In all cases the brake (always rear) makes a loud screech and I lose almost all power. The lever doesn't feel too spongy, it seems more like the pads can't grip the disc anymore. With the Galfer rotors, you could visibly see the disc warp like a pringle, in fact for 5-10s until I stopped the bike, you could hear the rotor clanging against the caliper each rotation as it was no longer true, you can see heat shimmering off the rotor too.
I understand my technique etc can all be improved, my main confusion is: why did I never observe this from 2008 to ~2022? Especially when one of the main touted benefits of 220mm rotors is better heat management.
Someone also mentioned improvement in grip from tyres, larger wheels etc. I wonder if before I used to lock the rear wheel more, whereas now, I almost never do. Maybe skids are not just for kids?
Last thought, strava says i'm as fast if not faster now, but I am tragically unfit (gone from 15hrs of riding a week to 2). Perhaps my technique has gotten lazier and I use less front brake which is harder to control and more tyring on the arms, resulting in my now overpowered rear brake getting overwhelmed?
I'll try going back to shimano + 200mm rotors on my next bike and see what happens, I definitely prefer the lever feel they had anyway.
Sorry for the double post, but I happened upon this article with an interesting lab test, looks like my codes and MT5s are among the hottest and worst power brakes on the market... Definitely going to move back to shimano in the future.
To answer some comments from my original point:
In all cases the brake (always rear) makes a loud screech and I lose almost all power. The lever doesn't feel too spongy, it seems more like the pads can't grip the disc anymore. With the Galfer rotors, you could visibly see the disc warp like a pringle, in fact for 5-10s until I stopped the bike, you could hear the rotor clanging against the caliper each rotation as it was no longer true, you can see heat shimmering off the rotor too.
I understand my technique etc can all be improved, my main confusion is: why did I never observe this from 2008 to ~2022? Especially when one of the main touted benefits of 220mm rotors is better heat management.
Someone also mentioned improvement in grip from tyres, larger wheels etc. I wonder if before I used to lock the rear wheel more, whereas now, I almost never do. Maybe skids are not just for kids?
Last thought, strava says i'm as fast if not faster now, but I am tragically unfit (gone from 15hrs of riding a week to 2). Perhaps my technique has gotten lazier and I use less front brake which is harder to control and more tyring on the arms, resulting in my now overpowered rear brake getting overwhelmed?
I'll try going back to shimano + 200mm rotors on my next bike and see what happens, I definitely prefer the lever feel they had anyway.
Sorry for the double post, but I happened upon this article with an interesting lab test, looks like my codes and MT5s are among the hottest and worst power brakes on the market... Definitely going to move back to shimano in the future.
https://enduro-mtb.com/en/best-mtb-disc-brake-can-buy/
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