Squealing brakes (new pads, toed in)
05-26-20, 07:19 AM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Squealing brakes (new pads, toed in)
Hello all! I recently purchased a new bike (with V-brakes) and the front brake pads that came with it are really loud (but not the rear brakes, which are fine). I've already toed the pads in and adjusted the cable tension to varying extents in my attempts to fix it with mixed success (depending on toe angle). I've now gotten them quiet-ish, but they still squeal a bit. This leads me to two questions: 1) once the brakes have been broken in after a few rides, will this problem be resolved, and 2) could it be the compound of the pads themselves? Thanks in advance!
05-26-20, 08:20 AM
#2
Full Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Foothills of West Central Maine
Posts: 410
Bikes: 2007 Motobecane Fantom Cross Expert, 2020 Motobecane Omni Strada Pro Disc (700c gravel bike), 2021 Motobecane Elite Adventure with Bafang 500W rear hub drive
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 174 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 143 Times
in
94 Posts
Don't know if it will resolve, but could be the compound. I recently got new aluminum wheels and had squeal and shudder on front with dual compound Kool Stop black and salmon V brake pads. I put on a set of Red Kool Stops, and braking is quiet, smooth, and strong. I think the red pads are soft relative to the black and salmon.
05-26-20, 08:28 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Delaware Sea Shore
Posts: 532
Bikes: There is always room for one more.
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 184 Post(s)
Liked 390 Times
in
226 Posts
Two easy things you can try are rubbing the brake pads over some sand paper and cleaning the braking surface on the rim with alcohol. This has worked for me in the past.
__________________
Don
Don
Likes For GeezyRider:
05-26-20, 06:14 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: St Peters, Missouri
Posts: 30,225
Bikes: Catrike 559 I own some others but they don't get ridden very much.
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1572 Post(s)
Liked 643 Times
in
364 Posts
My first trick is to dress up the brake pads with a fingernail emery board. It's just the right grit, it's nice and flat, and my wife (unknowingly) buys them for me. That works about 90% of the time. The other 10% can be a PITA.
__________________
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
My greatest fear is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.
05-28-20, 07:01 AM
#6
Senior Member
Is this a cheap dept. store bike by any chance? One thing that can cause squeal is cheap calipers that flex under braking. In that case, the fix would be to replace the cheap V-Brakes with some better quality ones.
