I am currently running SRAM Rival 1 brakes on my 2018 Raleigh Roker Comp Gravel Bike. I live in Southern California and have been experiencing some brake fade and excessive heat build-up on long descents or steep descents. I am 205lbs and ride an XL frame. I also ride my gravel bike on a lot of mountain bike trails with steep technical sections. Can anyone suggest an upgrade? Larger rotors? Shimano IceTech Rotors? Different Pads? These brakes are definitely not like my mountain bike brakes!
@langdalek The SRAM Rival 1 is a pretty good brake. Is it possible they are not bled properly and you have some air in the system? This would affect braking performance.
The 2018 Roker should be postmount, so you could try upgrading to larger rotors. This will for sure increase stopping power. You have to be careful with this though. While the larger rotor in and of itself may not increase stress on the fork, because you will have more stopping power at your disposal the fork may not be able to handle the increased stress, which would be very dangerous.
Not sure how the Shimano rotors would work with the Rival brakes. Probably worth a try.
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I ended up putting on some SRAM Centerline XR Rotors with new pads. So far, they seem to be able to handle the extra braking power needed and are able to disperse heat a little better. Thanks again!
