Giantmongoose

A novices question: I have just fitted new front and rear pads to our Giant. The rear brakes are beautifully quiet....the front have a dreadful squark. What's wrong and how do I fix it please?

HillRider

A bit more information might be useful. What type of brakes; disc (hydraulic or mechanical) , caliper, cantilever, V-brakes? What make and type of pads? What type of bike; road, touring, MTB, cyclocross?

Possibly useful suggestions following better data.

dsbrantjr

If cantilever, where is the cable stop for the front? Stem, headset, fork crown?

speedy25

Whats a squark?

-SP

skoda2

Loud squeek?

KLiNCK

Longer than a squonk but louder than a squeal.

TimothyH

A squark is a type of subatomic particle. They are superpartners to quarks and come in several types - sbottom squark, sstrange squark, scharm squark, etc.

Squarking is also slang for a specific type of conversation between two human females which most males find to be unpleasant, or synonymous with nagging.

So yeah, given the slang definition, it is not surprising that the OP's brakes are squarking.

If the OP's brakes are squarking according to the first definition then he better call a physicist fast because squarks are theoretical (as I understand it) and have not been detected.


-Tim-

AnkleWork

A few answers here:
Link

fietsbob

FAQ time..
How many archived pages on squarky, squeeky and what ever noisy sound they make brake conversations,
from all the past times this sort of question has been asked, have you read?

coffeesnob

I have been told loud brakes are caused by contamination but I am fairly new myself.

practical

A few things to check. Are your brake pads toe'd in? If not, try adjusting. Next, clean your rims using rubbing alcohol. If there is any grease on the rims, you're going to get a loud noise and you'll need rubbing alcohol to clean it. Also, spin your wheel to make sure that it is centered and that it's straight.

HillRider

Has anyone else noticed that despite the requests for more information and some possibly useful suggestions, the OP has not responded at all?

bikeme

Based on the information the OP provided, I think he should toe-in his disc brake pads, and bleed his cantilever cables.

Giantmongoose

Apologies for not responding quicker to comments. Aussies are on a different time zone to most everyone else! In any case as much as I know the bike isa Giant Hybrid with cantilever cable operated "pads" about 50mm long x 10-12mm wide. Unsure of material but brand is Jagwire and it says on packet AW Compound. Thanks, Bill

dsbrantjr

I would suggest cleaning out the mud valve and greasing the Finnegan pin.

HillRider

Welcome back. The usual cure for noisy cantilever (or other rim brakes) is to "toe in" the pads so the front of the pads are slightly closer to the rim than the rear and will contact the rim first when the brakes are applied.

Loosen the clamping bolts and place a thin shim like a couple of layers of business card or a thin coin under the rear of each pad. Apply the brakes firmly to hold the pads against the rim, check the alignment and tighten the bolts.

I don't know how good Jagwire pads are but the usual recommendation is to use Kool Stop Salmon pads for both stopping ability and relatively quiet operation.

Tim_Iowa

Since the OP says he has cantilevers, this comment is definitely relevant.

A cable stop at the fork crown is a good solution to reduce brake squeal in cantilevers, because it takes some of the flex out of the system (the stop is as close to the brakes themselves as you can get).

Like one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/Tektro-Front-.../dp/B006GHDRYC



And, like the others said, toe in your brake pads.

Giantmongoose

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I shall take on my new found knowledge and see if I can eliminate the problem.
Bill, from down under