Hey everyone, in the world of Shimano the Freeza rotors are considered to be
the Cadillacs, and even with the introduction of the new XTR or 12 speed that brings a
new version of these to the table, these are still considered to be some of the best
so let's take a closer look and see what they're about.
The box is very similar to the one of the XTs, with the exception of these tabs here
that are made of gold.
Maybe that is because these are XTR or Saint brakes
which both use that as an accent color.
They do come in four sizes, from 140mm to 203mm.
RT99 is the product code, Ice Technologies, FREEZA model,
They are Center Lock discs that use an aluminum spider and work perfectly fine
with resin or metallic pads.
Aside from that, box is rather ordinary,
it doesn't provide you any more information.
Looking here at the back is the product code
and an UPC code, but you can see here that these are made in Japan.
And here is the disc!
Also in the bag you have a lock ring, and the user manual.
Ice Technologies from Shimano use a sandwiched braking surface here, in which
you have an aluminum core, sandwiched in two pieces of stainless steel.
What they did with the Freeza rotors, they extended that aluminum core down as you see it here.
This is like an extra big fin just to dissipate heat.
A close look at a disc will show you that this is made in Japan, the size, this is 160mm.
Next is the product code which we know already - RT99, Shimano disc- yes we know.
The discs are directional, you can see the arrow over here, but you can only
install them one way anyway.
You have a minimal thickness of the disc.
If it comes down to 1.5mm they suggest to replace it.
Straight out of the factory it comes as a 1.71-1.72 millimeters.
One of the spider arms has Ice Technologies FREEZA
painted or etched on it.
And aside from that there's not much to see at the back of the rotor.
Compared to the previous Ice Tech design, you can see the same two-piece
construction, aluminum plus the steel breaking surface.
However the Freeza has
the cutouts here on spider, probably to cut weight.
And also the cooling fin as an extension of that aluminum core.
Weight of the 160mm FREEZA is 116 grams
You also have to consider the weight of the lock ring, they are either 8 or 9 grams
depending on which one you use, more about that in a second.
If you were to compare this with an XT Ice Tech which is RT 81, they're pretty much the same weight
even with the added fins over here.
And the 180mm FREEZA by the way is about 135 grams.
Just for comparison, a 160 Ice Tech, IS 6 bolt is about 112 grams
obviously you have to add the bolts to that weight.
You might be tempted to use
a 6 bolt disc with your Center Lock hub. You can do it using an adapter like this
and that would add about 25 grams to the mix.
The installation is fairly simple
and it requires 40 Newton meters as you see it here on the two lock rings.
Rotors are coming with this lock ring, but with any of the current bikes most probably
you're gonna need one of these as well.
Installation is very simple.
If we're talking about the rear, 12mm axle or QR front or back,
all you need is the provided lock ring and a cassette tool.
Thread it in by hand,
grab your torque wrench
40 Nm and you're done.
The front 15mm axle is going to
require this other lock ring.
This usually comes with the wheels it doesn't come with the disc.
or you can purchase it separately.
To tighten this up, this is 40Nm again.
You can use either a wrench, bottom bracket tool, just like that.
or get one of these sockets and
tighten it to 40 Newton meters.
Make sure you remove this warning label here then
spray some alcohol and clean up your disc.
The code for the new FREEZA is RT-M900
and they're very very similar to these.
The cooling fins are painted black
and they redesigned the spider saving a few grams in the process.
Aside from that these old XTRs now are really good, if you can find them on sale
and you have a Center Lock interface I would say go for it
At least you can make sure that you're using the best Shimano has to offer in
terms of stopping power and cooling performance.
And that's it for today folks!
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And until next time
I will see you folks on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!