Yo Rich, Had the same issue with mine at first - the layer of paint on the pad backing acts as a lubricant for the first few rides, but once it wears off all is fine. There's some other pads in the pipeline with slightly (0.25mm) larger backings too. As for the 180mm version on the rear - its a good idea. They're much better than 160s. Another option would be to get Clive to make you a +20 mount for the frame, since the adaptors you can get tend to make the brakes a little flexy. Any other questions you have, just give us a shout Adam