disc brake caliper numbers

Can somebody explain to me what it is about disc brakes and caliper numbers?
I first thought all that was important was the caliper mounting type -
Manitou or International. But now I find that calipers have numbers and
there are different sizes of rotors that may or may not go with a
corresponding caliper number. Is there a direct link between the caliper
number and rotor size or can different numbers take different rotor sizes?
If so how do you know what you need? I'm confused. I'm think of upgrading
to a disc compatible fork, but don't have a particular one in mind yet, in
the meantime I might get a good price on a disc brake. All I was concerned
about was that the brake should be of the International mount type. Now do
I have to wait to get the fork first so I know what caliper number it needs?
It's even hard to get information about caliper numbers and rotor sizes that
go with forks from retailers anyway.

Rich

In message , Richard Goodman
writes
Can somebody explain to me what it is about disc brakes and caliper numbers?
I first thought all that was important was the caliper mounting type -
Manitou or International. But now I find that calipers have numbers and
there are different sizes of rotors that may or may not go with a
corresponding caliper number. Is there a direct link between the caliper
number and rotor size or can different numbers take different rotor sizes?
If so how do you know what you need? I'm confused. I'm think of upgrading
to a disc compatible fork, but don't have a particular one in mind yet, in
the meantime I might get a good price on a disc brake. All I was concerned
about was that the brake should be of the International mount type. Now do
I have to wait to get the fork first so I know what caliper number it needs?
It's even hard to get information about caliper numbers and rotor sizes that
go with forks from retailers anyway.


The rotor normally comes with the disc brake itself, unless you are
going for the largest XT or Hope rotor, in which case you need either an
adapter or a new calliper.

To be honest it's not as complicated as it looks, just go to your LBS,
ask for the type of brake you want, select a rotor size if there is a
choice and order it. Remember to check the rotor diameter is compatible
with your fork, for example using a rotor bigger than a 165mm on a Pace
Pro Class 2 2002 will void the warranty as the force is too great. Then
again anything over a 165 is overkill for XC anyway

If your LBS cannot talk you through disc options, I'd go somewhere else.

Fork manuals are available on the web from the manufacturers' sites.
However go in between 9 and 5 on a weekday, this will allow the staff to
phone up the manufacturers and check compatibility instantly!

--
Thomas Letherby
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"Thomas Letherby" wrote in message
...

The rotor normally comes with the disc brake itself, unless you are
going for the largest XT or Hope rotor, in which case you need either an
adapter or a new calliper.


Yes, on looking more into it I noticed that it seems to be only Hope that
have different caliper numbers, which do seem to relate to different rotor
sizes. There doesn't seem to be so much choice with other makes.

To be honest it's not as complicated as it looks, just go to your LBS,
ask for the type of brake you want, select a rotor size if there is a
choice and order it. Remember to check the rotor diameter is compatible
with your fork, for example using a rotor bigger than a 165mm on a Pace
Pro Class 2 2002 will void the warranty as the force is too great. Then
again anything over a 165 is overkill for XC anyway


I was thinking of buying the brake before the fork, as I might get a good
price on one - the rest of the upgrade project isn't such a rush. What
seems annoying is that any brake of a given mounting type still won't
necessarily go with any fork, so perhaps I will have to decide on the fork
first. It seems it's possible with Hope to buy a caliper half and another
rotor, if you do need a different sized rotor/caliper to one you've already
got, but the price isn't that good that it'd be worth getting the brake and
then changing those bits if it turns out to be the wrong size for the fork
that I might decide I want.

Fork manuals are available on the web from the manufacturers' sites.

Maybe, but a) I don't even know what fork I want yet, b) I think online
retailers ought to tell you about any rotor/caliper size requirements as
part of the product description.

Rich