Brake rotors

Remschijf 160 mm

This is a single 160 mm brake rotor for disc brakes, sold as one piece. It is an unbranded product, so the title mostly tells you the size and the quantity.

What you get

1 brake rotor
Diameter 160 mm
For disc brakes

Why the right rotor?

A rotor wears. A new rotor is usually about 1.8 mm thick and should be replaced around 1.5 mm (see the manufacturer’s figure). A bent rotor rubs on the pads and makes noise. A contaminated rotor brakes poorly, often from oil or grease on it.

Diameter sets the leverage and the heat dissipation. A bigger rotor gives more stopping power and stays cool for longer, but is heavier and will not fit every frame. On the road 140 and 160 mm are common, on gravel 160 and 180 mm, on MTB 180 and 203 mm.

The mount matters too. Center Lock is a splined mount where the rotor is held by one lockring, quick to fit. 6-bolt (IS) uses six small bolts and appears on almost every hub. A Center Lock rotor does not fit a 6-bolt hub without an adapter, and the other way round.

Metal and construction vary. A single-piece stainless steel rotor is tough and simple. A rotor with an aluminium core and steel braking tracks (two- or three-piece) is lighter and sheds heat better, but costs more.

How the sizes compare

A bigger rotor brakes harder and stays cooler, a smaller one is lighter.

Diameter	Use	Power and heat	Weight
140 mm	Rear wheel on the road	Enough for lighter riders	The lightest
160 mm	Road, gravel, light MTB	Good baseline, cool enough	About 100 g or less
180 mm	Gravel, XC and trail	Clearly stronger and cooler	A little heavier than 160 mm
203 mm	Heavy MTB and long descents	Maximum power and cooling	The heaviest

Check the maximum rotor size of your frame and fork. A bigger rotor sometimes needs a different caliper adapter.

Choose it if

You are replacing one worn or bent rotor and your bike runs 160 mm
You want a single rotor rather than a set of two
Your rotor is thinner than about 1.5 mm, bent or visibly damaged.
You brake with a lot of noise and cleaning does not help.

Choose something else if

You are replacing front and rear together: take a set of two instead
You do not know whether your hub is Center Lock or 6-bolt. Check that first.
Your frame or fork does not allow a bigger rotor. Look up the maximum size in the specifications.

How to fit a brake rotor

Check the mount
See whether your hub is Center Lock or 6-bolt and pick a rotor with the same mount.
Clean the hub
Take off the old rotor and wipe the contact surface clean. Do not touch the braking surface of the new rotor with greasy fingers.
Fit the rotor
With Center Lock, slide the rotor onto the splines and tighten the lockring with the special tool to about 40 Nm. With 6-bolt, tighten the six bolts in a cross pattern.
Check the rotor runs true
Spin the wheel and see if the rotor runs straight in the caliper. A slight bend can be eased out with a rotor truing tool.
Bed in the pads
A new rotor and new pads need bedding in: brake about twenty times from a moderate speed without stopping.

Good to know

Check the mounting type, six bolt or centerlock, which the title does not state
Replace the pads too if the rotor is worn
Do not touch the braking surface with greasy hands and keep chain spray away. Clean with isopropyl alcohol.
A rotor gets very hot after long braking. Do not touch it straight after a descent.
Use the bolts supplied with the rotor and tighten them to the stated torque, as values differ per brand.
Rotors and pads work as a pair: a resin or metal pad sometimes suits a given rotor better. Check the recommendations.

What you get

Why the right rotor?

How the sizes compare

Choose it if

Choose something else if

How to fit a brake rotor

Check the mount

Clean the hub

Fit the rotor

Check the rotor runs true

Bed in the pads

Good to know

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