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As above really, what do people recommend both manufacturer and compounds? Shimano 4 pot brakes if it makes any difference? Heard good things about Galfer pads???
Last 2 times in the Alps I've used Hope reds (organic) front and rear which are made by Galfer and had no issues. I'd use Galfer regardless of brake brand FWIW.
I've bookmarked Galfer pads for ahead of my next Alpine trip. Previous discussions on Galfer pads here: https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/which-galfer-pads/
I'm undecided if I'd stick with the standard black, skip all the way to the green, or some other combination.Â
Saying that, I changed all my bikes to XT 4-pots a few months ago: all with the standard N04C-MF pads (metal with cooling fins), two bikes with XTR/MT905 rotors and another with XT/RT86 rotors. I'm impressed. Haven't had any braking issues at all since despite pushing them to the limit - as much as I can in the UK at least. Appear more resistant to noise/fade than the Zees I had on one bike before with UberBike Race Matrix pads and Magura Storm 2.0 rotors. So I reckon the fancy Shimano pads and rotors make a bit of difference alone.
My last big mountain trip I was using Hope sintered gold, so another vote for Galfer as I believe they do the Hope sintered as well.
I find the sintered don't offer as much initial bite which improves control on lose stuff and they resist heat noticeably better. Should the weather turn though, they also resist abrasive conditions.
Downside? They maybe take a little extra lever force at lower speeds if there's no heat in the system.
whatever you choose, take more of them. Even more if you choose organic 🙂Â
FWIW, on Hayes Dominions on matura MDRP floating rotors, I use Galfer Greens - last **** all distance, but great performance. I find sintered howl like a banshee on alpine descents once they get hot hot hot, so prefer organics.