Alpha ceramic rotors

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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wingguy
Posts: 4318
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:43 pm

by wingguy

LeDuke wrote:"Pro", as in once upon a time I was foolish enough to pay the UCI/USAC for a UCI elite license.

Ahh I see, it was a typo. You wrote "pro" when you meant elite.

Bloody autocorrect, happens to the best of us :thumbup:

by Weenie


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MichaelB
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Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

I've put out my feelers to see if I can get some to review.

There is too little detail on the site re pad material, and even construction detail for the new ones for me to stump up the 150 Euro to try.

MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

sent a message to get some info re recommended brake pads and what the difference is to the previous version of the discs.

Their reply (even considering if English is a second language) was brief and meaningless, and certainly not confidence inspiring ...


>Hi,
> Wondering what the recommended pad material is for the new Ceramic Rotors ?
>
> Can you provide some information on the process used and how they are different from the RS rotors ?
>
> Thanks
>
> Michael

Hi there,

The process has been improved to increase the strength of the part and increase its useful life by 30%.

Best,
Staff


:noidea:

CGT
Posts: 342
Joined: Fri Jan 05, 2007 5:33 pm
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

by CGT

Just stop bothering with carbon discs. It's been proven a failure on more than one occasion.

TheRookie
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Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:23 pm
Location: Midlands, United Kingdom

by TheRookie

Increase useful life by 30%, given people were trashing them in one ride that may mean they last two!

I wouldn't bother.
Impoverished weight weenie wanna-be!
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Kristinka
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 9:14 pm

by Kristinka

30% increase of usefull life? :O I thought they´ve had no usefull life at all. :)

bikemaniack
Posts: 331
Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:33 pm

by bikemaniack

It meens that they survive first ride and broke on second ride

Kryzak
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Sep 02, 2017 7:49 am

by Kryzak

ATTENTION ATTENTION. I bought one of these rotor and it was already strange from the begining: no address no phone contact on their web site. Then the paiement was not secured. I received a rotor anyway. Tried it and after a few kilometers it was completely destroyed. So I tried to claim it: IMPOSSIBLE! Nobody will answer you. You will never get your money back or a replacement rotor. You have no invoice with the brake disc. Nowhere to contact them. And when you try to contact them through their formular on their web pages no one will answer you. I have pictures of the destroyed rotor. If any questions ask pavel.kryze@gadz.org

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

Yup, we could have told you that before you bought them.
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MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

This was shown well and truly in the Spanish MTV thread link on the first page.

I think that carbon as a substrate for the braking section is pretty much dead at the moment.

This is now obvious as well as the reborn Kettle (SiC Rotors) now have a Ti base for the ceramic coating. Interestingly they mention to use Swissstop exitherm pads (which have been recalled) as the ones to use.

Regardless of how well they work, I'll keep my money in the pocket for now. Still.

UpFromOne
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by UpFromOne


TheRookie
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by TheRookie

MichaelB wrote:I think that carbon as a substrate for the braking section is pretty much dead at the moment.

Carbon works fine as a braking material (and its not used as a substrate at all, best not to use big words you don't understand), the problem with the parts so far made for bikes is the matrix material is not up to the task using a polymer material instead of ceramic. It's unlikely anyone would be willing to pay the hundreds of pounds/dollars/euros for a proper carbon ceramic disc as used for cars and motorbikes.
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MichaelB
Posts: 993
Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:31 am

by MichaelB

TheRookie wrote:
MichaelB wrote:I think that carbon as a substrate for the braking section is pretty much dead at the moment.

Carbon works fine as a braking material (and its not used as a substrate at all, best not to use big words you don't understand), .......


Actually, it’s you who didn’t understand. I didn’t dispute that it can’t work, rather that no-one has gotten it to work successfully for a bike application, as witnessed by the lack of success from various suppliers.

Kettle ( in its various incarnations) got closest, and Alpha seem to have NFI.

So, just slow down with the holier than thou attitude and read the whole series of posts a bit better :beerchug:

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

Thanks for clarifying what you meant to write, and yes I've read the whole thread and you would know (having done so as well) I'd already said the same.

The irony is that in Carbon ceramic discs the braking is on the ceramic, the carbon is only really there to keep the ceramic together, these discs seem to be relying on the carbon for braking and can't make the matrix material survive at all, let alone as the actual braking surface. They seem to be little more developed than cutting a disc from a piece of a thick(ish) carbon fibre sheet (presumably pre-preg not wet lay), something you could do at home for about £20-30ea, possible less (each) for a pair (I run a CF bash guard home made that way).
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SK5
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Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:03 am

by SK5

The second addition Alpha rotors have a thicker ceramic coating .

by Weenie


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