Galfer Brakes was founded on the outskirts of Barcelona, Spain, in 1952. Nearly 75 years later, the family-owned business continues to innovate and thrive in a competitive market. We recently had the opportunity to tour the facility where all Galfer products are designed, developed and manufactured, and we came away very impressed.
Photography by Sean Finley & Galfer
Galfer is located within walking distance of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, a regular stop on the MotoGP series schedule. In fact, our visit was just days before this year’s MotoGP, and we were joined by Moto2 rider Ivan Ortola and Moto3 riders Hakim Danish and Ryusei Yamanaka, who were in town to race that weekend. On the dirt side, multi-time MXGP Champion Tony Cairoli, nine-time EnduroGP Champion Steve Holcombe and six-time WMX World Champion Kiara Fontanesi were there for the tour as well. All are big believers in Galfer, which probably has something to do with their help developing the products.
Steve Holcombe is a devoted Galfer advocate and has pushed new teams to use Galfer braking products, even after switching factory teams. “My association with Galfer has been quite a long one, my whole professional career,” Holcombe said. “From 2016 until now, I have used Galfer disc and pads on every single race bike. I was helping a lot with the Shark [disc brake] development, and when that was released, I won the 2023 EnduroGP Championship. I am a big fan of Galfer products and really enjoy working with the team.”
Innovation | Galfer Brakes Factory Tour
Galfer focuses exclusively on braking systems for motorcycles and bicycles. The company invented wave-shaped rotors, which it patented in 1998, and develops proprietary technologies, including Shark, Cubiq and Floatech. Most brake rotors now feature a wave shape, and the Shark line advances that idea with improved cooling, resulting in a 25 percent to 40 percent increase in brake pad life. The Cubiq rotors target the street market, reduce weight by up to 40 percent, and improve pad wear. The Floatech is a high-performance line derived from MotoGP and features patented pin-and-washer bobbin systems that connect a high-carbon 420 stainless-steel outer track to a billet 7075-T6 aluminum carrier for superior heat dissipation.
Galfer has a staff of 130 people who mostly work in the 64,580-square-foot facility, and they produced nearly 2,000,000 brake pads and an undisclosed number of brake rotors last year. They supply these to several motorcycle and bicycle OEM manufacturers, which account for 25 percent of sales volume, and to aftermarket customers, which account for the remaining 75 percent.
Seeing the team of engineers, production staff, quality control team and equipment used for development and testing was very interesting.
We started our tour in the R&D department, which develops special blends of braking compounds, brake rotors, brackets and associated parts. We then went to the production floor, where masks were handed out before we entered the area where brake pad materials were measured and mixed. We moved on to the complex machines used to make the brake-pad backing plates and the high-pressure tools that bond the two together. Next was the rotor manufacturing area, which included computer-controlled lasers that cut the various rotors from raw sheets of steel. After that was the quality control and testing areas. Galfer utilizes rigorous quality-control procedures to ensure the products are manufactured to specifications. We ended at the test bench, part of the development team’s tools for testing new ideas, designs and the proprietary blends of materials used in the pads and rotors.
Backing up that process on the track, several of the athletes that joined us on the tour have gone on to win major events in the few months since. Ortola has won two Moto2 events, and Danish won the Czech Grand Prix in Moto3. Holcombe locked up the 2026 FIM Enduro3 World Championship, securing his 10th career World title. And 40-year-old Cairoli posted impressive results at three rounds of AMA Pro Motocross this summer, with a sixth-place moto finish at Spring Creek as the high-water mark.
U.S. Presence | Galfer Brakes Factory Tour
Giorgio Milesi, one of Galfer co-founder Maffio Milesi’s three sons, opened Giocar America in 1992 and operated as Galfer USA along with his son Alessandro until the two companies ended their working relationship in 2025. Alessandro runs Giocar America, which launched GBrakes in September 2025 and now makes its own components with no association between the two companies.
Galfer opened a new Galfer USA office located in Orlando, Florida, in September 2025 to serve the USA and Canada. The office operates under the leadership of Armando Riva, general manager, with support from Gary Hazel, U.S. sales and technical manager; Todd Somers, North American sales manager; and Ryan Sher, U.S. and Canada marketing manager. The team has comprehensive experience in brake components, powersports and cycling, along with extensive support from the parent company in Spain.
The team has hit the ground running to build stronger relationships with North American distributors, dealers, industry professionals and end users. They provide specialized technical support and advanced training via the Galfer Academy app.
Having seen the Galfer team’s commitment at the facility in Spain, along with its close relationships with some of the world’s top racers, we expect Galfer to continue to thrive in North America and around the world. CN
VIDEO | See Inside Galfer Brakes’ Headquarters
Click here to read the Galfer Brakes Factory Tour in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
