BRAKING POINTS

We take a tour of Galfer's Spanish HQ to find out what goes into making their pads and rotors

- Will Soffe

Walking into the glitzy entrance chamber of Galfer Bike's Barcelona factory, their sponsored riders are front and centre. Scouring the walls, we can see MotoGP winners Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo and moto-trials wizard Toni Bou, alongside names MBUK readers may be more familiar with, including Aussie DH legends Mick and Tracey Hannah, British XC Olympian Annie Last and Belgian EWS winner Martin Maes.

Behind closed doors, though, this place is all business, knocking out brake rotors and pads at an impressive rate. Galfer make all their components in-house, employing more than 150 staff. Today, they're giving us VIP access so we can discover how they design, test and manufacture their discs and pads.

Finding the perfect blend

Disc brakes work by converting kinetic energy (from the bike's movement) into heat energy through friction. How much friction is generated depends on the material (compound) of the brake pads, their size, and the force with which the calliper pushes them against the rotor.

Galfer have more than 100 different compounds at their disposal, and these can be blended to further refine the exact balance of heat resistance, durability and brake feel that the pads provide. The company work out which material to use through a combination of real-world testing and use of their high-tech dyno. This heats brakes until the rotors are glowing hot in the case of MTB anchors, up to 170°C, which is the highest working temperature they're likely to reach.