Dirty Dog MTB - to accessorize or not to accessorize?

Dec 17, 2010
by Sharon Bader  
Need something to spice up your bike, but don't want to break the bank? Set you apart from the crowd, subtle yet intriguing, add some fashion with no compromise in performance?

Dirty Dog might have something for you if you're looking for a new rotor, stem or cable guides.


Dirty DogMTB rotors


photo
Dirty DogMTB started in 2005 making only three laser cut rotors in San Francisco, California. The company has grown to offer four laser cut rotors, one stamped rotor, cable guides and their first stem offering. With the standard 6 bolt pattern, laser cutting for precision and to prevent warping, comparable performance and pricing to other manufacturers, these rotors are an option if you're looking for something cool to replace your current rotors. Made of US sourced stainless steel, the rotors are first designed on paper, a CAD drawing and finally to the CNC machine. Rotors come with a two year warranty on manufacturer defects, not rider error. All rotors are 0.07" thick and meticulously tested prior to release.
photo
Dirty DogMTB has a number of rotors to choose from depending on what you're looking for, from skulls and spiders webs to fire breathing dragons.

Rotor details:

160 mm - 147 g - $68.95 USD
185 mm - 186 g - $74.95 USD
203 mm - 248 g - $79.95 USD(203 mm Shimano Saint rotor weighs 197 g)
160 mm Rohloff compatible - $74.95 USD
160 mm stamped rotor - 109 g - $38.95 USD
photo
The 186gram, 185mm Dragon Rotor replaced the 120gram XT rotor on my Pivot Firebird.

When the rotors were installed on my bikes the pads required adjusting. They seem to be thicker than the rotors they replaced. Once the pads were adjusted the brakes initially felt spongy. After a break in period consisting of 5 -10 hard stops they felt predictable with comparable performance to the rotors they replaced.
photo
Dirty DogMTB also does these neat skull cable guides that are available in red, white, and black colors. The cable runs under the skull and above the zip tie to cinch it down without pinching the cable. Why you ask? Because!

bigquotesPerhaps not for the weight minded rider since they are heavier than other options out there, but they add some uniqueness to your bike that will turn heads. This is the mission of Dirty Dog, to leave your mark.- Sharon Bader


Check out the Dirty Dog MTB website for more information.

Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks


Author Info:
Sharonb avatar

Member since May 17, 2010
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110 Comments
  • 39 1
 The cable guides are cool but the rotors are a bit too much for me.
  • 10 2
 and the design wont be seen unless the bikes standing still.
as a poser biker, i still want someBig Grin
  • 3 1
 and i if you to crash or what ever, and accidently hit the rotor, your F-cked!
  • 34 1
 These rotors look absolutely gash in my opinion, they would be quite cool for a 11 yr old but thats about it...
  • 3 5
 ...a new expression...'Gash'???...good or bad...please explaaaaiiiinnn?????
  • 7 0
 gash is a word for bad in British slang , in fact more like really bad like horrible
  • 3 1
 Agreed, that stuff is heinous. Total Fred accessories IMO.
  • 2 0
 and i thought they said about not breaking the bank? there f*cking expensive!
  • 7 0
 Finally! Someone has designed rotors that are equally as cheesey as a Primal Fear jersey! I can't wait for them to come out with rear spoilers for dh bikesSmile
  • 14 1
 Not a fan at all, no way would they be going anywhere near one of my bikes.
  • 5 0
 completely agree they would just make a bike look tacky
  • 15 7
 those look so bad ass...it will definitely make your bike look way more unique if want a "one of a kind bike"
i personally dont mind the weight especially if its on a dh bike.
  • 63 4
 These would have been bad ass back in '03 for those guys rocking the Karpiel Armageddon with Monster T set-up, while sporting the black gear, motocross chest protector and DOT approved helmet. "Lets go huck some drops, bro!"
  • 9 1
 lol, man you are so right. I miss those good old days! lol
  • 11 19
flag craig7 (Dec 17, 2010 at 9:03) (Below Threshold)
 umm its all about weight when DH'in
  • 7 8
 I've been riding for dirtydog for 2 years now, and they are great! I'd recommend them to anyone, as long as you don't mind being asked by everyone where you got the rotors from haha!
  • 2 1
 Maybe they are a bit heavier, but they look fly as hell!
  • 1 1
 please make oversized shimaino mount ones!!! :-)
  • 1 2
 Here's mine. www.pinkbike.com/photo/1648635 this is the best design to date. had them for about 4 years now and have no complaints at all. they look sweet, and stop great.
  • 4 0
 freerider brett, were you born in canada? I'm just asking 'cause those look like maple leaves, and the top part of of the leaf is a little long, so it makes it look more like a... oh wait. nevermind. Smile
  • 7 0
 im sure the rotor with the flames will be like a chainsaw when spining fast! wouldnt want to catch my leg on it iff me and my bike got into a pile on the floor during a crash! on the plus side, it will get rid of any over growth on the side of the track Razz
  • 3 0
 Those look more like something you'd see on American Chopper!!
How can something at $75 be cheap? You can get Shimano's new XTR Ice Tec rotors in 203mm CL for like £45-£50 which are about 45g lighter for a 203mm one and probably work better.
  • 6 1
 Probably an option for those who cannot get heads turning in any other way.
  • 3 0
 Seem a bit pricey. I think if you going to be spending that kind of money for new rotors, then shell out for rotors with an aluminum carrier. They're lighter, and supposedly more stiff/less prone to warping.
  • 5 2
 I feel like the people who would run those blast death metal on the way to the trails, ride around in all black gear with long black hair streaming out of the back of their helmet, and then go home and shoot up some heroin.
  • 2 0
 LOL
  • 2 0
 I like the idea, but today's biking is so progressive, its difficult to think that a 'non-performance' enhancing product will trigger anywhere near the response something supposedly 'revolutionary' will. I think much of the aesthetics of biking comes from having, owning and abusing performance gear. having quality gear is not the same as having 'LOOK AT ME' gear. Lacondeguy could pull these off, I don't think many others could.
  • 2 1
 imma buy them for sure!!!
and imma buy them for my friends and their friends
and when were leaving the lodge about to hit the trail, other riders will comment, and they will say
"that looks f**ken sick/bad ass"
unless they're emo, like "loaded or WAKIdesigns"
despicable guys :s
  • 5 0
 These look gay as f**k! :L
  • 5 0
 The gecko one is my favourite
  • 4 0
 Dirty Dog rotors have actually been around for a long time. This is relatively old news in the cycling world.
  • 2 0
 doesnt anyone see the profile of the naked chicks on the bottom right? that is SOOO FLYYYY!
  • 1 1
 More like soooo retarded. That's the only one I wouldn't run, it's just too lame, even for this whole idea of novelty rotors...
  • 1 0
 Hope uk did me some a few years back with my own name etc, they were ace. I wonder if this is a custom service too or just multiple designs and sizes??.
  • 3 2
 These rotors are horrible weight wise and they don't look good, I can only see them on a kids bike who thinks its cool... Not an actuall rider.
  • 2 0
 I guess i'm just not bored enough with my bike to subject it to this kind of humiliation.
  • 1 0
 those rotors look awesome, but $75 for a 203 rotor is definitely breaking the bank. dont promote stuff as being cheap if its not cheap.
  • 1 0
 i see this company going no where but down. unless they change their market or product drastically i spend 100's of dollars just to drop a few hundred grams.
  • 2 0
 The lizards are the only decent design. The rest look like they were designed by 14-year-olds expressly FOR 14-year-olds.
  • 2 0
 check out their stem Big Grin www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=28106
  • 1 0
 :L thats even more gash than these rotors!
  • 1 0
 I wonder if you can get them for the old style hope bolt pattern.
In canada there are no distributers ,are they thicker than standard width?
  • 1 0
 I think Momentum Sports in North Van sell them, along with the other kings of 2003, Azonic.
  • 2 0
 Yea for rotors, less is more. but still sick.
  • 5 0
 you still need adequate surface area for the pads to connect to. imo not every rotor is the same, some are better for shedding heat, others stop more efficiently with more surface area to work with.
  • 2 0
 I know at one stage Peaty was running the Avid cable-pull rotors instead of the hydro because they had more surface area/mass.

What is happening is the first law of thermodynamics - 'conservation of energy' - your kinetic energy from going fast is converted into heat energy in the braking system. Those guys running those really really light rotors cannot stop as well as those running normal rotors - or even heavier rotors.

Where's my 12" Pro Stop rotor when I need it?
  • 1 0
 Surely a you benefit from a larger rotor because of it's increased heat dissipation and increased leverage/mechanical advantage?


In reply to the 12" comment.
  • 2 0
 ^^ Yeah, but there are downsides in mountain bikiing, mainly weight and the fact that you are more likely to hit your rotor on a rock. My Pro Stop front rotor had nicks all over it but I've barely ever touched a 8" on a rock.

