Test: Intend Bicycle Components is a very small company, a one-man operation. Behind it is Cornelius Kapfinger, who has been passionate about developing mountain bike parts for several years. Among other things, the Intend Aero brake discs. Velomotion tested the 203 mm version of the Intend Aero brake disc, which is 2,25 mm thick.
Intend Bicycle Components is based in Freibug im Breisgau and was founded by Cornelius Kapfinger. Cornelius was born in Regensburg and grew up in the beautiful Bavarian Forest. He completed his studies in industrial engineering at the Technical University in Vienna. At some point he started building upside down suspension forks. In the meantime, Cornelius has built up a very good name with his company Intend and the Edge suspension fork. But Kapfinger does not only offer upside down suspension forks. Since founding Intend BC, he has also developed various stems, cranks, the so-called Stiffmaster, small parts such as seat clamps or headsets and the Intend Aero brake discs. All parts that Cornelius develops are made in Germany and, if necessary, assembled in his small shared room.
The company Intend BC stands for:
The Intend Aero is manufactured in cooperation with BrakeSTUFF, a company with a long history and experience in manufacturing brake discs. BrakeSTUFF also stands for Made in Germany, small quantities and fair production. The perfect supplier for the Intend Aero discs.
The Aero discs have about 698 holes (203 mm) with a diameter of 1,85 mm. This cannot be produced with large series tools, which is why BrakeSTUFF lasers the brake discs and this takes a very long time. This is also the reason why the Intend Aero brake discs are so expensive. The main goal of the discs is better deceleration and low temperature on long descents. This requires a large brake pad contact area, a large total area and a high mass in the outer ring.
Intend Aero: Available in three different sizes and two different thicknesses
- Sizes: 203mm, 180mm, 160mm
- For 6-hole hubs, also suitable for Centerlock with an adapter
- Each size is available in two gauges: 2,25mm and 1,85mm
- Weight: 197 g with a size of 203 mm / 2,25 mm
Intend Aero put to the test:
The Intend Aero brake disc is delivered in a "fabric bag" called Bakerybag. The packaging is also very important to Cornelius, as it should be used afterwards. For example, when shipping, he pads his suspension fork with several sponges that can then be used. The Intend Aero is fastened with six conventional screws. Unfortunately, these are not included in the scope of delivery. If you need new ones, you should take care of them in good time. Otherwise, you can also use the screws that you had mounted on your previous brake disc. Of course, you should make sure that the thread of the screws is in perfect condition.
We mounted the brake disc on two different brakes. Firstly with the Shimano Saint with sintered pads and then with a Magura MT5 with performance pads from Magura. The 2,25 mm thick brake discs can be mounted on any brake, as long as the reservoir has not been filled too full with oil, since all brake calipers have a width of 11 mm. New brake pads have a maximum thickness of 4,2 mm. 11mm-2×4,2mm=2,6mm. So there is enough space to be able to adjust the disc without grinding.
Now I was curious to see how the Intend Aero behaves when braking. Do you notice the difference at all? After braking a few times at the parking lot, I ventured onto the trail. The first thing I felt was a much better pressure point, but this shorter free travel doesn't last long. The thicker brake disc is like installing new pads. After 1-2 exits, the idle travel should level off again. If you look at the mounted brake disc, you can immediately see the large and even contact surface of the pads. On the one hand, this increases the braking power, on the other hand, the heat can be better dissipated. After two weeks of testing, we took a closer look at the brake pads. As promised, the pad wear is very even due to the many small holes.
The only drawback with the Shimano Saint metal pads - the combination squeaks significantly more than with the standard brake discs. That's why we tested the whole thing with a Magura MT5 and the performance pads from Magura. Lo and behold, no more background noise to be heard. In terms of price, the Intend Aero in the version we tested with 203mm and 2,25mm thickness is a sporty 104 euros. Do you want to invest that much in a brake disc? Well, in the end everyone can only answer that for themselves. The aero brake disc definitely convinced us. To put the facts on the table - the Intend Aero is significantly stiffer, more braking power, the pads wear off evenly and the heat is dissipated very well thanks to the design.
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