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#1
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
I really want to ride my bike but I can't because of squeaky rear brakes -
not just a bit squeaky but deafening, unbearable. I put it in to the local bike shop with this as the main thing I wanted fixed (there were some other more minor things as well), and when I got it back after a week they said there might still be a little bit of a squeak because it can be hard to get rid of completely. But it is still there, just as bad as before, and it makes the bike unusable. I have spent the last few hours experimenting. I found that if I pressed the left brake pad against the wheel and pushed the bike I got the squeak. If I did this with the right brake pad I got nothing. I swapped the brake pads around and still got the squeak on the left. So it seems like it isn't the brake pad - it must be either the wheel or the geometry of the left brake mechanism. The left brake pad was hitting the wheel at a slight but visible angle, with the back touching first. There is nothing on the brake mechanism to adjust this angle, so I got some pliers and bent the brake arm very slightly so as to eliminate this angle (as best I could judge using eyesight). This made no difference to the squeak. This is really frustrating me so I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas. Thanks, Neil |
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#2
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
Neil wrote:
The left brake pad was hitting the wheel at a slight but visible angle, with the back touching first. Yes, thats your problem. You want the front of pad to touch first. There is nothing on the brake mechanism to adjust this angle, What sort of bike & brakes? The modern 'V' brakes are much easier to adjust than older cantilevers. so I got some pliers and bent the brake arm very slightly so as to eliminate this angle (as best I could judge using eyesight). This made no difference to the squeak. Try bending it a bit further so the front touches first. That has worked for me. |
#3
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
"Mike" wrote in message
... Neil wrote: The left brake pad was hitting the wheel at a slight but visible angle, with the back touching first. Yes, thats your problem. You want the front of pad to touch first. There is nothing on the brake mechanism to adjust this angle, What sort of bike & brakes? The modern 'V' brakes are much easier to adjust than older cantilevers. so I got some pliers and bent the brake arm very slightly so as to eliminate this angle (as best I could judge using eyesight). This made no difference to the squeak. Try bending it a bit further so the front touches first. That has worked for me. Thanks Mike. I found a web page which described how to adjust the angle using the concave and convex washers, and I adjusted it until the front touched first. This seems to have fixed the problem. |
#4
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
toes dem suckers in
try putting something approx 1-1.5mm thick underneath the rear edge/s o the pads when loose and then tighten them up again so you ca concentrate on the alighnment, etc and the toe-in will be taken care o - |
#5
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
"Neil" wrote in message
..com.au... I really want to ride my bike but I can't because of squeaky rear brakes - not just a bit squeaky but deafening, unbearable. I put it in to the local bike shop with this as the main thing I wanted fixed (there were some other more minor things as well), and when I got it back after a week they said there might still be a little bit of a squeak because it can be hard to get rid of completely. But it is still there, just as bad as before, and it makes the bike unusable. You took it to your LBS and THEY couldn't fix the squeel?! I know some brakes have a reputation for unsolvable noise (XT Vee's?) but they should have at least toed the pads in! hippy |
#6
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
rid of completely. But it is still there, just as bad as before, and
it makes the bike unusable. You took it to your LBS and THEY couldn't fix the squeel?! I know some brakes have a reputation for unsolvable noise (XT Vee's?) but they should have at least toed the pads in! hippy Got to wonder which LBS it was hey. Sounds like they might not have even tried and just said they did. Cant believe they would not have seen that the pad was heel in. |
#7
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
Yes, thats your problem. You want the front of pad to touch first.
Excuse my ignorance (I"m also about to tackle the same problem) but what is the "front" of the pad? The end closest to the FRONT OF THE BIKE or the FIRST part of the pad to touch the rim (IE. the back of the bike)?...thanks |
#8
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
Yes, thats your problem. You want the front of pad to touch first.
Excuse my ignorance (I"m also about to tackle the same problem) but what is the "front" of the pad? The end closest to the FRONT OF THE BIKE or the FIRST part of the pad to touch the rim (IE. the back of the bike)?...thanks The end closest to the FRONT OF THE BIKE http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/...arbrakes.shtml good pic about halfway down the page (most of the pics on this page are right over on the righthand side for some reason, never used to be like that, maybe Ineed a reboot) http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-adjustment.html Toe in to reduce squeal, but not too much or the brakes will become too spongy. It will also wear a curve into the front of the pad. Greasing the pivots can help to. If you pads arent the same length either side of the mounting post, the long side goes to the back(if it will clear the fork, but dont worry about it if you have to put them in backwards, I cant tell the difference. Its to try and even out wear, toe helps that anyway) hope this helps |
#9
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 00:17:47 +1000, Neil wrote:
I really want to ride my bike but I can't because of squeaky rear brakes - not just a bit squeaky but deafening, unbearable. You could try some more up-market brake pads. Supposedly Kool-Stop 'Salmon' brake pads are good at stopping brake squeal. If you go have a read at mtbreview.com, lookup Shimano XT V-brakes. These are infamous for squealing, but reading alot of the posts, it's common to solve this problem with better brake pads. They also mention setting the pad a little off-flat so the head(?) touches the rim ever-so-slightly first. Give your rims a good clean, and then try to wear-in the pads. I think the reason one side squeals and the other doesn't, is that you're getting less (or more) pressure from the calliper/arm on one side. good luck, -kt |
#10
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How to get rid of squeaky brakes
If I haven't used my bike for a week or so I find that the brakes sometimes
squeak. My solution last time was to check the toe in (this didn't help). Then I cleaned the rims with methylated spirits and I also rubbed down the rims with a soft brass bristles brush. This stopped the squeak and now everything is quiet. Joseph "Neil" wrote in message ... I really want to ride my bike but I can't because of squeaky rear brakes - not just a bit squeaky but deafening, unbearable. I put it in to the local bike shop with this as the main thing I wanted fixed (there were some other more minor things as well), and when I got it back after a week they said there might still be a little bit of a squeak because it can be hard to get rid of completely. But it is still there, just as bad as before, and it makes the bike unusable. I have spent the last few hours experimenting. I found that if I pressed the left brake pad against the wheel and pushed the bike I got the squeak. If I did this with the right brake pad I got nothing. I swapped the brake pads around and still got the squeak on the left. So it seems like it isn't the brake pad - it must be either the wheel or the geometry of the left brake mechanism. The left brake pad was hitting the wheel at a slight but visible angle, with the back touching first. There is nothing on the brake mechanism to adjust this angle, so I got some pliers and bent the brake arm very slightly so as to eliminate this angle (as best I could judge using eyesight). This made no difference to the squeak. This is really frustrating me so I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas. Thanks, Neil |
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