Pro Stop were one of the first disc brakes and they were quite basic and were blown out of the water performance-wise when the Gustac Sr and, more commonly, Hayes were released, so many DHers switched from V-brakes to hydro in that period.

Check out any fast Honda, Yamaha, Ducati etc - you'll see two rotors on the front and they are HUGE diameters = maximum stopping ability.
  • 2 0
 ^^ and yes, better heat dissipation and increased leverage/mechanical advantage.

If you made the rotors/ pads out of a material that did not heat up, the theory is they would not work - or they'd have to convert the energy into some other form of energy, like sound or light. In fact, the conversion of kinetic energy to heat AND light is why Formula One brakes work so well:

www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5284.html
  • 1 0
 Here's another interesting 'conservation of energy/kinetic energy device that you may find interesting:

www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.html

80bhp/60kw for a road car is HUGE! It means a non-hybrid or non-electric car could have regenerative braking. Good for the environment if it is worth the weight.
  • 1 0
 and here i was designing shit like this years ago and not patenting it. damn! looks sick though!
  • 1 0
 Some of them look nice, but I thing the performance of other rotors is better.
  • 2 0
 I wonder what would happen if you put your finger in one of thoes!!!
  • 3 2
 Damn marketing " yes be diferent, be a rebel, reject society, don't be like other, buy our products" *puke*
  • 2 1
 i have one, the alien one and i can tell you guys that its dope and i love it !!!
  • 1 0
 here is a Customise break rotor disc Rockstar Energy 140mm
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7882547
  • 2 0
 these rotors will make the bike so unique,cool...
  • 2 0
 oh god those rotors are sweet !
  • 2 1
 speaking as someone with 10 stitches in my leg from someone else's rotor... outch! but dang those look sick.
  • 5 7
 Oh FFS! Industry is going emo! Just as if anodizing in all colours wouldn't provide enough diversity... investing a single penny in this "something" is a pure waste of money as well as resources... how miserable you have to be to want to buy such thing?! More of that waste and I will become a total marxist...
  • 8 1
 how come your name is WAKIdesigns and you don't appreciate Wacky Designs? Irony's a bitch
  • 4 0
 How can a rotor be emo? tool
  • 2 0
 you have to be fucking me
  • 1 0
 their great i love em never had anything wrong with them they might be a litle heavier but their tuff and their stylish
  • 1 0
 Oh god.... What next? Lowering kits? Sunstrips? Peco backboxes? Ripspeed decals?
  • 4 2
 ugly as hell!
  • 1 0
 Where do I get one of those??
  • 2 1
 cable guide=yes

rotors= ah hell no man you trippin
  • 1 0
 expensive disc....the price i can buy a couple new BB7.........
  • 3 1
 Absolute shite
  • 1 1
 come on ppl seriously this rotors are go ugly.Good thought of producing something differend but the result just sucks!
  • 1 0
 The ones with the flames look cool
  • 1 0
 Wow.... interesting but not my style.
  • 1 1
 That flame rotor is VERY DANGEROUS. You can cut yourself open pretty deep with that thing.
  • 1 0
 they should make some chronic leaf rotors, that would be tight!
  • 1 0
 I like the web one, looks like it might control heat ok.
  • 1 1
 if your to whip and wernt wearing a full face mask you could cut yoursell bad on some of thos things!!
  • 2 1
 iv been lookn for the flame and skulz one for so long lol
  • 1 0
 these are illegal in 10 differnt countries
  • 2 0
 disturbing images Blank Stare Blank Stare
  • 1 0
 i like them.. bit expensive though
  • 1 0
 Ever not cool!
  • 1 0
 that is sick
  • 1 0
 sweet
  • 1 1
 bout freaking time they reviewed this stuff.
  • 1 0
 wild
  • 1 0
 $80 for a 8" rotor? pass
  • 1 0
 To each his own.
  • 1 0
 i want one
  • 1 0
 BADASS
  • 1 4
 GAY. Check out scrub rotors... bit more functional ay
  • 2 1
 At 145$ each they'd better be more functional....
  • 1 1
 yeah they'r not cheap, but why waste money on a half messures.. jst a thought, so if any1 were looking for a rotor thats a bit special wait a few more pay checks
  • 2 1
 I actually feel sry for these guys now, they'v obviously put a lot of time and money into these. They'r is definately a market out there for them but i dont think a site dedicated to hardcore freeride, mtb, etc is the right place Good idea on the Rohloff compat. probably b right up that alley
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