Originally Posted by
MoAlpha
I have been using generic pads (Galfer, Koolstop, other) on two heavily used bikes for a couple of years now and the only difference from Shimano that I notice is how they sound. I don’t live in the mountains or weigh very much, so the absence of the little heat sink is a non issue.
Yeah, my Kool Stops have this weird burble under heavy braking, but I haven't noticed a performance difference. That said, hydros have so much stopping power that maybe a small difference in pad performance is irrelevant.