Inspired by the rotor size ponderings: Brake fade – have you had it and what did it take to cause it? And how big were your brakes and did you upgrade afterwards?

Not interested in feel, weight, etc, etc, just what it’s taken to overheat your brakes so the pads no longer grip.

I read that as ‘Brain fade’.

Clearly doesn’t take much to cause it in me 🙁

My Juicy three front brake on my Stumpy Comp FSR faded. I think the front is a 203mm disk or there abouts with the stock pads and I weigh about 15.5 stone so no lightweight! It was on a shortish downhill section somewhere in Derbyshire. Lever felt fine, brake just didn’t work and disk went kind of blue!
Swapped to Hope 4 pots and its never happened again.

Me (93kg and “aggressive” riding style) vs Grizedale Pike/Hobcarton End) on a newly built Meta 55 with 160mm Hayes Nines (didnt have the right adaptors to put my usual big rotors on): Cooked out the back brake in the narrow bit near the trees (10 minutes of descent?)
The next week, same bike, same brakes, 203mm rotors: No fuss.

I used to cook out a Hope Mini Mono on my first bike pretty regularly with a 180mm rotor, then upgraded to a 200mm before I went to Morzine the first year, and it didn’t cope well at all.

Doing the mega this year with a newish set of SLXs with 200mm floating rotors and no issues, the previous year with the aforementioned Hayes Nines they were getting quite iffy in the trees.

never had it. Maybe I don’t slow down enough

(anyone who knows me will agree that this is a blatant lie)

I read that as ‘Brain fade’.

Clearly doesn’t take much to cause it in me

I did exactly the same! 😳

Maybe I have been brainwashed by riding a Specialized Epic

A non stop run down mont chery in les gets from the very top, went right in the last couple of corners in the field. Hope m4 brakes with 203 and 185 rotors on a Kona stab primo. First year there, 2 weeks in to owning the dh bike. I didn’t upgrade after just stopped a bit more on runs and learnt not to brake so much.

Avid Juicy 7 (I think) faded very badly. After the third re-bleeding I gave up and fitted proper brakes.

Moto V2 means I’ve forgotten what brake fade is, though to be fair I’m a lot better rider now and I use the brakes a good deal less.

Chasing the Funiculaire down from Arc 1600 I managed to fade the front and boil the back at the same time, does that count? Hope DH4 185 with sintered pads up front, mini 165 with normal pads on the rear, 17st coffeeking on the top going as fast as I could.

First off the rear boiled (lever just turned to mush), then after relying on the front for the next 5 minutes it started screaching a bit more than normal and eventually just stopped working as effectively until it reached the point where I had to just keep picking the best spot to ditch just in case.

Didn’t catch the train, but did get from 1800 to the lower funiculair station in 20 something minutes, which was fun.

Avid Juicy 3’s on my ol’ Rockhopper.

2.3 miles and 900ft down on a very quiet tarmac road (fast :|)

Just got very spongy and a bit rubbish but why change them it’s not like it was a downhill bike. 99% of the time they were fine.

I’m a big boy but I ride tiny Hope Mini brakes. 160/140.

That could cause a problem but I think the issues I’ve had are more down to too long between fluid changes, so water gets absorbed over time then boils when the brakes are used on long descents.

I ahd it on my bullit when I was runnign a m585 rear on a 160 disc in morzine, I’m 14 stone and with all my kit it must be more like 16… and I’m a crap rider so I brake all the time. Last year I had saints m810 with 203 front and rear. Never missed a beat.

Yes, during Grand Raid Cristalp a few years ago. Suddenly found myself out accelerating everybody else going down a ski slope. I did a massive carve and cut through everybody into the catch fencing by the side. 160mm Shimano Deores on an Inbred. It must have looked quite impressive.

Interesting! Not had it myself on the bike but was curious, especially as I’m debating a bigger front rotor for the new build.

Had it in the car once, whilst trying to take the most direct route across the middle of Sussex on a hot summer’s day (remember them?), running late for a meeting. About twenty minutes of driving as fast as was safe along windy country lanes, pretty much in second gear all the time (it runs to almost 70), full-on acceleration after every corner, full-on braking before each corner, slightly slidey squeally action round most of the corners. And then just before one corner the pedal went all weird and squishy and I absolutely had to stand on the brakes just to get round the corner (which wasn’t as tight as I first though, fortunately!)

Last time was coming down the Campsite Descent On Long Mynd. Its proper fast the whole way down, but the last bit especially so. Anyway, loads of walkers, so much hard braking. Just got to the gate as my front lever went squishy. 180mm TechM4 with a 10 stone rider on. No problems since mind.

I had no end of problems with my old Formula The Ones (200/180).

…and a pair of black/gold Hope mono minis, that never did anything but fade. Horrendous brakes. New seals, pads, fluid. Nothing changed it. Simply they didn’t work.

Oh, and had it in the Passat coming down Alpe d’Huez in a bit of a hurry…

A non stop run down mont chery in les gets from the very top, went right in the last couple of corners in the field

Yer – the bottom of Les Gets 2 is the only place I get The Ones with the lever on the bar and nothing happening. Blued the rear disk on that one.