Originally Posted by
old's'cool
It seems logical that over time the natural wear of the brake pads will cause the rear to wear more than the front (due to twisting of the caliper and/or its mounting, under the force of braking), creating a taper that should diminish or eliminate the self-energizing property. But I have never had this happen, to the extent of eliminating squeal, in my own experience. If I didn't do something deliberately to angle the brake pads, they never got quiet on their own. Maybe I don't ride enough, or perhaps I don't use my brakes enough
My thought was that toe-in would eventually disappear as the front of the pad wears more (it contacts the rim first and the pressure would seem to be higher there). Eventually, I'd be back to a squealing system. That was what kept me from trying this experiment for so long.