Alpha ceramic rotors

Discuss light weight issues concerning mountain bikes & parts.

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UpFromOne
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by UpFromOne

What kind of "ceramic"?
What expansion rates?
What bonding?
WTF?

Whomever is selling that eBay pair (now relisted) might have been afraid to even try them.

by Weenie


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MichaelB
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by MichaelB

Based on my emails with them, I would even be tentative in trying a free set of the carbon ones. Maybe the steel based ones, but then what is the advantage ?

The thing that made me laugh the most, was that it took about 5 emails to finally get them to state that the recommended pads were the Swissstop Exotherm pads (they kept saying all the info is on the site ....), but these have been recalled (during the time I was corresponding with them).

I'll keep looking every now and then, but wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.

The Zelvy ones that are coming from an Aus supplier though, I would be tempted. You can at least have a conversation with them and get proper answers ... !!

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marecej
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by marecej

the zelvy ones are coming for over a year now, not very promising
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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

They informed me normal organic pads were fine. Uhmm.

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SK5
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by SK5

bm0p700f wrote:They informed me normal organic pads were fine. Uhmm.


Ceramic based pads have to be used . Ceramic on ceramic otherwise you can rip the coating off .

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

SK5 wrote:
bm0p700f wrote:They informed me normal organic pads were fine. Uhmm.


Ceramic based pads have to be used . Ceramic on ceramic otherwise you can rip the coating off .

Eh, Please explain what that means, I see no logical basis behind that assertion.
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bm0p700f
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by bm0p700f

givent he report of the rotors self destructing quite quickly I am not sure worries about the coating ripping off are really that valid.

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SK5
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by SK5

TheRookie wrote:
SK5 wrote:
bm0p700f wrote:They informed me normal organic pads were fine. Uhmm.


Ceramic based pads have to be used . Ceramic on ceramic otherwise you can rip the coating off .

Eh, Please explain what that means, I see no logical basis behind that assertion.


If you use a more abrasive material it can take the coating off pretty much straight away .
Eventually the coating will come away but it won't come off abruptly and cause the carbon fabric to come away which is what was seen from the first edition discs . This is why ceramic is suggested to be used on all ceramic discs .

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SK5
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by SK5

bm0p700f wrote:givent he report of the rotors self destructing quite quickly I am not sure worries about the coating ripping off are really that valid.


From what I gathered (and from what I could feel from mine) the coating wasn't thick enough . In fact I cut mine and it cut very quickly like it was just bare carbon . The second edition is much stronger and thicker .

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

SK5 wrote:
TheRookie wrote:
SK5 wrote:
bm0p700f wrote:They informed me normal organic pads were fine. Uhmm.

Ceramic based pads have to be used . Ceramic on ceramic otherwise you can rip the coating off .

Eh, Please explain what that means, I see no logical basis behind that assertion.

If you use a more abrasive material it can take the coating off pretty much straight away .
Eventually the coating will come away but it won't come off abruptly and cause the carbon fabric to come away which is what was seen from the first edition discs . This is why ceramic is suggested to be used on all ceramic discs .

A proper ceramic is one of the most abrasion resistant things commercially available, much more so than humble steels which seem to work just fine from cheap Chinese pattern parts upto the thin steel friction surfaces used in Shimano ice-tech with organic and (genuinely abrasive) sintered pads, if a humble organic pad can genuinely do that to the ceramic coating I'd suggest its a pretty cruddy coating. I think its just a way to try and excuse the piles of junk foisted upon innocent buyers by rip off merchants to date which wouldn't survive using anything but fresh air as a pad. Of course using a thin ceramic coating is fatally flawed as any differential expansion will crack it and that will cause issues whatever the pad.
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MichaelB
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by MichaelB

marecej wrote:the zelvy ones are coming for over a year now, not very promising


The last time I looked at the site, it's disappeared altogether ...

Oh well, IceTech it is then !!

TheRookie
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by TheRookie

There is much lighter than Icetech available, not sure why you would jump from wanting CF/ceramic to heavier than needed icetech?
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ms6073
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by ms6073

Because IceTech rotors work, are nearly silent in the dry, and don't shred pads when it is wet/muddy. Besides, as someone who
tried several of the lighter wieght 6-bolt options including several iterations of the Kettle Cycles carbon rotors, what is better than Icetech for centerlock hubs?
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"

02GF74
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by 02GF74

Centrelock hubs limit your rotor choice. You can always find an adapter for 6 bolt rotors

Formula r1 are one of the lightest Centrelock rotors available that also stop pretty well.

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MichaelB
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by MichaelB

TheRookie wrote:There is much lighter than Icetech available, not sure why you would jump from wanting CF/ceramic to heavier than needed icetech?


The desire for the CF/Ceramic was more about the braking capability rather than weight. Yep, know3 this is WW.

IceTech rotors just work, and work well. I'm not a light guy, so want to make sure my brakes work and happy to pay the minor weight penalty.

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