Bicycle Mechanics - break squeel

i have Tektro mini-v brakes on my bike, i get a little mixed up on brake types but i believe they are side pull cantilever brakes.
i recently had my bike in to the LBS for a tune up and they replaced the break pads (no idea why they didnt deal with this at the time), and now both the front and rear brake sqeel horribly when i stop. they work just fine except for the squeel. is there any general type thing that can be done to get rid of this? if it was a car i could fix it, but no idea what you do for a bike.

also while im on the subject of breaks. whenever i release the breaks (basically squeeze the breaks together, push a metal clip down, this allows the braks to spread apart so the wheel can be removed ) to remove a wheel, after i put the wheel back on and re-connect the breaks they are always off center. not the end of the world, but annoying to have to center the breaks eveytime i take off a wheel. does this sound right or do you think im doing something wrong.

lastly are these considered good brakes? my bike is a tourer im using ulterga levers, with deore XT drive train. they seem to stop fine, but i dont really have anything to compare them to.
thanks for the help

either take it back to your local bike shop and have them do something about it, as it was their fault.

Or, I have heard of rubbing chalk on the walls of rim. I've never tried it.


Or, you can just continue to ride the bike, and wait for it to go away..


good luck :)

In most cases (but not all the time), toeing in the brake pads so that the front of the pad hits the rim first will get rid of the squeel. Breaking the glaze on the pads by dressing the surface up with an emery board is another good trick.

Mini V's aren't my favorite brakes. To get them to work well with Shimano road levers you have to adjust the pads very close to the rims. You usually have to adjust the cable tension to get them to open so that you can remove the wheel. I'd rather use a regular set of linear pull brakes along with a "Travel Agent" to make the cable pull work with your Ultegra levers.

Does the bike vibrate under BRAKING as well? If so, then you really need to have the BRAKES toed-in.

thanks guys i'll try the emory board first, then see if i can toe them in.
i'm trying to avoid taking it back to the LBS i've never found going there to be a pleasant experience. this tune up was sort of their last shot at keeping me as a customer and they blew it on more fronts then just the breaks.

There should be a small screw on it to allow it to adjust the brakes if they're off center.
Loosen up the brake pads, then use the barrel adjuster while closing the brakes, wedge a dime in the back of each brake and keep turning the adjuster until the brakes are closed, at this point, they should be toed in. Adjust the positioning and tighten up the pads again. Then release the barrel adjuster all the way.

There is a glaze on the new pads or there is build up of "crud" on your rims, probably both. Take a scotch scrubbing pad and rough up the brake pads and to lightly polish the rims where the brakes hit. If the rims have a lot of build up, use some denatured alcohol to clean them, then dry them thoroughly after using some water to wash of the alcohol.

1) It is spelled Brake, not break.
2) Toe them in a bit.
3) You do not have to re-center the brakes each time you put the wheel on.... you do however need to center the wheel.

1) It is spelled Brake, not break.
2) Toe them in a bit.
3) You do not have to re-center the brakes each time you put the wheel on.... you do however need to center the wheel.

Believe it or not, one of the girls in one of my design project presentations spelled it, "Break" and left it there during the presentation. The only thing I could think of saying was, "well obviously I worked on the more technical aspects of the project, SHE did the power point!"

If you break your brakes, you're screwed. Wear your helmet.

Does the bike vibrate under BRAKING as well? If so, then you really need to have the BRAKES toed-in.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but hey, I used the search function!

Why does vibration mean the brakes need to be toed in? I just got new rims for my fixed gear conversion. The brake pads came w/ the bike so I have no idea how old they are, but they stop me just fine. Also, before I got the new wheels, I used them on the old wheels and there was no squeal or vibration or anything.

Anyway, while taking it for a test ride last night, the brakes squealed something fierce! I also noticed a "feeling" when applying the brakes. It wasn't so much constant vibration, but more of like a "THUNK-THUNK-THUNK" would feel.

Any thoughts? Could it be some sort of film or glazing or something on the new rims?

Thanks!

Why does vibration mean the brakes need to be toed in? [...] Anyway, while taking it for a test ride last night, the brakes squealed something fierce! I also noticed a "feeling" when applying the brakes. It wasn't so much constant vibration, but more of like a "THUNK-THUNK-THUNK" would feel.


