VIDEO: GALFER USA – BRAKE UPGRADE – INSTALL & FIRST TEST
Brakes not efficient? Galfer USA sends us some solutions...
As part of our general experience in the world of testing bikes frequently we have mentioned that bike companies tend to reduce the spec level on brake components compared to gear components on low to mid-range bikes.
Galfer USA with 70 years of experience makes a range of components that allow us to easily upgrade our e-bike braking setups with different pads and disc rotors. We decided to walk you through the upgrade process and take a quick first ride. Later on in the year we will have a full test up on our site.
Video
Specs
Our first ride test we used the following components
Rotors
Disc : DB007W Wave® Rotor 6-bolt 223mm x 2mm 229 grams
Fits: Bicycle Rotors ALL 6-BOLT Rotors All Years
Price: $62
Pads
Pads: E-Bike Compound
Fits: Code R / Code RSC
Price: $31
Opinion
We have known for a while our current setup was under performing as we could hear noise and feel vibration from the brakes and also on long descents we experienced a fair amount of what we would consider reduced brake performance. We have been sent the full range of pads to test and also their top of the line performance disc rotors. For our first ride we fitted the e-bike specific pads and a DW 223mm front rotor and DW 203mm rear rotor.
After a number of trails we felt the upgrades were bedded in enough to give some initial opinion and feedback. Firstly it’s worth remembering that we are commenting on ride feel only, not lab tests. With this in mind our first runs with the e-bike pads and thicker 2.0mm front discs felt more consistent than what we had used previously on our Canyon Torque:on. Not to say our brakes didn’t work beforehand, now we have a more precise lever feeling between braking episodes. So from corner to corner as we accelerate and brake hard, it was noticeable that there was less brake noise and a more predictable braking distance over complete runs. At this point we can’t get into any more detail or even compare pad compounds as we haven’t had enough time.
The thicker front disc rotor though was an eyeopener.
Verdict
We will have a more detailed review in a few months after some extended time on these products and also compare some different pad compounds. In the meantime we can definitely say we did notice braking performance improvements. Considering the ease of upgrade and the reasonable price a brake upgrade is something to play with if you want to make good value bike modifications. We look forward to delving in deeper at a later date.