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Got x2's (replaced XT) and they are brilliant BUT a particularly wet day at BPW and in the alps I could have done with more power (or maybe balls!)
Mostly trail riding ie blues and reds no blacks at bpw and majority south downs qecp surrey hills is my level.
Should I get a bigger rotor on the front for bigger days and stick with x2 or pick up a e4 calliper and swap out the calliper or grow a pair and let it run a bit more. No problems with overheating, LOVE the modulation and the fit and forget. Dabber not a grabber and no mega steep stuff, more flow with small jumps.
Pros of bigger rotor - power.
Cons weight and harder to get up to temp when cruising?
I run 8" rotors on the front of all my bikes. Weight difference is not that great, nice to have the extra power when you need it.
Weight? Yeah I noticed how the front dropped down harder 😉 Also couple never noticed 200mm rotors not getting going from the start of a ride.
Better feel for me really on the bigger rotor.
What bike?
How heavy are you?
How hard/fast do you ride?
What pads do you use? (I've switched back to organic or Kevlar when I need more powah, sintered last but are noticeably down on bite compared with other...)
yeah but i'm not enduro baby, just normal xc/trail so will the big rotor get up to temp on normal days? maybe secretly i want 4 pistons having owned original xc4s back in the day.
hei hei trail 29 120 front similar on back
80kg
not slow not fast currently 1755/12255 on barry knows best 346 for the down and then the climb back up as well whatever that means.
running hope stock pads which i believe are organic
I went for x2's as there were whisperings of sticky 4 pistons e4 and given the utter nightmare i had with xt's i wanted reliable and feel and WOW the hopes were worth the money but maybe on the verge of undergunned for the 3 bigger rides a year i fit in when its not windy/wavey/daddy day care/ work.
I had a bike with X2's, then specced E4's on another. I quickly bought a new E4 caliper to replace the X2 on the front .
The thing you gain with the E4 is modulation more than anything, with a bit more top end power. I reckon it's a useful upgrade for the front brake and probably the rear as well given the modulation but I didn't go that far.
What size rotors are you running currently?
180 rotors. most of my riding they are totally fine but when it gets steeper faster and i sh1t myself more i need a bit more. someone posted a link from hope once that showed all brakes rated by power and x2 with big calliper was just under e4.
It's clear from that chart, that rotors matter more than calipers.
It's could be a cheaper upgrade as well. Move the front to the rear, and only buy a new front.
X2s are fine for everything, but I'd definitely go up to a 203 rotor at the front.
I ran 180/180 for a year, and then upped the front, and it feels a lot better....less of a deathgrip on the really steep stuff.
It could be a cheaper upgrade as well. Move the front to the rear, and only buy a new front.
That's what I did on my fat bike. You might need to buy a new post mount adaptor as well but that shouldn't brake (sic) the bank.
Are the brakes you have working properly? Cold polished pads? contaminated? Are they hot at the bottom of a descent - disc brake working temp is hundreds of degrees C
wouldn't do any harm to go up a disc size as the disadvantages are small but if the existing brakes are not working to optimum it won't cure anything.
personally I always run the smallest rotors I can as they do heat up quicker, bed in better and for me work just fine.
they are working most excellently - we're talking minutiae here for the 1 or 2 days a year i get to ride big stuff, stw style 😉 thanks for advice. new rotor I'm thinking.
Love my E4's and V4's..but still run 203/180 discs. Only reason to not run 203's on the rear is they look huge. Good thing with Hopes is you don't have to use all that power if you dont want to.
I run 180/160 at home. I have an extra rotor and post mount so abroad I can run 203/180. Also means I can take the 160 as an emergency so are.
I would fit a bigger rotor, you can always fit a bigger caliper if you need more again at a later date.
Both.
203 rotors AND Zee calipers (on your old XT levers/hoses)
ultimate power and cheap. (the zee caliper is the same as saint)
A heavy duty caliper will likely give more modulation, a bigger rotor will give you more heat dissipation ... All else being equal.
E4 on the front with x2 on the back. I suspect you'll be able to sell the old caliper for enough to make it not that expensive. I have that combo with 180 f+r at a similar weight on a rocket and it's enough for the UK. Would fit 200mm rotors fit the Alps though.