Surely if we are looking for the simple explanation the fact that at some point in the past Ashima went “that isn’t so good after all, we got it wrong, do it the same as everyone else” is the simple explanation. Sure, some new pads may have brought on the failure but if the head flys off a hammer when you hit a nail because it wasn’t secured properly, the nail is irrelevant.
‘course, it could have been something catching in the rotor, but that would be adding speculation…

Thanks for posting up the photos,I run a set of those and will be checking what direction they are running first thing .

Hope the wrist is a quick mend.

Thanks Fasthaggis, I really only posted this as a warning to other Ashima owners, if I had seen the thread that Russell96 had linked to I would have reversed mine and likely avoided the failure. I was lucky, my disc collapsed on a smooth local path close to home, if this had occurred over my weekends riding I’d likely be a bad state so I just wanted to alert others to this potential problem.

Brakes work Fine
I fiddle with brakes
Brakes “Brake”

I think unfortunetly there isn’t really much of an argument against Ashima unless you can prove all parts where fitted correctly especially as its you Vs Zyro. I have the same rotors and have not been impressed really with them.

Sorry bout wrist.

new pads is a must not a fiddle.

It could have been me that it killed! Heal quick btw.

Good point sambob, last time anyone gets a go of my bike 😛

It wasn’t me! I only tried it up hill anyway. I think i got the better deal on that one, you got the 31lb Specialized and i got the silly light Lynskey 😀

what ever you do…. Don’t send them to Ashima. Then will definitely get lost somewhere!

exactly – new pads are not a fiddle. They are a consumable that the brakes are designed to to have changed.

The new pads will have a different characteristic – possibly more initial bite at lower pressure which could result in higher loads on the disc from the braking force but the lower pressure would provide less restriction to sideways forces making buckling easier – pure speculation but an example of why it could have occurred.

Or if you were bedding the pads in the discs may have got hotter than you have had them before.

I would say there is no doubt there is a design/installation instruction fault. The problem comes where they have issued instructions on the change and if it resolves them of any responsibility. Maybe there should have been an instruction sent out to the retailers to contact people who bought them?

I’ve got nothing against lightweight rotors or Ashima and have some on my lightweight bike. But they are fitted the correct way and I only use 160mm ones and they are a little bit chunkier than these ones. Same make though and they are fine. I personally wouldn’t use them on a bike I do more serious stuff on though – jut the same way I wouldn’t run the same brakes on the track as I would use on the car on the road.

exactly – new pads are not a fiddle. They are a consumable that the brakes are designed to to have changed.

I ment fiddle, as in change, alter, adjust.

The brake was fine, after it was touched,adjusted, it broke. Ashima could quite easily say pads where fitted incorrectly and jammed.

Ashima have a terrible track record. Look at the pancake brakes, recalled twice I think when they finally got released

TandemJeremy – Member
If you changed the pads and then the brake failed occams razor tells us that the changes you had made led to the failure in some way

First point – Occam’s razor doesn’t tell us that – it suggests that is the most likely reason. The simplest explanation isn’t always the right one.

From your old friend wikipedia

Occam’s razor (or Ockham’s razor)[1] often expressed in Latin as the lex parsimoniae, translating to law of parsimony, law of economy or law of succinctness, is a principle that generally recommends, when faced with competing hypotheses that are equal in other respects, selecting the one that makes the fewest new assumptions.

Regardless, I do actually agree here – the change of brake pads was likely the trigger but that doesn’t make it the OP’s fault – new pads often have more bite which could well have been the difference between the rotor being able to take the load and not.

If I was the OP, I’d be going back to the online retailer and seeing why they hadn’t told people about the incorrect arrow. If they didn’t know, I’d then be suggesting that they take it to whoever deals with Ashima/Ashima themselves to find out why they hadn’t told the shops.

I’d be after some compensation in this instance at a minimum for damage to the bike and any direct costs incurred as a result of the injury. Only reasonable IMO – not suggesting claiming post-traumatic stress or anything else frivolous but the fact is that the only way some companies take consumer safety seriously is by being hit in the pocket.

