240GL

Brakes are Shimano LX V-brakes. I found the original pads to be too hard, and replaced the fronts with Jagwires. (I would have liked to be able to tell which type Jagwire, but I forgot. They are yellow, anyway, and soft. Not very expensive.)

When installing I followed my normal procedure with putting a plastic card under each rear end for proper toe-in. Didn't give it another thought and started on my daily commute. Boy did I turn heads that day! My front brakes sounded like a sirene. So, I put TWO plastic cards each side for a king-size toe in. Squeal is now less prominent, and not present when light braking. But when braking hard, it's still annoyingly noticeable.

What is wrong here? Is a certain amount of brake squeal an inevitable price to pay for soft pads? Are Jagwire pads known to squeal? Or should I try working on adjusting them better? If so, what else can I do apart from trying various degrees of toe-in?

Comments appreciated.

NJWheelBuilder

I got rid of the squeal on my tandem by thoroughly cleaning the rims. I actually used a bit of super fine sandpaper to remove brake pad residue. They are quiet now.

michaelnel

Funny, my Koolstop pads squeal like crazy after cleaning the rims. They stop squealing after they have deposited enough material on the rims again (and work better too).

cs1

If you adjusted the toe properly then try scuffing up the pads using a file or sandpaper.

Tim