I have an Anthem X2 which has Hayes Stroker Ryde disc brakes with 160mm rotars, Fox 32 F100 RL shocks.
Im just shy of 15 stone and find that the brakes are ok but they dont exactly have the sh@t im going over the bars feel.
If i were to upgrade what would be my options, bigger rotars, sintered pads or a complete new set of Saints?
Does anybody know what the biggest rotars are i can fit to my forks? i have standard quick release LX hubs. Someone mentioned that if i go to big without a bolt through axle the wheel can be pulled out of the forks under breaking..?

Thanks

check the fork manual and it'll say how big a rotor it is rated up to. alternatively check online.

most shimano brakes will give you that over the bar feeling if you want it. have a look at SLX or XT. both provide plenty of power. Saint might be overkill (much heavier, too).

I've always found that simply increasing the rotor size rather than buying new brakes gives me all the stopping power i need (i'm 16st).
I run 203/180 using XT brakes, 203/185 with Juicy 3's and 200/160 with Hope M4/Hayes El Camino and apart from 'feel' i find very little difference in performance between them.

Bigger rotors will also be the cheapest option, especially if you get them 2nd hand from the classifieds.

Edit – these are all run on Rockshox Forks, although i ran a 203mm Hayes setup on my old Trance with Fox forks and i believe most decent modern forks allow the 203mm rotors to be run now. 2 of my bikes are QR and one is Bolt-thru and i've never suffered any problems.

Someone mentioned that if i go to big without a bolt through axle the wheel can be pulled out of the forks under breaking..?

I doubt it, never heard of that before.

I cant find any info in my manual for the fork.. any recommendations on rotar size?

i think there was one incident where the front wheel pulled out and Fox tried to cover it. not 100% sure though. think it had more to do with the QR not being tightened fully.

stick 203mm on and be done with it.

Try 180's first, both ends – you'll need caliper 'extendeds' – Hope do plenty that cover all odds (IS/Post etc).

I moved onto Ashima rotors, their 180's are lighter than most 160's.

null

160 front is way too small. Try getting a 180 rotor off the classifieds and get a new mount. If that doesn't work bin the brakes and get XT or Hope Tech X2.

I've tried those Hayes on a couple of test bikes. Worst brake I've ever tried

There not as bad as avid 3.5 though.. i thought they were awfull. Saying that my XT v brakes on my orange put them both to shame..
I looked at the XT disc brakes but apparently there a bitch to set up??
Merlin are doing a complete set for £210 but for another £45 you can get a set of saints.. are they really that heavy?

Just checked the shimano site for weight.
XT levers pair 161g
XT calipers pair 223g
Saint levers pair 266g
Saint calipers each 162g

383grams vs 590grams

"I have an Anthem X2 "
"or a complete new set of Saints?"
You want to put DH race brakes on an XC race bike?
I'd imagine your tyres would lock up all too easily without DH tyres too

"bigger rotars, sintered pads .. if i go to big without a bolt through axle the wheel can be pulled out of the forks under breaking..?"
No. A 203mm rotor will only give around 25% more power than a 160mm anyway
(Most) forks have a raised edge around where the QR sits when done up to stop it from sliding out. I think your fox's should have 45 degree (rather than straight down) dropouts anyway which massively reduces any disc braking force trying to push the wheel out
Sintered pads will generally give less power. They keep on biting wet when wet, unlike 'normal' pads which start to give less power when wet

"i think there was one incident where the front wheel pulled out and Fox tried to cover it. not 100% sure though. think it had more to do with the QR not being tightened fully"
I thought it was that the fork dropout pointed straight down (where disc brake forces can be big enough to push the wheel out) AND there were no tabs/raised edges on the dropouts to stop the skewer head/nut from stopping the wheel from sliding off the dropouts.
Don't quote me though. Thats just what I'd gathered from what I've read

James,
So what are you advising me to do? buy some saints with DH tyres and then buy a DH bike to fit them to lol…
I used to ride motorbikes and always upgraded my brakes so im a bit hooked on lots of stopping power..
Do i bin the hayes and get some Shimano XT's??

I run 160 / 140mm Avid Juicy set up on my XC bike and never had an issue with lack of power or not being able to stop. I run 185 / 160mm on the Trail bikes and again have had no issues. I'm over 15-stone in my riding kit. I did have 203 / 185mm on my DH bike but have change back to a 185 / 160mm set up because it was too much.

What is it you want the brakes to do? Are you wanting a progressive feel of increasing power as you pull on the lever or are you wanting instant full power regardless of how much the lever is pulled?

