I have a Ti456 with hope mono mini brakes, rotors are 160 front and back.

I also have a enduro with juicy 5, 203 at front and 185 at back.

I’m finding the hopes just dont have enough power to stop me as quickly as i want. So thought about getting the elixr’s on the on-one site. Want to try and get the same size rotors as my enduro, so it might be easier to swap wheels, etc.

Is there any problems with going tht big? I much prefer the feel of the juicy 5’s compared to the Hopes. Or would getting bigger rotors for the Hopes be a better option?

No, i run 180mm front and rear quite nicely 😆

only real issue with going bigger is weight, benefits are better modulation, heat disipation and stopping power.

I’ve always found 180 front and 160 rear rotors ‘big enough’ but depends where and how you ride.

Getting better brakes will certainly help. Though unless you’ve already done it you might want to try servicing the minis and shuffling the rotors over just to try it out. But minis and 160s isn’t a very strong set up at all.

Some brakes become a bit on/off with big rotors, never tried minis set up like that myself though. And it does take reasonable braking technique to get good results from them. But too big? Nah, not convinced. I run 203/180 on the Hemlock all the time even when it’s pretending to be an XC bike and all I have to do if I want less brake is pull the lever less 😉

There comes a point it’s not very useful I’m sure, I wouldn’t put those big rotors on my rigid xc bike as there’d be no real point, it’d just add weight (and the rotors are more expensive and more vulnerable)

The Formula sale’s still on, 140 euros for a set of Oro K24s which is very hard to pass up on I reckon.

you never have to much stopping power, so you can be Kng of the late breakers!! 😆 I have XT brakes with 203mm / 180mm rotors & stops on a sixpence!

Hope mini will have a softer lever feel and thus less immediate bite than some other brakes – however if they are working properly they will have plenty of power – mine on 160 mm discs will lock either wheel / send me over the bars with a single finger pull.

The Formula sale’s still on, 140 euros for a set of Oro K24s which is very hard to pass up on I reckon.

What website are these one?

just make sure your frame and forks are up to dinner plate disks before you buy, though…

only real issue with going bigger is weight

And we’re not talking much weight here either. A 203mm rotor weighs about 60g more than a 160, the corresponding adapter about 20-30g more, so even if you upgrade both ends, you’ll only gain a shade over 1/3lb in weight overall on the bike.

I run 180/160 on my “XC” bikes, and 203/180 on anything that is likely to get pointed DH sometime. I’m only 12 stone, but I find the bigger rotors help out a lot as there’s now power in reserve.

Remember though, as the old Pirelli advert used to say… “Power is nothing without control”… If you’re a 2 or even 3 finger brake grabber you’re suddenly going to start skidding a lot or sending yourself over the bars. Bigger rotors helped me progress to single finger braking all the time, which is more controlled and helps ease hand fatigue on longer bumpier DH runs.

running rotors that are too big results in the pads not heating up enough and then not bedding in properly in normal use then the pads wear out really quickly.

running rotors that are too big results in the pads not heating up enough and then not bedding in properly in normal use then the pads wear out really quickly.

never had this issue and i’ve always ran large rotors

oh, i’m definitely a 1 finger man : / the enduro stops me far quicker the 456.

Does anyone know if the ti456 will have problems with a 180 rotor outback? or a 203 on the front. Or if its IS or post mount, or is that just for the forks??

soobalias – Member

running rotors that are too big results in the pads not heating up enough and then not bedding in properly in normal use then the pads wear out really quickly.

Its one possible cause of brakes pads that wear out very quickly – makes sense in theory but not proven.

No 🙂 (XC 185/160, AM203/203) 😉

running rotors that are too big results in the pads not heating up enough and then not bedding in properly in normal use then the pads wear out really quickly.

Yes/No/Maybe

It really depends on too many other variables.

