Squeaky brakes

Ken said:

I am at wits end here! I have side pull caliper brakes and the front
brakes squeak enough that they are annoying, I have tried cleaning
the rims, scuffing the rims, repositioning the brake pads, all with
no luck! Does anyone have any different suggestions that I have
missed?

If proper toe-in didn't end the squeal, try new pads (Kool Stop seems to
work well)

"Neil Brooks" (clip)Does anyone have any different suggestions that I have
missed?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I carry a piece of sandpaper in my shirt pocket. When my brakes start to
squeak, I insert the sandpaper between rim and pad, and sand the PAD by
moving the wheel back and forth. It always works for a while. And the fix
seems to last longer after it's been done a number of times.

Leo Lichtman said:

"Neil Brooks" (clip)Does anyone have any different suggestions that I
have missed?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Attribution foul. Ten yard penalty ;-)

"Neil Brooks" wrote: Attribution foul. Ten yard penalty ;-)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sorry--delete "Neil Brooks" and insert "Ken."

Leo Lichtman said:

"Neil Brooks" wrote: Attribution foul. Ten yard penalty ;-)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sorry--delete "Neil Brooks" and insert "Ken."

SOMEONE just got told to stick it!

Ken' kcmarcet'@ said:

I am at wits end here! I have side pull caliper brakes and the front
brakes squeak enough that they are annoying, I have tried cleaning
the rims, scuffing the rims, repositioning the brake pads, all with
no luck! Does anyone have any different suggestions that I have
missed?

Scuff the pads. Sometimes they get a little "glaze buildup" thing going on.

Also, make sure everything (skewers, bolts, etc.) is tight. Sometimes
there's a little "harmonic squeal" thing going on.

Going off now,

--
BS (no, really)

"Ken" <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am at wits end here! I have side pull caliper brakes and the front brakes
squeak enough that they are annoying, I have tried cleaning the rims,
scuffing the rims, repositioning the brake pads, all with no luck! Does
anyone have any different suggestions that I have missed?

Ken

Ken,

I recently had a nasty scream from my front V brakes. All the usual
tricks, (toe in, cleaning, sanding, scuffing) did nada. I tried
different brake pads. The Kool-Stops were the worst offender.

The final solution was to upgrade the brake arms (from oem Tektro to
Deore). Not a peep from the brakes, even with the Kool Stops
installed.

My personal theory is that all this squealing has its roots in an
improper vibration (high frequency) caused by the interaction of one
or more of the brake system components (rim, brake arms, brake mounts,
forks, and brake pads).

As I have surfed the NG for squealing problems, I see no one single
solution. But, all the solutions do affect how the parts interact with
each other and could easily change the vibrations at the time of
braking. This might also explain why sanding the pads or cleaning only
works for a while on many bikes.

The easiest quick fix it to toe-in the brakes. It seems to me that
this would have to be redone each time the pads are worn down enough
to eliminate the toe-in.

A more permanent fix may be to experiment with different brake pads.
Find that magic quiet pad for your particular setup. I don't know how
much you can generalize on a quiet pad. I have heard so many say how
quiet the Kool-Stop pads are, but on my bike they were far and away
the worst offender (Sounded like a freakin air horn going off).

You might try putting a small washer on the mounting bolt for the
brake arms to slightly move the brakes forward (to change their
position in relation to the forks and rim. Hey, at least it is a cheap
experiment).

As a final desperate fix, try a different brake model. Specifically
try a different brand. The change of the brake arms was the ultimate
fix to my squealing brake. I'm betting that I could install those
noisy Tektros on some other bike and they would be just fine. In my
opinion, it is not always a faulty component, but the specific
interaction of multiple components that cause the squealing. Make a
change and see what happens.

Good luck, Tracy