Quick comparison of 3 different top tier Shimano disc brake rotors!
Dura-Ace RT900 - 1st Gen road specific rotor
Large cooling fins help to reduce temperature, and prevent a finger from sticking inside, during a time where people were still wary of the danger of a rotating disc rotor.
XTR MT900 - MTB style rotor, with multiple generations of the Ice Tech design
Latest off-road style rotor, with small cooling fins. Can be used for road bikes too.
Dura-Ace CL900 - 2nd Gen road specific rotor
Cooling fins reduced in size to save weight. Design has been refined to be cleaner, while the spider arms have been redesigned to minimize warpage.
CL900 on left vs MT900 on right. Many people used the MT900 on road bikes as well as it is lighter than the RT900 version, while CL900 was not yet available.
Close up comparison. The CL900 has regular cutouts, while MT900 has more random looking cutouts. Aluminium spider arms on the CL900 is curved as compared to straight on MT900.
CL900 vs RT900. Size of cooling fins have been greatly reduced from the first generation.
Cleaner and slimmer looking CL900 rotor on the left. Circumferential cutouts are larger as well.
Rear side of the CL900 aluminium spider has been reshaped to minimize warpage when heated up. Guess it saves a bit of weight as well.
Comparison of the rivet design.
All 3 different rotors side by side. I choose rotors based mainly on appearance and weight, since they are all cross-compatible.
All weights shown below are for the 160 mm rotor, without the lock ring. Add 7 grams for the aluminium lock ring.
MT900 is the lightest at just 106 grams
Despite being the newest, the CL900 is still slightly heavier at 112 grams.
RT900 has largely been discontinued, as it is heavier at 116 grams.
It is replaced by MT900 and CL900.
Which is your preferred disc brake rotor? They each have their own distinctive appearance, while the performance should be nearly the same.
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