my bike came with a 160mm rotor can i put a 185 or 203mm? it has a 51mm International Standard mount?

Answer 1

Yes and no, yes and no. :o)

Yes, you can run a larger rotor, but you'll need to purchase the proper adapter. You pick your adapter based on front or rear mounting, and the size of the new rotor....and they're brand specific adapters, too.

Some frames and forks will only take a 7" max (185mm), so check with the manufacturer before you buy anything.

Unless you're doing full-on downhill tracks, 8" is overkill. 6" does well for most people, provided that the brakes are adjusted properly and have been "burned in" for best performance. For my trail bike, I use a 7" on the front and a 6" in the rear.....works very nicely for general use and acceptable for light use in the mountains every summer. If you live in a steep place, you might want 8" up front and either 6" or 7" in the rear.

If you can't find the adapters locally or it's going to take too long for the shop to order them, several of the online retailers keep them in stock. www.ride-this.com ; www.jensonusa.com ; www.blueskycycling.com ; www.pricepoint.com

hope this gets ya where ya wanna be.

Answer 2

Ride Urban is right..

You would need some adapters. Check first with the maker of the fork and the bike to be sure if they support it.

Usually 6" is more than enought front and back unless you do freeride or downhill.... or are a clyde, like myself. A larger rotor could help with brake fade (where if you use for long period of time (say a long descent) the rotor disipates heat better than a smaller one. Wether it would be noticeable or not, I'm not so sure. But the addend punch of a larger rotor when braking is great for me.

But, actually, it's only worth doing it on the front brake, since the front is the one that actually does a difference when braking. My current setup is 8" in front and 6" in the back.

Answer 3

Ride! is correct. It is unnecessary to go above a 160mm rotor unless you are doing some serious riding... and it may require an adapter to get the caliper in the correct position.

If your bike came with 160mm it is for a reason. If you are at a point where you think you need larger brakes I would recommend looking at another bike.