Aces&Eights said:
I'm new to mountain biking and this forum. I just started biking a couple weeks ago. A few days ago I bought a Trek 4900, the brakes are Shimano M495, mechanical discs with Tektro alloy levers. The front break is pretty squeaky, it’s a fairly loud noise, I was wondering if it just needs time to break in, or if it needs an adjustment.
My other question is about regular maintenance. What should I do after a ride to clean dirt and dust off all of the components? I would think just hosing it off is probably a bad idea, so what can I do to keep everything running smoothly?
Thanks a lot for helping me out, any advice will be appreciated.
Hehe! Wait till you ride in the rain! The brakes, especially the front one, will moan, not squeal. It's quite startling and AFAIK there is nothing to do about it.
Is it both wheels or only the front? Is it a new bike?
However, make sure there are no loose fittings or nuts around the brakes. If there is anything loose, and it's a new bike, then talk to the bike shop.
Let the brakes bed in for a few hours riding and braking. If the squealing does not go away after a few hours, you may need to remove the pads and lightly sand them. This seems strange on what I assume is a new bike however. The copper grease idea behind the pad sounds like it might have merit. BUT use very little grease and GET NO GREASE ON THE PAD OR ROTOR. Be very careful about that, expecially with the resin pads you have in the M495s.
You can also clean the rotor with ispropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and that can help. I think I recall someone actually soaking the pads in the stuff, to remove grease. But again, I would be careful about that.
Regarding the post-ride mtce. Washing is actually not too bad, if you make sure you dry the bike afterward and keep stuff lubricated. Air blowing is good. Use a large cheap paintbrush if you are being really careful (we all are for a while <G>). I usually give the bike a quick clean around the pedals, bearings, brakes, chain etc to remove the worst and look for problems, and then do a real cleanup once a week....wash and dry etc.
If you are riding offroad or in dusty or gritty stuff, then use a dry wax lubricant on the chain, not oil of any sort. That includes WD40. The oil simply attracts dirt. Each ride, run the pedals backward a few times and listen for any signs of grating in the chain. You need to learn the difference between that and normal chain noise which is quite loud on derailer systems. If you hear any, then clean the chain (most people use orange oil based stuff (WATCH OUT FOR stuff that is highly alkaline. Aluminium hates it) and then blow dry (either air again or you could actually get a hair dryer) or allow to dry in the sun. Then re-lubricate. I still clean with diesel, making sure I catch the runoff. Use a stiff, long-bristled brush and work well at the chain and sprockets while rotating the chain, getting plenty of cleaner into it. If the chain is easy to take off then actually wash it in a bottle of whatever by agitating. This is by far the best. But that's a once-a-week job.
In the end, it's up to you how much care you take of the bike. To me a bike is for riding. I keep it clean, tight and adjusted. But if you spend too much time and money on cleaners and lubricants, you could easily blow the cost of a new chain and cassette out of the water. <G>
