How one can Match 180mm Brake Rotors on Flat-Mount Frames/Forks

compose Josh Meissner
time Nov 17, 2022
remark 35

Prefer it or not, flat-mount disc brakes are right here to remain. Initially a street normal designed to combine disc brakes on slender carbon frames and forks, the smaller calipers have turn out to be the one sort included in fashionable hydraulic drop-bar groupsets from the massive element producers, with post-mount brakes relegated to flat-bar MTB groupsets. Accordingly, body designers have needed to observe swimsuit, with many drop-bar mountain bike framesets inheriting the flat-mount normal.

This pattern hasn’t delighted everybody. The sleeker flat-mount bundle principally tops out at 160mm rotor diameter, which places a tough cap on the warmth flux accessible for cooling a glowing rotor throughout an extended descent. Pad and disc longevity endure accordingly, and the consequences are magnified the heavier the rider and bike.

Tumbleweed Stargazer with a 180mm entrance rotor and Seido MGV Carbon Fork working a 160mm rotor

Just a few pragmatic manufacturers have recognized flat mount’s inadequacy for loaded off-road using and designed their frames and forks for 160/180mm rotors, notably the Tumbleweed Stargazer, Salsa Cutthroat V2 fork, and new Seido MGV fork. By and huge, although, riders trying to improve the braking on their fashionable drop-bar bike are restricted by a regular inherited from the street and efficiency gravel house.

Now, there are at the very least two aftermarket adapters that enable for 180mm rotors on normal flat-mount frames and forks. These adapters take the type of a mounting plate that’s both stacked with the prevailing one or replaces it solely. This strikes the caliper out a further 10mm to wrap across the bigger rotor. These adapters exist outdoors of official producer specs, so not each body is suitable, working them will most probably void your body/fork guarantee, and also you’re continuing solely at your personal threat. Nonetheless, we expect they’re effectively value highlighting for bikepackers and heavier riders trying to beef up their braking methods.

Peak Torque Huge Brake Converter

Alex, a mechanical engineer who’s reportedly labored on rotary equipment for over a decade and goes by the deal with of Peak Torque on his unbiased bike engineering YouTube channel, developed the Huge Brake Converter (entrance and rear particular) for working 180mm disc on forks and frames that observe the 140/160mm Shimano flat mount normal. He stresses that the first function of the bigger disc is for higher cooling and thus decrease temperatures, which suggests diminished fading and longer lifetime of the pad and rotor.

He gives detailed becoming notes and ideas for mounting the adapter securely. Whereas the marginally elevated braking forces needs to be effectively inside the security issue of a frameset, you’re utterly by yourself on the subject of injury or harm. The converters can be found in his webshop, which is periodically restocked. Dig his YouTube video under for the engineering concerns that gave rise to the helpful design:

You’ll be able to head over to Peak Torque’s web site to seek out further particulars in regards to the 180mm adapters for frames and forks. They’re priced at $41 and $50, respectively.

Discord 180mm Flat Mount Fork Adapter

Eager eyes could have spied a flash of silver on the gorgeous fork in Joe Cruz’s evaluate of Tanglefoot’s extremely succesful Moonshiner ATB. Vermont-based Analog Cycles developed the Discord 180mm Flat Mount Disc Brake Fork Adapter to carry the braking on their drop-bar all-rounder as much as par with its singletrack prowess. The 2-piece design is made within the US, comes with stainless {hardware}, and is accessible in black or silver anodizing. Analog Cycles advises to examine along with your frameset’s producer whether or not it may deal with the elevated braking hundreds.

Discover extra info over at AnalogCycles.com. Their adapter retails for $60 in silver or black.

Moreover, a reader notified us that element producer XLC makes the BR-X106 and BR-X107 adapters, which obtain an identical function as those talked about on this submit and, whereas exhausting to seek out, look to be a reasonable different for people in Europe.

What’s your most well-liked brake system for bikepacking? Tell us what you consider the proliferation of flat-mount brakes within the dialog part under.