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203mm front and rear. :)

31K views 297 replies 57 participants last post by  danthesoundman 
#1 ·
You guys that seem to love the smallest disks that can be fitted to a bike will love this one.

I just upgraded my 185mm cleansweep G2 on the rear to a 203mm G2. 203mm all around FTW!

I got bored so I test fitted my old 203mm roundagon on the rear without the caliper mounted. I rode the bike and emphasized side to side motion to flex the frame. No rubbing so I ordered the 203mm G2 for it.

I noticed that after getting the bike out on the trail, I used the rear brake much more than the front. Never had any problems with overheating but I wanted to try the larger brake. I also went snowboarding recently at Big Bear and was informed that the lifts are used for mountain bikers once the snow is gone. Can't wait for this! Should be some fun DH action.

So to the results, modulation is about the same, definately no worse than the 185mm, maybe a little better. It's not touchy at all, no problems with premature lockup. I'm also up to 230lbs without gear so I figure there's no such thing as too much brake.

I think it's a safe assumption I'm one of the few running 203mm front and rear. Anyone else on here doing the same?
 
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#27 ·
One Pivot said:
so you're incorrectly braking, not overheating them anyway.. so you installed brakes so big they're not approved for your bike?

this is just dumb. you're risking breaking you bike, for absolutely nothing. its not a style thing, or a subjective thing, you're putting parts that arent supposed to be used on your bike.

the front brake gets your bike stopped. ive ran a 203 up front too, but i HAVE smoked the hell out of 160's. im back on 185's now and they've been pushed too hard on occasion.. and theres still a 160 in the back.
Nothing is going to break.

No such thing as having too much brake.

Overkill is good.
 
#28 ·
JoeST765 said:
I'm running Hayes Stroker Ace's with 203mm front & rear on my Cannondale Rize 4. Along with Mavic 819disc wheels. I've already gotten a few funny looks & WTF's from some other bikers but I don't give a rats ass what they think ;) Normally I'm the guy flying past most people on trail on a set up weighing much more, costing half as much, & having just as much if not more fun. Why do so many people think their has to be a certain way to ride a bike? Just like all the crazy clothing? May sound a bit crazy but a pair of board shorts a T shirt & a pair of shoes do it for me. I get **** for that all the time to, but I'm out to enjoy myself not impress anyone else or live to their standard of how they think I should ride.
Yup. Just out there having a good time.

I love modifying things and this has been a blast so far. Now I'm trying to get better at riding to determine if I should step up to a more expensive bike but this one is so much fun already.

I don't let these guys bother me. There are many out there who have nothing better to do than try and make themselves feel better by putting others down. I have a life outside of this board and outside of mountain biking so the comments are pretty funny most of the time.
 
#29 ·
glitz said:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showpost.php?p=6516832&postcount=544

There are some pics of the bike. Just another typical mtbr confused bike. What I've noticed is there seems to be a hierarchy amongst the beginners. Some are quite cool and look to take in as much info as possible, but then there are others that think if they register on an internet forum for mountain bikers, they are mountain bikers. They spend a short time hanging around, then they start giving (bad) advice to other noobs, and the newer n00bs don't know any better than to listen, then they turn around and do the same thing ashort time later. Some get aggressive and start dishing it out to people with more experience then them. It's quite interesting. They don't know how clueless they are, and lend themselves to our entertainment.
I am the greatest! You could learn a thing or two from me newb.
 
#35 ·
well i dont know anything about head clearence and turbos and all that but i do know a little about physics. you are right about never having too much brake. however YOU have-ing too much brake and your BRIDGE being too plastic are entirely different. i do hope you enjoy your ride as that is the ultimate point of cycling. please dont forget that sometimes an upgrade is not always adding parts you can see but also strenghtening areas that matter to the laws of physics not just your cool factor. lastly... please wear your helmet if your going to do any down hill. take care and enjoy the ride bro.
 
#40 ·
All joking aside, I'm really liking the 203mm rear with some seat time. Modulation is better hands down. Same caliper, type of pad, and rotor. Maybe it's my 230lbs, I don't know but I wish I would've gone with the larger rotor a long time ago. It just feels better.

Now hurry up and take this post out of context and tell me how dumb I am and how I think I have the baddest most expensive bike ever.
 
#41 ·
Considering I'm new here, I have a feeling I'm gonna get flamed for what I'm going to say. However, like someone mentioned above, cycling is about having fun and enjoying what you're doing. BuickGN, dude I have the exact same idea as you, I've yet to buy a Hardrock, but once I do I plan to learn all about the parts and work on upgrades. Just like you I've decided to make it my project bike and yes definitely install 203's on them, as soon as the money comes in :(...oh well the experience will help me learn more stuff before I buy a bike in the thousands $ :D
 
#42 ·
I've been riding 203's for 6years I guess without a issue, I had the front brake fail on a ride recently ( Girls pad failed so gave her mine as I can handle being a brake down better than her, not my brakes fault ) and even with 203's on the rear had it seriously over heating ( I was riding flat out down stuff LOL ) anything smaller would of let me down for sure.

The weight saving going smaller is minimal and brakes are to me, not a place to save weight, actually I can't find anywhere on my bike to save weight strength all the way for me.
 
#43 ·
SCdriver8 said:
Considering I'm new here, I have a feeling I'm gonna get flamed for what I'm going to say. However, like someone mentioned above, cycling is about having fun and enjoying what you're doing. BuickGN, dude I have the exact same idea as you, I've yet to buy a Hardrock, but once I do I plan to learn all about the parts and work on upgrades. Just like you I've decided to make it my project bike and yes definitely install 203's on them, as soon as the money comes in :(...oh well the experience will help me learn more stuff before I buy a bike in the thousands $ :D
I agree. I bought a bunch of components. Some were a mistake, some were very good. Now I feel better about dropping a couple thousand for a bike. It's been very fun, so much that I'm in no hurry to buy a new bike. The other reason I started out small is I hadn't been on a bike in over 10 years 2 years ago. I figured if I didn't like it, I would still have a decent exercise bike but I wouldn't have a $3,000 bike sitting around unused.
 
#46 ·
Turveyd said:
I used 203's on a fork rated for 160's for awhile and nothing failed!!

Worst case a fail causes a crash and well I crash frequently anyway so no big deal on the reason why.
So it must work for everyone! Lets put a 203 on a 28mm stantioned fork guys! Then take it to whistler! lulz at the bigger must be better even if it breaks my frame attitude make sure to post pictures of the QR drop outs post failure. The laws of physics are not to be ignored.
 
#47 ·
Turveyd said:
I used 203's on a fork rated for 160's for awhile and nothing failed!!

Worst case a fail causes a crash and well I crash frequently anyway so no big deal on the reason why.
Just because it didn't fail for you doesn't mean it won't for someone else.

Hey, I drive a Toyota, and i've never gotten the accelerator stuck, so all those other people must be faking it.

If it does fail, then you've just destroyed some expensive bike parts and taken an unnecessary fall.
 
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