[BurlyShirley]

Both my Shimano rotors are pretty dinged up. I have some Aztec rotors that are in good shape, but they're a hair too tick to work properly.
Which brands of aftermarket rotors will work with shimano calipers?
Searching a site like Jenson, only 1 or 2 say what is compatible with what. Short of visiting each manufacturer's website, are there any shortcuts like...say....all Hayes rotors or all Avid rotors will work with shimanos or brands that wont????

 

[w00dy]

I made some rotors a while ago, I measured a few beforehand. The Avid and Hayes rotors I measured were the same gauge. I'm really surprised that the Shimano calipers won't open far enough to accomodate the Aztec rotors. You try prying the pads apart, forcing some fluid back into the reservoir?

 

[BurlyShirley]

I made some rotors a while ago, I measured a few beforehand. The Avid and Hayes rotors I measured were the same gauge. I'm really surprised that the Shimano calipers won't open far enough to accomodate the Aztec rotors. You try prying the pads apart, forcing some fluid back into the reservoir?

Oh I can get them in there and they will work, but the feel at the lever is totall screwed up. I lose alot of leverage because the pads dont travel as far and the brakes engage almost immediately with little to no modulation. I can actually see a difference in the thickness of the rotors when stacking them atop one another.

 

[Zman]

hayes and avid are the same width, magura and shimano are the same width. you can run hayes or avid in shimano and vice versa, you need to reset the pads all the way out and then squeeze the lever again to get the pads to reset. with the thicker avid/hayes rotors in a shimano caliper they may be prone to rubbing the caliper body a little quicker if they get warped, but the lever feel should be the same. outer diameter of the rotors nowadays is all the same so you will be set on that

 

[stgil888]

If you need to run thicker rotors, it helps to re-bleed the entire system and use less fluid. It's tricky to reach that happy medium where you don't have bubbles and can get full pressure, but don't have 1mm of lever throw. You can also sand your pads somewhat to make everything easier. A lot of times a new rotor and new pads physically won't fit into a caliper. I don't know if it's recommended, but I've certainly sanded rotors...

Fine-grit wet/dry paper on a sheet of glass with some water or oil. Throw 'em in the oven at low heat for a while afterwards and be careful not to get burned.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Well I did reset the pads when I made the swap to the Aztecs initially and I couldnt get it right. Perhaps the Aztecs are thicker even than Hayes and Avid. Hmmm. They arent in need of a bleeding Im sure, but with those Aztec rotors there really is very little space between the pads and rotors themselves....I dunno.

 

[BurlyShirley]

If you need to run thicker rotors, it helps to re-bleed the entire system and use less fluid. It's tricky to reach that happy medium where you don't have bubbles and can get full pressure, but don't have 1mm of lever throw. You can also sand your pads somewhat to make everything easier. A lot of times a new rotor and new pads physically won't fit into a caliper. I don't know if it's recommended, but I've certainly sanded rotors...

Fine-grit wet/dry paper on a sheet of glass with some water or oil. Throw 'em in the oven at low heat for a while afterwards and be careful not to get burned.

I dont have any way to evenly sand an entire rotor. Maybe Ill try and bleed them as you say.

 

[psychobiker]

install the rotors and then let out a little fluid ....see what that does

 

[Quo Fan]

I found that hte Magura rotors are thicker than Hayes rotors, and Shimano rotors are as thick as Hayes rotors. Maybe it's just me.

 

[Wumpus]

I found that hte Magura rotors are thicker than Hayes rotors

Magura rotors are pretty thick. I borrowed a wheel with hayes rotors, and it was really noticeable.

 

[Quo Fan]

I found out by bending my Hayes rotor beyond being able to true it, and replaced it with a Magura one that I couldn't keep from rubbing and squealing. I finally put a Shimano one on and the squealing went away.

BTW, the rotors I used I had lying around my shop.