brake squeal... what causes it & how do you cure it?

[petitpal]

A match is what I use to set toe in.... coz I always have a box of matches with me on rides, for lighting my pipe/woodbine/rollie/spliff/crack-pipe/petrol-bomb*

*delete as appropriate

G

Yup I use a match as well... or sometimes a thick rubber band as you can wrap that around the brake shoe and avoid some of that, 'where the hell are my other three hands' problem you might find.

(Having said that I sometimes use a rubber band around the brake lever to hold it to around where I'd like the brake shoe contact point to be... or just before. Then you can just toe / adjust the shoes to the rim, take the rubber band off and jobs a good un.... honest guv...

 

[bm0p700f]

A thick rubber band is what use to set toe in on the pads. Cleaning the rims can also help as can sanding the rim with fine paper. If the pads a worn new pads help.

 

[petitpal]

Oh, btw, forgot the original question... I've always assumed (I think) that squeal is caused by high-pitched vibrations of the pad on the rim. Could be wrong though. What am I? An engineer?

 

[kingoffootball]

having said that, a good bout of squeal keeps you off the brakes

and negates the use of a bell

I actually deliberately set up the bike I'm using at the moment to squeal, so that when people step out/pull out/across etc in front of me they realise.

They seem to have lost their squeal now though, so I'll have to set them up again

As stated above, cleaning the rims helps as it can be caused by contaminants.

 

[bm0p700f]

Squeal is caused by the pad vibrating when contacting the rim. Hense roughness in the rim pad can enhance and somehow toe in damps it.

 

[merckx]

sheldon brown makes an interesting point, that if you have lots of unsupported pad shaft beyond the cantilever bolt, this can cause the brake to squeal ( i assuem due to flex and movement of the pad)

its more a proboem with low profile cantilevers, as they generally are set up with a decent amount of pad stud post extension.

i can never be bothered toeing pads its a lot of fuss. it also of course causes the pad to wear on an angle.

kool stop eagle 2 pads, i currently run, are great. they have a 'mud claw' or whatever it is called, which when the pads are new, does effectively toe the pad in, if setup is done hard against the rim by the barrell adjuster method.

i have had now squeal per se from the kool stops, just some minor squeak at the very end of the braking cycle, a split second before i come to a stop.

they feel great too, just the right softish feeling pad compound that allows modulation.

 

[MADJEZ]

I find these work very well....

 

[Tazio]

A small cable tie round the back end of the pad when adjusting gives a nice amount of toe in. Just remember to cut it off before you go out on the bike

 

[Woz]

Turn the stereo up.

 

[kirbdug]

still got my metal toe in tool from bitd will get a pic of it (works a treat)
dont know if they are still available

kirbdug