Why go to a bigger diameter disc?
Bigger is better, right? Not necessarily. A bigger diameter disc
does provide more power and better cooling (because any particular
point on the disc spends more time in the cool air dissipating heat
buildup) you do end up with less modulation (brake control).
Traditionally, downhillers, free riders, and tandem riders can all
benefit from larger diameter discs. However, riders who spend more time
in technical situations need to be aware that the larger diameter disc
(like a lower bottom bracket) has a better chance of being struck and
damaged by a boulder, tree stump or similar object. Take a look at
motorcycles and the diameter of their brakes. Most motorcycles run a
larger (or dual) front brake rotor setup.
Materials
Galfer uses only 420 or 410 stainless steel for all of our brake rotors
and it’s all about the memory! What do we mean by that? Metals have
memory which means that when you heat up a piece of metal and it
expands, good memory characteristics allow it to go back to its
original shape without much deformation from the original shape. It’s
as simple as this: It goes back to its original shape and specs faster
Laser cut vs. stamping
Stamping is great when you are doing mass production of tens of
thousands of rotors. This is because the stamp itself is VERY expensive
to make, but after the initial expense, it can quickly produce rotors
that are relatively good quality. On the other hand, laser cutting
requires minimal initial expense other than a few hours programming
time to make sure the laser follows the desired pattern. This allows
you to easily and cheaply change the design after testing if the need
arises. Because the programming time is all that is required for a
completely new prototype, Galfer has the ability to do small batches of
custom rotors to meet the needs of our clients. Galfer can do an
infinite number of combinations of diameter, bolt fixing pattern and
Wave® pattern. We can even cut your company logo or name into a rotor
design. Laser cutting provides the most consistent cut quality and
leaves the rotor substantially flatter than stamping.
Why the Wave® pattern?
Admit it! You’re interested in Galfer Wave®s because they look cool! We
like the way they look as well but believe it or not, there is quite a
bit of thought that went into our patented technology. On a normal
round rotor, the leading edge (think toe-in) of the brake pad is in
contact with the entire height of the blade as the pressure is applied.
Because the contact covers the entire height of the blade heat buildup
takes much less time to occur and you end up with heat related
problems like brake fade, thermal lockup, and inconsistent braking
performance. What the Wave® pattern does is take that leading edge of
contact between the blade and pad and constantly move it up and down,
thus minimizing heat build up and its inherent problems. Cool air is
also introduced in greater amounts. In addition, through centrifugal
force, any foreign matter is thrown clear of the outer rim of the blade
and doesn't get lodged in the pad material.
Do holes in discs help?
Well, it depends what you mean by “help”. Holes in the “blade” of a
disc (the part that the brake pad sweeps over as it is in motion) will
save a bit of weight but contrary to public opinion, they do not help
to cool a braking system. Notice on Moto GP motorcycles and most race
cars, there are no holes on the rotors. There are actually situations
where holes can be detrimental to your braking. In muddy conditions,
dirt gets trapped in these holes and proceeds to chew up pads that, in
turn will chew up rotors because of the constant uneven abrasion
between the pads (which have the dirt imbedded in their surface) and
the rotors, which get gouged to heck by that dirt. If you’ll notice, if
there are holes in a Galfer rotor, they are never round. They are
usually oval, teardrop or cylindrical in shape so that foreign debris
is directed away from the rotor via centrifugal force
Stainless Steel vs. Nylon or Rubber line.
If there is one item you can get that will make an instant, noticeable
improvement to your brake feel and performance, switching to a stainless
steel braided line is it! When you squeeze your brake lever and force
fluid through the hydraulic line to the caliper, the line expands under
pressure. This means that a good portion of the effort you put forth
from your hand DOESN’T get to the caliper! It makes the line expand.
By switching to a stainless steel braided brake line, you restrict the
lines expansion characteristics. This means that your hand pressure goes
directly to the caliper.
Does Galfer make brake calipers and levers?
Not for bicycles. In the past, Galfer has made billet aluminum calipers
for a few motorcycle observed trials applications but that is about it.
Galfer products are specifically designed to make your current braking
system better, regardless of their manufacturer.
Who does the testing on Galfer products?
We do! At Galfer we like to joke that we are world-class riders, but we
know what the truth is! We’re slow compared to some of our sponsored
athletes. That’s why we sponsor some of the finest riders on earth
before releasing our brake products to the general public. Teams like
Maxxis Racing and Santana Tandems for our bicycle products, Yoshimura
Suzuki superbike team for our road motorcycle products, and AGP racing
for motocross, and World Trials champion Dougie Lampkines thrash our
stuff on a regular basis. And we feel that if those guys love our
stuff, then you will too!
Do you make an oversized motocross rotor?
It depends on what you mean by “oversized”. There are a couple of
companies who do a 270mm rotor kit that requires a bracket to reposition
the caliper. This was a great kit 5 years ago when stock front MX
rotors were 240mm and the jump to 270mm gave a definite increase in
power. Today, the OEM’s stock sized rotors are 260mm (only a 5mm
difference in rotor radius) and the power difference is almost
nonexistent. When you factor in the extra cost of needing a caliper
bracket, it doesn't make any sense to go to one of these particular
oversized kits. But we do make a 320mm kit for most modern motocross
bikes that are to be raced on the supermotard circuit. We also carry
Brembo master cylinders, brackets, and calipers for Supermotard
applications.
Why do your front sportbike line kits not follow the stock routing?
Almost all of our front line kits are 2 line systems that have both
lines exiting from the master cylinder and then going down to their
respective calipers. We have found that this type of routing allows for
shorter lines, which allows for a firmer brake feel.