The best way I find to bed pads in so they work properly, and don’t wear out prematurely, is to not ride them “in normal use” immediately, but to actually take the bike out purposefully to get some heat into the brakes. I’ll usually take the bike up and down the road, dragging the brakes slightly (one at a time, otherwise you get nowhere!) for a couple of minutes. Then I’ll sprint up to a decent speed a few times, haul on the brakes, this gets a bit of heat into them. Do this each time you fit new pads, takes 15 minutes tops, and you get much better life out of them.

Or alternatively if you live at the top of a big hill, just fit them and go ride! 😉

I use Hope Mini Monos 180 front and 160 rear.
At 95 kg on a 29er they’ve got all the power I need with one finger braking.
Maybe you should do some finger exercises. 😉

Even with multiple fingers i find it really hard to lock the wheels up with the hopes. i’m 95kg as well.

That’s odd.
What pads are you using ?
I just bought some genuine Hope sintered pads and I’m fairly sure that’s what I’ve already got in there.

Edit to add;
I’m using Mini Mono brakes on two 29ers.
One with drilled discs and one with wavy discs.
Both work perfectly.

Oh, sorry, that would have helped. It’s Formula’s own factory store:

http://store.formula-brake.com/special_offers

152 euros though, I had the price slightly wrong.

the enduro stops me far quicker the 456.

is this more to do with improved rear wheel traction on the FS than the actual ‘power’ available from the brakes?

alcolepone

this is conundrum – others experiences of hopes mirrors yours while my experiences mirrors MidlandTrailquestsGraham.

Try cleaning and sanding the pads and rotors and rebedding them in. Its also important to centralise the pistons properly as on the hope website. I find the paads can get glazed / polished and not work properly.

I suspect you have duff pads ‘cos they should be more powerful than that. I can lock the front or endo at 30 mph on tarmac with one finger Rear is almost too powerful

my elixirs are 185mm front, 160mm rear, more breaking than you’ll ever need – just swapped out the rear pads for fresh ones and it’s better than the front now.

You will notice a big difference going to 180/160 on the Mini’s, and bleed them trough with brand new fluid. That said, I’m about 82kg with kit and found the Mini’s slightly underpowered on really big descents – I’m talking 300-400m+. They have the power, but with one finger I need that much pressure I was getting finger ache/arm pump after about 15 mins continual downhilling

There is no such thing as too much stopping power, it just means you don’t have to pull the levers so hard. I have a ti456 with 203 front/180 rear pre-servowave xt, they are brilliant. Also run 203 front and rear on my 29er and tbh wouldn’t want to go back to small rotors.
Both bikes are set up with the levers well inboard for one finger braking which is more than enough.

I run 180mm front and 160mm rear on all of my disc shod MTB’s, and find that they provide more than enough stopping power.

Can get them nice and hot and can pull skidz so sik it’s awsum man

i have elixr’s with 203f and 185r on a sanderson hardtail it locks up when i want it to or nicley controled both one finger they are awsome brakes when bled propperley fully recomend the setup.

Depends a lot on the brakes. I have 1999/2000 Hope C2s on my retro DH bike, 205mm both ends, and they have less power than the more modern Formula R1s, 160mm both ends on the race bike.
To the OP,I would also recomend EBC RedStuff pads for more power.

Ti 456 with 203/180 Hope floating on XTR here works a treat. Pike’s fitted though 😉

silicone spray on the piston seals helps, as does centering the caliper on the rotor properly so that the disc doesn’t deflect when you put the brakes on.

My hopes weren’t that powerful either though, sold them for Avid Elixirs in the end and they seem fine even with 160mm rotors.

soobalias – Member
running rotors that are too big results in the pads not heating up enough and then not bedding in properly in normal use then the pads wear out really quickly.

I’ve experienced exactly this problem. Seems to me that a larger rotor takes longer to warm up/get into working temperature range. Same bike/forks/calipers/pads, but two contrasting “feel”s. Seems to be exacerbated at low temperatures and in the wet.