Back when disc brakes were in their infancy, I went on a mythical quest to track down an A2Z disc brake adapter to fit my odd-ball Manitou fork. Fast forward 20-some years, and not much has changed. There are probably fewer brake standards these days, but it still seems like you never have the right adapter for the brake you’re trying to mount.
The industry got pretty close to fully adopting the post mount standard, only for Flat Mount to slide in and take over the dropbar scene. Which may leave you with an older frame and fork that’s incompatible with newer disc brakes from SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo. Fortunately, A.S.Solutions is here to help.
A.S.Solutions? That apparently stands for Andre Sutton Solutions, and while the name seems to be a bit of a joke, the products are all serious solutions. Sutton writes that A.S.Solutions is “currently a one person operation with only the anodizing being done buy local company. I am doing this part time so quantities will be very limited.” That means the entire catalog is designed, machined, and finished in Edmonton, Canada.
Flat Mount Brake Adapters for Older Frames & Forks
We’ve seen adapters to go the other way, with the ability to run post mount brakes on flat mount frames and forks. But to our knowledge, this is one of the first adapters to allow flat mount calipers to be used on post mount or even IS (51mm International Standard) frames and forks.
Post Mount to Flat Mount Brake Adapter
A.S.Solutions offers three different adapters to run flat mount calipers on post mount frames or forks. These allow for a 160mm rotor on a 160mm mount frame/fork, and a 140mm or 160mm rotor on a 140mm post mount frame or fork.
There are three different adapters depending on the size rotor and mount you’re working with, and each has provided dimensions to be sure that it will work with your frame or fork. The provided Flat Mount Adapter Guide also provides a 1:1 print out, so you can make sure the adapters will work with your bike before ordering.
IS Mount to Flat Mount Adapter
Along with the Post Mount adapters, A.S.Solusions also offers an IS to Flat Mount adapter. The adapter allows for only 160mm rotors on the frame and 180mm rotors on the fork. Again, the adapter won’t work with all frames and forks, so make sure to follow the instructions to see if it will fit for you.
More to Come?
It’s not all just brake adapters from A.S.Solutions. The company currently offers an upgraded ‘Sherman Bolt’ for beefing up the suspension on your 2017/18 Rocky Mountain Element. There’s also unique Direct Mount derailleur hangers for Trek Stranglehold dropouts and Turners. In the future, the company is teasing a direct mount chainring and spider combination that will allow users to fine tune the chainline in 1mm increments.
Note that all prices are in Canadian Dollars, and shipping is available to the USA and internationally.
