Avid V-brake setup QQ

[T'boo Ted]

Ok, so i think I'm going out of my mind here

I have some speed dial 7 and sigle digit 7 and I can't seem to make them work.

Been long time SHimano XT user and been fairly happy until the last few years, but that was my own stupidity for not changing cable/hosing...or eve lubing them for eons...but any excuse to buy new stuff and transfer XT's to other bike.
I had used some Avid single/speed dial 5's on a Specialised I had years ago and was very impressed, so thoguht going to "7's" would be even more gooder'a.
Also the charcoal would look good on my Xizang. SO on they went.
Rode around the street and while powerful, they howled like crazy, spent all afternoon fiddling, toe in toe out, fiddle with the knob, but no change, figured screaming powerful brakes better than no brakes.
Next day hit the trails, first corner, nothing, no howling, no braking, nothing (well something or I would have crashed, just pathetic)
More fiddling, next ride, some braking but very underwhelming.
That was back in April, warm ad dusty,no riding on that bike since, so I decided to take it out the other day, cold and wet.Now the howling as back, along with the crap braking.

TL/DR

wht tey seem to do is pull of the lever, get some braking, pull more lever and the braking drops right off, and they howl, pull more lever, locks up.
Originally I thought in the mid stroke the pads were going under the rim, the drop off is that much but they're not.
Put my XT levers back on, work pretty much fine, with a tiny amount of screech (with no setup) and good feel, no drop off.
What the heck am I doing wrong?

 

[legrandefromage]

Have you bought flat-bar road/ canti specific levers by mistake? Different cable pull and leverage.

 

[T'boo Ted]

oh, quite possible, I guess.
it these ones:
http://www.jensonusa.com/Avid-Speed-Dia ... ull-Levers

 

[legrandefromage]

They seem ok, dunno then!

 

[ishaw]

Re:

I've only had one set of brakes beat me, they still squeal but they do work.

Starting from the top, troubleshooting wise:

Are the brake block bolts tight? Could the blocks be slipping through the mounts?

Are the cables overly long? I've found if there is too much cable, braking gets spongy the more you pull.

Is the spring tension at the callipers ok? Are the springs seated correctly?

Are the noodles the correct ones? Are they moving around when you brake? What does the cable entry angle look like?

Squealing wise, I asked on here about it and answers included:
- v brakes don't need tie in (need to me, had always added some with no issues)
- contaminated pads
- contaminated rims

I cleaned the rims, blocks, even sanded the rims and blocks. The only thing I can put it down to is that the brakes were cheap (kids bike), and there is a little play and that this is the cause. I also found a spring in the front noodle, I'm guessing to prevent a child pulling too hard on the brake and going over the bars. Removing this helped increase braking power and there was less squeal, but it's not gone.

Good luck with finding your issues.

 

[T'boo Ted]

yeah... I also fgure maybe Ti frame, but while there is some flex, not a whole lot.
They definately don't have the sort of anti-cam feel with the XT levers and I jsut put the speed dials ontl my Yeti and the feel at the lever is awesome, but haven't been able to take for a ride as its 11pm.

It was also weird that when I put a brake booster on, it made it worse!

I do have probably overly long cables... but its new levers, new cables and outers, new brakes and pads and new mavic rims (717s). It could be the rims I guess but they weren't new by the time I finished the muddy ride. I also have some new swiss stop pads I can try as well.

 

[T'boo Ted]

hmmm, well I swapped the levers back and it's better still not as good as I'd like...however putting the single digits onto my Yeti with th eold XT brakes, OMG amazing! about as powerfull as my discs haha. So not the levers, probably not the brakes...
I'm thinking the cables/housing, the front housing is "generous" leading to a little bit too much at the rear... will see about shortening them...

Maybe I'll try swapping the entire lot over sine the avids + xt on yeti are perfect, well see how that setup works on the gt and vica a versa but keeping cables where they are...

 

[T'boo Ted]

SO after fiddling a bit and things working better but not great (the whole working fine in the first part of the lever pull, then power dropping off just where you want it to get more powerful), gave up, swapped the XT's back onto the Xizang and they work great, put the Avid onto the Yeti..and they work perfectly (well both from riding around on, not an actual mtb ride)...so go figure, I have no idea (of what was the issue, or how screwed them up, the XT seem to flex the Ti frame more than the Avids...), but both bikes are happy now...haha.

 

[MooWoolf]

Set it up properly. If you are here you know how to do that.
And choose the right pads.
I'm using BBB BBS-15HP TriStop's.
All good. No matter of weather conditions. Using SD Ti V's with xtr 960 dc's.

Mine only makes sounds when I go down and I use my brakes a lot but I don't mind it until it works.
But every brake does that sounds in that heat. discs and v's too..

If you use proper pads and you did set it up, it will work without any problem.

 

[T'boo Ted]

yeah well they work perfectly now they are on my yeti, just not on the GT, where the XT's work perfectly on the GT...go figure.
I use swiss stop pads

That's the thing, I've never had an issue setting up v's before, since 1997 when I got my first set (well once I got brakes AND levers)...but these things, sent my head for a loop.