Noisy V-brakes
A tip I learned today...
Bike: 2023 Specialized Sirrus 1.0 with V-brakes
Problem: My front brake, when applied, has always been noisy. It would make a "shhhhhhh", hissing noise. I tried all of the suggestions for squeaky brakes to no avail. Then I found a technical diagram (sorry I’m a newb and apparently cannot send a link) on the Kool-Stop web site which shows a 90 deg angle between the brake pad and the rim. My angle was more like 110 deg.
Solution: To get the angle down to 90 deg, I would have to shorten the bushing that lies next to the pad. Fortunately, there is a quick fix: simply swap the two bushings. Now the thin bushing goes next to the pad and the thick bushing now goes up beneath the washer. I did this and my angle went down exactly to 90 deg. Now my brake is blissfully silent.