"Brian" <
[email protected]> wrote:
> I just purchased a 5-speed aluminum frame bike from Wal-Mart.
Uh oh. I was going to say take it back for adjustments, but they don't
do repairs or any other customer support.
> Recently, I have noticed that the rear brakes squeal when they come in
> contact with the rear wheel. The sound seems to come from the rubber
> brakes that press together onto the rim to cause the bike to come to a
> stop. Is there any way to combat this? Maybe oil on the rim? Thanks.
Brakes work by converting the kinetic energy of bike and rider into
heat, produced by friction of the rubber brake pads against the rim. If
you introduce a lubricant such as oil into that interface, you will have
lost your brakes. Not good.
To get rid of the squealing, try to clean the rim and brake pads. Make
sure the brake is properly assembled to reduce vibration of its parts.
Sometimes it helps to angle the pad slightly to the rim, with the front
edge a bit closer to the rim.
If you aren't up for doing minor adjustments such as these, take it to a
real bike shop which does repairs.
A now a brief scold: the cheaper price you paid at Wal-Mart bought you a
really crummy bike. A slightly higher price at a real bike shop would
be a far better value in design, materials and after-the-sale support.
Plus you wouldn't be helping the continued existence of a slave-labor
economy.
Ted
--
Ted Bennett