The biggest disc brake rotor for bicycles
We have a component manufacturer headquarters near our shop. We used to visit them each year and go over specifications for the next season. One time we were out there and they were showing us prototype components for the next year. I got into a discussion with one of the engineers that was working on a road bike disc brake at the time, and decided to have a little fun with him.

I suggested that he could eliminate a lot of the problems associated with disc brakes if he could transfer the load higher on the wheel some how. Maybe come up with a way to attach the rotor higher on the spokes and eliminate the connection directly to the hub. The weight could be reduced as well because the rotor could be a ring. He started thinking....."we could attach the ring to the rim and it could be the biggest rotor on the market!" he said while picking up a wheel and looking it over carefully, as if determining where the best attachment points could be for this new ring. He was pretty excited about a rotor (ring) that would be almost as big as the rim to really provide great braking power. Well, then I suggested with a smile "now you can just move the calipers over a bit and grab the actual rim, eliminating the need for the rotor all together. Just think how light that would be!" "You got me" he replied. "I get it...all bicycle brakes are disc brakes."