Shimano XT SM-RT86 6-Bolt Disc Brake Rotor (160mm)

Been riding and racing mountain bikes for 20 years. For the first 10 or so years I tried every brand made in every category. But always come back to Shimano products. They produce some of the best technology in the business. All of their products are durable and they just plain work...I actually tried a full Sram drive train 2 years ago and did not like it at all. The quality of the product does not match Shimano. I have no allegiance to any company. i just want the best product and this is what I get with Shimano kit.

These are high-quality rotors, as they should be for the price. They work well with the XT brakes I use them with. I have had no issuse with them, and they are a great improvement from the Avids that I was riding before. Nice and quiet.

I recently assembled a new set of wheels for my MTB that were considerably lighter than the original set. I choose the Shimano XT because of the Shimano repuation, especially in the XT line, and the light weight of the rotors. I am very satisfied with the build of the units: they are light yet strong and work well under heavy braking. However, I have deducted two points for the following reasons. First, the instructions called for installation of a washer over the bolt assembly. There were no washers in the package (I looked several times), so I went to the Shimano website and the instruction were the same. Finally, I called Shimano tech support and was told that the instructions "apparently" are out of date and no washer is necessary. I wasted over 30 minutes on this problem. Second, and more importantly, the flange that connects the bolt assembly with the rotor hits the edge of my Avid brake assembly on every pass of each flange end (so five times a wheel rotation). I have not had this problem in the past with other rotors, so I assume Shimano simply did not do its homework. I finally had to file down the ends of the assembly in order to stop the clicking. Approximately another hour wasted solving this problem. If you are interested in these rotors, now you know that the washers aren't needed, so you shouldn't have that problem, but be aware of the clearance problems with your brake assembly.

I had regular steel rotors but I went with the IceTech rotors because I was having heat dissipation issues on a daily basis. This was eating through my brake pads, as pads are not designed to get really hot and stay hot, and I was also seeing warping problems before too. These rotors stay straight, true and don't overheat nearly as much as the other ones. They still get too hot to touch, but I don't think there's anything you can do to avoid that. These aren't the best ones in the world, there are better ones than these, but for the money they're damn good.

Paired with Saint caliper this rotor with metal or organic pads provide way more than enough stopping power for down hill or any other riding you may be doing. The rotor really bites wet/mud/dusty conditions... suggest adjusting riding style to adapt. They will allow you to ride much more aggressively and save your ass if you fall off your line. 180mm or higher IMO is way over kill unless you are a professional or trials rider. I just don't see the point in adding more weight to add more stopping power than what the 160mm provides. IMHO

I installed these brakes on my specialized rockhopper comp 29er and they work way better than the stock brakes, even when i rolled through mud and water.

I've had these on the bike for 6+ months now, and i'm impressed with the durability, and weight. I cant attest to the cooler running claims, but they've never overheated on long downhills, so there might be something to the "ice" technology.

This rotor and the ability of the materials in it to keep the temp down are the main reason I bought it. In descents I can better modulate the power of my XTR brakes and still have brakes at the bottom without lock ups.