Enduro21 puts the Galfer Shark front and rear brake discs to the long term test on four different enduro bikes, with four different braking systems, to find out if the claims for better braking performance, power and pad life ring true.

Galfer made a big update to their off-road brake range with the Shark rear discs (rotors), unveiled at EICMA 2023, and followed by the front brake option a year later.

Available for a wide range of off-road bikes, enduro or motocross, we took advantage and quickly fitted the new discs to our own bikes, as well as long term test bikes which came and went from the Enduro21 fleet. 

The outcome is two years of testing the Galfer Shark brake discs on four different bikes: our project Yamaha YZ250X and to three separate Austrian enduro models including a 2019 Husqvarna TE 250, 2024 KTM 250 EXC and a 2025 GASGAS EC300GP.

Galfer say:

With product development by EnduroGP champions like Steve Holcombe and Hamish Macdonald, Galfer say the Shark discs are stronger than OEM parts and better at regulating operating temperatures which has a knock-on effect of more consistent performance.

The Shark disc’s innovative design improves precision and consistency in braking, has a larger surface area for increased stopping power, improves feel for the rider, and “significantly improves bike handling and stability” thanks to increased heat dissipation and reduced wear.

Key technical benefits:

• Lower operating temperature with a 30% reduction compared to other high-end discs currently on the market
• Manufactured as one piece for greater strength
• Stability of performance even in the least favourable temperature conditions, consistent behaviour at all times
• Maximum stopping power thanks to a 20% larger braking surface than previous disc range, increasing pad contact time and braking power (holes/cuts enhance braking by making the pad scrape more aggressively)
• Extended brake pad life by 25-40% under normal conditions – disc durability is also increased
• Rear available in two thicknesses: 5mm and 4mm, respectively for enduro and motocross

We say:

Enduro21 has now tested the front and rear Shark discs across a two-year period. That testing has included everything from complete mudder, cold conditions to baking hot weather.

The testing has been at hard enduros, including Erzberg and Valleys Hard Enduro World Championship round, Sprint Enduro, timecard enduro and countless days on open practises doing everything including a couple of rips at local motocross tracks.

Improved feel straight away

Better feel, less fade and more pad life are all the things you want from an upgrade like this on your bike. Two of the bikes we’ve used for testing have been new models so the change of disc and pads has been new for new, not used for new or where the contrast might be greater (due to wear) and more noticeable.

With each of the test bikes, however, braking feel has been improved by fitting them, particularly on the YZ and the GASGAS. In all cases we matched Galfer pads to the new discs and they delivered the improvement in feel they spec sheet told us it would and we had hoped and expected.

Distinctive design

Galfer say the distinctive look of the discs are what give the characteristics you feel and which they R&D’d for from the start. The shape increases the contact area of the disc with the air, allowing more efficient and faster heat dispersion, meaning operating temperature is lower which has benefits for performance and brake pad durability they boast.

What that means in actual fact is impossible to tell you without MotoGP-spec brake temperature sensors, and we sadly don’t have that budget! Instead, we can simply say the feel from the lever, also the biting point of the levers, is constant from cold and doesn’t fade or change when red hot. So, when you go for the brake, it is always there with no sponginess or fade.

Brakes you can rely on

That matters most at the obvious times: rolling down a long descent in the hard enduro or hammering towards the tapes (or a tree) 30 minutes into a tight check in a forest timecard enduro.

You want to be able to fit parts you can rely on for this sport and having the brake still there seven minutes into a test, or two hours into Erzberg is exactly what is needed.

Pad wear

It’s also hard to make claims about wear rates and pad life, even if we have stacked up a lot of hours on these by now. It can vary so much depending on riding conditions (wet dry, type of mud, how much you use the brakes) – making a back-to-back comparison would need a doppelganger doing precisely the same thing across all the time we’ve tested.

What we can say is it looks like our brake pads are lasting longer over this extended period of time and we’ve used the same pads pictured for over a year on the Yamaha.

Braking consistency in the mud

Mud clearing skills are important and we found the rear did its job on one particular day’s riding where the ruts were deep and the ground saturated. It was one of the times the braking consistency was clear also because the mud and slop, plus cold conditions, were asking a lot. Feel was reduced, as you’d expect in the conditions, but the lever pressure point was constant.

Dependable on the hills

Other times we can pick out the performance being an improvement over the OEM discs were at the Valleys Hard Enduro this year on our YZ250 where the AM race had some descents in the race lap which needed confidence. Trying to keep ahead of the guys chasing our podium position meant running faster down these steep hills and definitely needing the brakes at the bottom!

Same also went for the 2024 Erzbergrodeo where our mid-pack race position gave us a whole heap of sitting in queues, going nowhere followed by frantic riding to try and make progress.

Arriving at the top of Erzberg’s infamous hills is NOT a time to find you’ve lost the brakes. Those are the times you want the biting point of the lever and the actual bite of the pads to be the same every time, hot or cold.

We can also say through the two hard enduro races mentioned that they took some hits from the rocks and have seemingly shrugged it all off with no bent discs or damge in all the time testing. The rear espcially looks and feels tough.

Enduro21 verdict

Our verdict is a short one: these discs work. Not just as replacement parts for your bike but we’d say a genuine upgrade and worth the investment if you want tougher brake discs and better brake feel – they’ve taken some hits and still run true.

You can see from the bike list, we’ve tested it with Brembo, Nissin, Braktec and Magura hydraulic systems and it’s true to say the feel is very familiar and the same in many ways across all of the bikes we fitted the Shark discs to.

The Shark discs are part of Galfer’s range of products for off-road models from KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna, Beta, Honda, Sherco, Yamaha, Stark, Ducati, TM Racing, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati and Rieju.

The RRP of the new Shark front disc is €135 + VAT, while the rear is €125 + VAT, regardless of thickness (5mm and 4mm).

More information: www.Galfer.eu