Oo worried now. So which way is the right way round then? Any post a pic. Mine are a couple of years old and fixed in direction of the arrow

Occams razor = conclusion jumping for dummies

Has anyone managed to do this to their ashimas when running the rotors in the conventional direction?

also anyone seen other brake rotors do this? I can’t remember seeing pics of other trashed rotors.

(just bought 1, not fitted yet)

I could believe that bedding in new pads can cause more stress on a rotor than normal riding, it’s pretty much the only time I really jam them full on anyway so to me the fault is still with the rotor, it wasn’t fit for purpose when fitted in the way the manufacturer instructed and failed when put under a high load (that’s an accepted part of using disc brakes).

Yup,I agree Mr Wuzzy 🙂 Forget all that hokums razor guff .
The models ( with arrow the wrong way)that Dug had ,should have been recalled if there was a high risk of them failing when used in that direction.
I checked mine today and they are arrowed different ,but I now have less confidence in one being bolted to the front end.

I am sure there are a few mechanical engineers ( qualified ,not STW shed men )lurking on here that could explain what the difference in forces would be ,between the two directions.

DT78
Here is a link

scroll down and there is an article about them

Not a place I’d look to lose 60g to be honest.

Hi all,
I have seen a few catastrophic failures with these rotors. ALL where fitted the wrong way. Why would anybody fit a rotor around the wrong way?
Early ones had the etching on the wrong side, making the arrow face the wrong way. The situation is even worse as after a while the etching wears-off, so you have no way of proving anything if a failure was to happen.
It amazes me a company can get away with something like that, had that been a company in the ‘developed world’ I’m sure they would no longer be trading, Harsh I know, but probably true.
Its a shame, Ashima make some really good lightweight products. I tried to contact them via email with no success on several occasions. The website has no mention of the issue. Very poor in my view.
I have lost count of the number of riders I have seen with these rotors fitted incorrectly. Saw a picture some time ago of one of the Specialized Team riders with a similar looking rotor fitted the wrong way.
Someone is really going to get hurt by one of these.

By my reckoning this is the WRONG way round

http://singletrackworld.com/reviews/ashima-airotor/

I might be wrong but is there not an arrow showing direction of rotation on the rotor, that would show its on the right way?

Yep,
FITTED WRONG WAY ROUND.

Arrow indicates correct way but it is in fact wrong.

Exactly the problem with these rotors. As I said above there are literally hundreds out there installed like that.
Ashima have corrected the mistake now but that doesn’t help the poor folk that are riding a bike with the old ones totally oblivious to the pending catastrophe.

Right, thats it…
Mines coming off right now, shame as i’ve only just fitted it to replace the bent hope one.
I don’t need any question marks over my front brake.

*Lights torch and sharpens pitch fork with uncast arm*

bit worried about mine now, had ’em a few years now I ran then the wrong way (as indicated) for a year then heard (word of mouth) and swapped ’em round to the right way (opposite to arrow)

still a little concerned, really don’t want the disc folding on a decent one day.

OP hope you heal soon.

Cards on the table.
I changed my front ones for Hope ones a while ago for exactly these reasons. It was easy for me as has 160mm hope ones front and back on other bikes so just had a swap around.

Sorry, I should have said but didn’t want to put the frightners-up people running them already. I can’t see an issue with running them the conventional way but for me it was no hassle to change them so I did. As Dave said I really didn’t want any question marks over my front brakes.

Jesus not good.. do worry with these lightweight rotors.. have only just bought some of these and my first real set of lightweight rotors (pictured).. hopefully don’t go like that!!!

Mend well fella!

I looked at those too. Also thought they looked a bit flimsy. Went for the alligators in the end.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17162-115_ALIIW7-3-Parts-158-Brakes/Disc/Alligator-iWave-Rotor.htm

By my reckoning this is the WRONG way round

Agreed. The blades should scoop forwards into the caliper. Occam’s Razor indeed…

CORRECT.

light weight rotors? bit silly imo

lighten your bike up where its less likely to cause death/injury

Just a thought, and sorry if it’s been mentioned already (I haven’t read every word above) but could the pad material be relevant? I recently bought some Shimano rotors which had “resin pads only” engraved on the side. So this might be their get-out if sintered were used and the rotor failed?