You can save quite a lot of weight by upgrading your disc rotors. At just 76g for a 160mm rotor the Alligator Aries disc rotor is one of the easiest upgrades you can make if you’re looking to shed a few more grams from your bike.

There’s quite a saving to be had. As a benchmark, a Shimano Deore XT rotor of the same size, weighs in the region of 136g. The Aries is 60g lighter, so a front and rear set constitutes a 120g saving. That’s a substantial weight saving for not a lot of money.

Alligator disc rotors come in a few different styles and nine colours including a regular pattern as used by most disc brake manufacturers. We tested the distinctive Aries which has a nice wavy design and drew admiring glances when we lined up on a start line of a cross-country race.

Performance is what matters with disc brakes though, more than looks. The Aries rotors were comparable to the rotors they replaced, once they had bedded in. We noticed a real increase in performance after at least one ride of decent length. We detected no degradation in performance, and their design dissipates heat as well as the XT rotors they replaced.

If you’re worried about them being flimsy, we’ve pushed them really hard and they’ve turned out to be really strong and robust.

Saving weight on your disc rotors might not be the most obvious of upgrades but with their excellent performance and range of style and colours, and reasonable cost, Alligator Aries disc rotors are a worthwhile upgrade.

Available with a six-bolt fitting and in three sizes, 160, 180 and 203mm.

Verdict

If weight is really important to you these are an essential upgrade over heavy stock disc rotors and even let you personalise your bike while you’re at it.

Pros

Great performance
Choice of styles and colours
Very Light
Good price

Cons

None that we can think of

Price: £16.94 each

More information: Alligator Cables disc rotors
UK importer: Mount Zoom