Major disc brake noise, descreased stopping power after LBS tune up
08-14-11, 08:41 AM
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Major disc brake noise, descreased stopping power after LBS tune up
Avid bb5 on a Trek fx 7.5
Anyone know what could cause extreme brake squeal for disc brakes? I recently took in a used/new-to-me bike for my first tune up. The gear changes were not working well at all. The brakes could have used some cable tightening but I was still able to use their maximum stopping force without issues. Once I got it back, the shifts are much more crisp and work great. The brakes however squeal like crazy when coming to a stop. Both the front and back suffer from this LOUD squeal that definitely wasn't there in either before. It almost sounds like a car horn.
Any thoughts on what could be causing this so suddenly? It's actually taken away from my maximum stopping power. Before, the pads would bite hard enough where I felt like I could flip over. Now it's just insane squeal without a strong bite. I don't have any rubbing issues when off the brakes, and the lever pressure feels good. It almost feels as if someone switched out the pads with wooden blocks.
I thought the tech might have handled the rotors with greasy hands or sprayed some incompatible cleaner. I tried sanding the rotors on each side, but had no luck. I've never taken apart a caliber to check the pads yet, which is what I plan to do next. I'm just not sure I'll be able to tell if anything's wrong. Can pads get misaligned easily? This is such a bummer since the rest of the ride really benefited from the tuneup, and I have to wait a week before I can go back to the shop. Any thoughts are appreciated.
Anyone know what could cause extreme brake squeal for disc brakes? I recently took in a used/new-to-me bike for my first tune up. The gear changes were not working well at all. The brakes could have used some cable tightening but I was still able to use their maximum stopping force without issues. Once I got it back, the shifts are much more crisp and work great. The brakes however squeal like crazy when coming to a stop. Both the front and back suffer from this LOUD squeal that definitely wasn't there in either before. It almost sounds like a car horn.
Any thoughts on what could be causing this so suddenly? It's actually taken away from my maximum stopping power. Before, the pads would bite hard enough where I felt like I could flip over. Now it's just insane squeal without a strong bite. I don't have any rubbing issues when off the brakes, and the lever pressure feels good. It almost feels as if someone switched out the pads with wooden blocks.
I thought the tech might have handled the rotors with greasy hands or sprayed some incompatible cleaner. I tried sanding the rotors on each side, but had no luck. I've never taken apart a caliber to check the pads yet, which is what I plan to do next. I'm just not sure I'll be able to tell if anything's wrong. Can pads get misaligned easily? This is such a bummer since the rest of the ride really benefited from the tuneup, and I have to wait a week before I can go back to the shop. Any thoughts are appreciated.
