel pads and a solid bleed and all set.❤

[tehalexy]

"You need bigger brake rotors!" -> gets 203mm
*me raises eyebrow in 246mm*

[cibablea]

Perfectly demystified. Thank you. Convinced. Glad you didn't get hurt.

[Sacca_]

Mounted on the YT Jeffsy Galfer Shark discs and standard Galfer pads and the SRAM G2R has improved significantly

[filipdrs]

I love my 220mm magura mdrp rotors i run them on the back and front of the bike so there is just so much braking power. It’s absolutely amazing I do gotta say I run them with Sram code rsc and green galfer pro pads. It’s just the best setup ever a lot of modulation but a shitton of braking power. It’s just amazing

[jupiter]

Great video. One consideration you might want to mention is that the larger the rotor, the more likely that you can get rubbing on the brake pads. That's because most wheels are not perfectly true (or rotors for that matter) so the larger the rotor, the more it amplifies the oscillation of the rotor into the pads. It's definitely an issue on my piece of crap E bike, but not so much on better quality bikes. Also, that finger oil thing is the stupidest thing I've ever heard and I hear it all the time. Just ride your bike for an hour on any paved road in America. I guarantee you that you will pick up plenty of oil and contaminants all over that rotor. It's like 8 inches off the road surface! Oil on your fingers is very minor compared to the black shit that just naturally accumulates from road riding. Thanks for the great video, and keep up the good work!

[TY_LR]

Super helpful video! I was thinking of upgrading my rear rotor from a 160mm to 180mm, but wasn’t sure about it. It would help a lot to have a 180mm rotors in front and rear. Thanks!

[TE_]

Id highly recommend sram hs2 rotors. Best and most trustworthy rotors ive ever used

[falllinemaniac]

Personally I find 203 on the back is a bit too much. For one thing, "stopping" or "locking up" are two things I detest when shredding.

On cold wet days the big rotor won't warm up, squeal and have less power. Not an issue until it is.

Perhaps adjusting philosophy would be a free upgrade; Braking is necessary, comfort braking is a vice. A hardtail rider, I've learned to brake in the postage stamp of smooth dirt before the corner the corner then finding the acceleration out of the apex.

This basically eliminated boiling brake fluid and now I find cold brakes like to squeal.

I've been using different pads from different sources, MXT and Galfer are more expensive because they're made of superior materials. That said Corki sintered pads are cheap and quieter YMMV

[stevenr]

I could always to an endo on my side-pull rim brakes, my v-brakes, cantis, and 160mm cable pull discs-with no wheel movement.
Are sure you were really doing it right?
With that said, I agree that sizing up on rotors may be a better and more economical way of getting better/cooler braking on down hill riding, than spending $$$ on "better" brakes. FYI, front brakes takes 70% of braking fores- so just size up the front(and save even more$$$ and weight).

[Synonomous]

Nice vid. Nice detail. Showing yourself choking on that skinny was humble of you and helpful. Totally psychological, lol.
Should have more views but I guess most people are not doing it themselves so the lbs takes the job. I have tools, enjoy wrenching and am too cheap to pay them, haha. Thanks!

[MTBQandA]

Thanks for this! Was thinking of going bigger and tis helped out a lot! Since I'm not very mechanical. HA!

[cunning-stunt]

I found that the centreline discs warped constantly and were always clipping the pads.
I looked at getting 2.3mm thick rotors from Galpher and they were really expensive.
TRP do 2.3mm rotors at a reasonable price and haven't looked back since installing those.
You have to watch out with some sram rotors as they are 200mm not 203mm like normal rotors, so you have to have the right adaptor.
Or shave a bit of your adaptor with a file.

[reapton]

Thank you for that video. I have plans to upgrade my bike in this way and your video is exactly what i had been looking.
PS: what do you think about 220 or 223 rotors?

[craigelliott]

I'm going from 160mm to 203mm because I'm adding two ebike hub motors...

[EMTBonsai]

My new Cube stereo action team came with 203 rota's I've never noticed an adapter on the calipers so went and checked and yeah only one on the fox 38s nothing on the frame just a direct fit to the frame German cubes surely thinks their bikes should have 203s standard im assuming as don't think id be able to run anything smaller on the rear if it's a direct frame mount it's a 2024 embt maybe why actually keep forgetting it's got a motor as so nice to ride liek a normal bike unlike my canyon ebike you feel that thing weighing you down

[oplkfdhgk]

f rear brake. never use it anyway so i just got bigger front rotor and left rear stock. 😀

[eirichen]

Im considering upgrading from 180 to 203 front and back but my breaks have only 2 pistons (Shimano MT201). Do you think only upgrading the disks would be enough to get a segnificant increase in break power? Or is 4 pistons the way to go? They are not all that great now.