Got them because I thought they looked cool, but they’ve let me down. Very squealy very quickly (on dry rides!) and uneven brake performance (even got a kind of “stick-slip” feeling during a recent ride: shortly lost the stopping power during a steep descent, and then didn’t really trust them for the rest of the ride).
Switched back to the new Shimano 105 discs (with the same pads, same wheels, same brakes…) who’ve been working as decently and trustworthy as always.
Has anyone else had disappointing experience with the Galfer discs? Or did I maybe not bed them in well? Do they work better with other pads or calipers?
Haven’t had a go at all of the 150mm variants for Centerlock mounts, but the most common ones are the DB102WCL fixed ones, which have been around for quite a while.
It’s usually good practice to give the pads a clean, before re-using them on new rotors. While you’re at it, it’s also a good idea to wipe down the rotors with isopropyl alcohol to remove any residual chemicals, etc.
The other thing I’d check is the bedding process. Having worked with a few of these, I’ve found that it helps to take your time settling these guys in. On one pair, because we were a little pressed for time, we rushed through the process a little, and ended up with a howling front brake (not exactly squealing, but still noisy). The rear was fine though, because the rear brake typically sees less braking forces. Sanded the rotors a little, cleaned the front pads, and took the time to properly bed the brakes in, and they’ve been fine for a few weeks now.
Bonus points to checking pad alignment as well, so that the rotors are positioned squarely between both pads, with zero contact across an entire rotation.
It sounds from the second paragraph that maybe you didn’t change pads?
I always use fresh pads to bed in fresh rotors. Once the fresh rotors are bedded in, it seems to cause fewer issues to use them with whatever pads/caliper/wheel/bike you want but they really need to be bedded in with fresh pads.
No experience with those rotors but my experience is it’s best to stick with the stock rotors and pads for both Shimano and SRAM. Coloring outside the lines has always lead to poor performance for me.
I swear by the Galfer wave MTB, especially the 2.0 thickness. I have generally positive reviews from customers on road and trail as well.
Wave road is a different story though. I fit them only when weight is the primary concern as they are very light. The rotor wears very unevenly due to the large holes, ruining pads, making noises etc. That is an issue only after some ride time. Haven’t issues you are describing when new.
Having fitted and run Galfer, SRAM, Shimano and SwissStop I can attest that with some models Galfer definitely compromise braking quality in an effort to shave weight, it’s a concession some people are willing to make. The best rotors and pads are made by SwissStop, no contest. They may not be the lightest but the quality is unrivalled.
Not 100% sure, I also switched the wheelset between bikes. It is for sure not standard practice for me to renew both discs and pads at the same time - so probably some user error here!
Thanks, that is very useful info! Sounds like I didn’t prep well enough (not enough cleaning, probably not enough bedding in) - I have exactly that issue: noisy front, OK rear.
I had the same experience w/ them on SRAM Force D1, took the bike to my LBS and they put it on their brake bedding machine and it was a night and day difference.
Assuming the pads weren’t touched (i.e. cleaned, sanded, etc) when you swapping the 105 rotors to the Galfers, and then back to the 105s, it would be best to refresh the pads/calipers as such;
remove the pads and thoroughly clean them with dishwashing detergent, then sand them down so that they are visually clean, i.e. no etching, signs of dirt/contamination, etc. Sanding meshes are best for this, since the removed material falls through the mesh unlike sandpaper. 320-grit is what I’d go for, but ymmv.
With a new mesh, 320-grit if you’re in a rush, or finer like 400, if you’ve got time and elbow grease to spare, sand down both sides of the braking surface of the rotors to remove all traces of prior use. Any lower on the grit, and you might actually sand the rotors unevenly, causing pulsing, noise, etc What you want is light pressure on the rotors (just enough to remove the friction layer visible on the rotors), as opposed to a heavy hand, when sanding.
Clean both rotor and pads thoroughly with running water and reinstall.