The problem is that the brake surface and the rim meet flush and, like rubber on glass, the brake adheres to the rim for a moment. Then the whole assembly flexes for a microsecond until it reaches the limit of its flexibility and the force breaks it loose again. It sticks, breaks loose, sticks, breaks loose, etc like this very rapidly, which vibrates the rims, fork and frame to cause your hellish chattering squeal and loss of braking power. Toeing in is an attempt to change the way the brake contacts the rim. It does not always work. Sometimes you also need to try different brake pad compounds, different rims, different brake assemblies, "brake boosters", etc

In most cases (but not all the time), toeing in the brake pads so that the front of the pad hits the rim first will get rid of the squeel. Breaking the glaze on the pads by dressing the surface up with an emery board is another good trick.

Mini V's aren't my favorite brakes. To get them to work well with Shimano road levers you have to adjust the pads very close to the rims. You usually have to adjust the cable tension to get them to open so that you can remove the wheel. I'd rather use a regular set of linear pull brakes along with a "Travel Agent" to make the cable pull work with your Ultegra levers.

Ditto on this. 90% of break squeal is misalignment of pads and rim. 9% is pad material too "hard" or old. 1% is "gotta live with it" kind of problem - hopefully you're not there. But I would take it back to the LBS - sounds like something they messed up.

9% is pad material too "hard" or old.

Or too rubbery and grippy.

Sorry to revive an old thread but this is very exactly the problem I have.

My brakes are side pull caliper brakes.

When I brake hard while moving fast I get a very constant high pitch squeal from my brakes followed by a lot of vibration in the handle bars.

I attempted to follow the advice in this post and "toe in" my brakes. Now this may sound stupid but, how does one do that?

I looked at my brake pads and they are held on by one bolt. If I tighten this bolt won't it pull in on all sides of the brake pade, making it difficult to have one side closer to the rim than the other?

I bought this bike used and am really enjoying it. Are brakes something worth upgrading, or should I be able to get proper performance out of my current brakes? I use the bike mostly for commuting and recreation. The only label on the brakes say "Dia Compe" and "G".

Thanks for any help.

thunk-thunk-thunk could be due to pinned/sleeved rim joints.


i used the search function, too. ;)

I like it when my brakes squeel like pigs! Especially when I have to make an emergency stop when a car is cutting me off. The sounds usually frightens stupid drivers. (Car traffic in European cities is crazy.)

sounds alot like the pads are not in good alighnment with the rim. check the toe in like mentioned above and make sure they have good surface contact with the rims braking surface and that that surface is clean and un scathed. maybe the surface area of your pads are glazed over. a little light sandpaper will roughen them up just enough, if thats the problem.

V[brakes and newer caliper brakes mount with spherical washers which provide for easy adjustment of the angle of the shoes to the rim. Low-price caliper brakes, you have to bend the caliper to adjust the angle.

This old thread should have been allowed to stay dead just because the thread title is 100% misspelled.

Double fail for misspelling a word and creating a different word.

If the LBS put Kool Stop pads on the bike, take it back and tell them you want Avid Pro pads, toed in slightly. bk

thunk-thunk-thunk could be due to pinned/sleeved rim joints.I'm sure he really appreciates the insight. After all, he's had the problem for 2 1/2 years! (since at least 04-12-06, when he posted that)

This old thread should have been allowed to stay dead just because the thread title is 100% misspelled.

As a moderator/admin on a site using the same software (V-Bulletin), I know that a moderator could easily correct the spelling without effecting the content. If one felt so inclined. The problem with allowing a misspelled title to stand is that if someone were looking for info on squealing brakes - this wouldn't likely show up.

thunk-thunk-thunk could be due to pinned/sleeved rim joints.


i used the search function, too. ;)

This thread is FOUR YEARS OLD.

As a moderator/admin on a site using the same software (V-Bulletin), I know that a moderator could easily correct the spelling without effecting the content. If one felt so inclined. The problem with allowing a misspelled title to stand is that if someone were looking for info on squealing brakes - this wouldn't likely show up.

Given the amount of time this topic comes up I don't think it would make a difference either way.

go back to sleep, thread.............................................

Given the amount of time this topic comes up I don't think it would make a difference either way.

It's good form anyways. Considering that at any given time there are literally thousands of Yahoo Spiders, Google-Bots, and various other critters from search-engines climbing through ANY forum - it's best to index the thread-titles properly. Not just for the forums' search-engine, but for the bots collecting data for their masters. The more hits the forum gets, the more $$$ it can charge for advertising.

That's enough....Woo, woo, woo.....! Baked Squreal..