I would say that a 180mm front rotor would be more than adequate for your needs on the Anthem. And certainly cheaper than replacing the whole brakeset. How 'used' are the brakes? Perhaps a good bleeding and clean at the same time would help.

There not as bad as avid 3.5 though

Have to disagree. I've tried plenty of disc brakes & the stopping power of Juicy 5's with 203 / 180 rotors is simply awesome. And I'm 16st on a Coil Pike forked Ventana, so not the lightest bike & rider combo. They can haul me to a stop stupidly quickly. One thing I would say though, Shimano brakes have a nice feel to them. The Avids are just brut force braking by comparison.

Try sticking a 203 / 180 rotor onto your existing brakes but first off a new set of properly bedded in sintered pads. Find a bloody great hill & just keeping breaking hard – repeatedly, that should do the trick.

160 front is way too small.

Peaty's world cup winning bike had 160front/140 rear according to the latest Singletrack.

As others have suggested sort the set up, bleeding and cleaning. Organic pads will provide more power than sintered at the cost of wear rate. All front discs should have sufficient power to put you over the bars for example if you grab a big handful and there's sufficient tyre grip, if they're working properly.

I would say that a 180mm front rotor would be more than adequate for your needs on the Anthem. And certainly cheaper than replacing the whole brakeset. How 'used' are the brakes? Perhaps a good bleeding and clean at the same time would help.

What he said…

I'm pretty sure your Fox forks are not covered under warranty with anything bigger than a 180mm front rotor fitted anyway, so this is worth bearing in mind.

Your Hayes brakes aren't the last word in sophistication, but as much as I love Shimano brakes, I don't think you'd find the stopping power you require just by switching brands. And certainly I wouldn't be putting a set of Saints (as stated a "DH" brake) on an Anthem. At just shy of 15 stone you're heavier than the average rider sure, but not my a lot.

Give a 180mm front rotor a try (about £15 for a rotor, about £6 for the requisite adapter), at least it's a cheap option. And whilst you're at it, see if the brakes need bleeding (are they spongy or not?), and possibly/probably fit new pads all round… My favourite pads for pure stopping power terms are the A2Z blue compound. I've used these pads for some time, they're more powerful than anything else I've tried (EBC redstuff aside but they last minutes!) and yet seem to last a long time too!

Peaty's world cup winning bike had 160front/140 rear according to the latest Singletrack.

Yeah, but when you're as good as Steve Peat, who doesn't need to brake where many of us mere mortals do, and it's a fairly non-technical course, you can get away with running silly small brakes on your DH race bike… The less skill you have, the more brake you're going to need to be able to get away with certain situations!

takisawa2 – Member

There not as bad as avid 3.5 though

Have to disagree. I've tried plenty of disc brakes & the stopping power of Juicy 5's with 203 / 180 rotors is simply awesome. And I'm 16st on a Coil Pike forked Ventana, so not the lightest bike & rider combo. They can haul me to a stop stupidly quickly. One thing I would say though, Shimano brakes have a nice feel to them. The Avids are just brut force braking by comparison.

Try sticking a 203 / 180 rotor onto your existing brakes but first off a new set of properly bedded in sintered pads. Find a bloody great hill & just keeping breaking hard – repeatedly, that should do the trick.

Thats why you disagree i've only tried them on 160 rotars not the 203/180 combo you use…
looks like putting a bigger rotor on mine might get a better feel..

mboy – Member

I would say that a 180mm front rotor would be more than adequate for your needs on the Anthem. And certainly cheaper than replacing the whole brakeset. How 'used' are the brakes? Perhaps a good bleeding and clean at the same time would help.

What he said…

I'm pretty sure your Fox forks are not covered under warranty with anything bigger than a 180mm front rotor fitted anyway, so this is worth bearing in mind.

Your Hayes brakes aren't the last word in sophistication, but as much as I love Shimano brakes, I don't think you'd find the stopping power you require just by switching brands. And certainly I wouldn't be putting a set of Saints (as stated a "DH" brake) on an Anthem. At just shy of 15 stone you're heavier than the average rider sure, but not my a lot.

Give a 180mm front rotor a try (about £15 for a rotor, about £6 for the requisite adapter), at least it's a cheap option. And whilst you're at it, see if the brakes need bleeding (are they spongy or not?), and possibly/probably fit new pads all round… My favourite pads for pure stopping power terms are the A2Z blue compound. I've used these pads for some time, they're more powerful than anything else I've tried (EBC redstuff aside but they last minutes!) and yet seem to last a long time too!

Thanks, some worthy points in there.. I think your right abouut the hayes brakes i have, they are bottom of the line.
I was thinking it would be nice to have the all shimano groupset look by ditching the Hayes.

Any recommendations on rotors? or are they all pretty much the same?