Originally Posted by
Andy_K
Literally.
As I started off this morning, about 30 seconds into my ride I remembered that the front disc had been noisy enough on the last ride that I wondered if the wheel was in straight. So I came to a gradual stop on the 14% downhill that starts my ride. As I went to open the quick release, I accidentally touched the rotor with my thumb and it burned me. I mean, it burned me so quickly and intensely that I thought I had cut myself on something. It took a minute for me to realize what had actually happened.
I knew disc brakes got pretty hot, but I was shocked to see it heat up that much that quickly. Is this normal?
Braking friction pretty much converts rolling energy into heat. The rotors on downhill bikes can literally turn blue from the heat - and they're usually larger than what you have. So hot rotors can be perfectly normal. But its only 'normal' after braking. Its also possible you are dragging the pads due to por adjustment - which will also heat things up.