so how long can you use the same rotors for?

[Mongooser]

It just occurred to me that ive been using the same rotor for over a year on my back wheel

and before i got the bike the previous owner raced a whole DH season on and so did I

The things about 2 years old. My back brake locks light as a shimano and i have avid elixir CR's

So a new rotor should give me even more power right?

 

The things also been sprayed with 20 once (NOT ME)

 

Should i replace it, and what rotors should I get

 

Shimano Ice tech

Sram Guide

or those cheap things at CWC?

[Christofison]

What do you mean by "locks light as a shimano"? Do you mean that it has no modulation and locks up easily?

Two years isn't very long. Have you been using mostly organic resin or metal sintered pads?

If the disc is true and the braking surface isn't noticeably thinner than the rest of the disc, then keep on using them.

Clean the discs with brake cleaner and give them a light rub with some water paper and you'll be good to go.

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

Mine 3,5 years and 14000km on the same rotors.

[Mongooser]

What do you mean by "locks light as a shimano"? Do you mean that it has no modulation and locks up easily?

Two years isn't very long. Have you been using mostly organic resin or metal sintered pads?

If the disc is true and the braking surface isn't noticeably thinner than the rest of the disc, then keep on using them.

Clean the discs with brake cleaner and give them a light rub with some water paper and you'll be good to go.

i use metal pads

organic dont make them bite enuf

 

and by lock light i mean they lock as light as shimano zees or XTs

plenty of modulation also.

[BikeisLife]

There’s a minimum reading on the actual disc.

 

Pull out a ruler or a different measuring device and make sure it’s above that reading and you should be good to go ????

[BaGearA]

Been riding the same rotor for 3 years now ( was on front for 2 of those) and its still good , I check it withA caliper regularly but have not seen A change that worries me. Also measured with A micrometer when i bought it ( wrote it down somewhere)

 

Metal pads , 80% enduro riding , about 3000km on the bike per year.

 

Metal pads ( NOT resin pads) and Rotors can be cleaned with Rubbing alcohol

 

 

Your rotor is probably still safe to use   

[Dicky DQ]

I have never had to even think of replacing rotors. But then again looking at how the guys use the brakes during k2c you may have a point in considering this.

 

Edit: I see I have done almost 20k on both front and rear rotors.

[dave303e]

Measure the rotor thickness with a micrometer and if it is spec then it is good to go, I get about 3-4 years on an MX bike's rear rotors and I drag brake hard on that so you are probably fine.

Just think of it as minimising rotating mass when rotors wear thinner.

Maybe check you haven't glazed rotors, which is easy to fix and makes a big difference.

[Long Wheel Base]

I don't think mileage has much to do with how long the rotor should last. Take someone like Kev Benky for example, The dude will ride 3000km and probably only brake a handful of times. Other end of the spectrum you have Greg Minnaar who will use his brake a whole bunch more in only a few km.

[Odinson]

LWB is quite right. Mileage is irrelevant. More important is your braking style (i.e. how hard and how frequently), the conditions you ride in, the brake pads you use whether they are still running true. 

[Capricorn]

 

Magura’s minimum recommended rotor thickness is 1.7mm. At that thickness, Magura recommends replacing them for several reasons, one being reduced heat stability. Stefan Pahl, Magura’s product manager for its bicycle division says, “In the past we had the rotor thickness limit at 1.7mm. With the Storm and Storm SL rotors we even have increased that limit to 1.8mm (which is also laser printed on the rotor, on one of its spokes).” So you can wear the rotors down by 0.2mm down from 2.0mm. The reason for the high recommended thickness is not only heat stability, but also structural stability and reduced squealing.

 

For Hope’s 140mm diameter and 160mm diameter floating discs, the minimum recommended rotor thickness is 1.4mm (they are 1.60mm +0.05mm when new). For all the rest of Hope’s discs, floating or plain, minimum thickness is 1.5mm (they are 1.80mm +0.05mm when new).

 

Hayes rotors start out life at 1.75mm to 1.78mm thick, depending on rotor diameter. Hayes’s minimum thickness call out is 1.52mm and is marked on all Hayes rotors.

 

Shimano rotors are made 1.8mm thick and should be replaced when the thickness has been reduced to 1.5mm. Since 2010, the 1.5mm minimum recommended rotor thickness has been printed on Shimano rotors.

 

Avid specifies a minimum rotor thickness of 1.5mm. Not sure if the new SRAM centerline rotors have the same limit, but it won't be a surprise if it is.

[Mongooser]

LWB is quite right. Mileage is irrelevant. More important is your braking style (i.e. how hard and how frequently), the conditions you ride in, the brake pads you use whether they are still running true. 

pretty much alot of locking up and braking because i ride like a maniac and brake a lot to fix mistakes.

[dave303e]

pretty much alot of locking up and braking because i ride like a maniac and brake a lot to fix mistakes.

 

Locking up doesn't wear brakes out that much, because it binds solidly in one place between pads and rotor and locks and the energy transfer happens in the tyre ground contact rather. Dragging brakes for long periods will wear them more as the friction and energy transfer is between pad and rotor not tyre and ground, this also build up heat which doesn't help wear.

[Mongooser]

measured my rotor with one of those electronic things

 

it was 1.2mm thick

 

gonna replace it today

[Eddy Gordo]

Thats thin. I think at around 1.4mm you really pushing the limit.

 

On I avg I reckon around 1.5mm and one should replace rotars.