acidfast7

i get some annoying squealing from my disc brakes ... they are the Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic (160mm F/R).

i'd like to clean them and have access to just about any chemical solvent imaginable ... what's the best?

vtjim

I just wipe mine down with a cotton ball soaked in isopropyl alcohol. Seems to work, and dries fast, with no residue.

You might also need new pads.

acidfast7

cool, i can give it a shot.

what percentage works best, 100%?

2 Piece

+1, Just make sure it's isopropyl alcohol and Not rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohols have oils in them.

Steely Dan

the purer the better. whether it's the braking surface on a wheel for rim brakes or the rotor for disc brakes, isopropyl alcohol is the way to go.

the bottle in my shop is 98%. that's good enough.

Werkin

Isopropyl or IPA is rubbing alcohol. Nothing wrong with it for this application, but Denatured alcohol is a great degreaser with not residue, so is Acetone, but care must be taken with Acetone to avoid contact with painted surfaces. Water is OK for wiping rotor too, in fact it is better because it doesn't remove beneficial pad transfer material.

If the brakes are squealing, change the pad compound; it's OK to use an aggressive solvent when going to a new pad compound. Organic compound pads are generally quieter, if you already have organic, try one pad in the pairing metallic and the other organic. The dissimilar resonant frequencies of different compounds sometimes helps.

ruindd

I use isopropyl with a cotton ball/paper towel or something. The important thing is to leave no residue, don't touch the rotor, and don't clamp down the brakes (i.e. pull the brake lever) until the alcohol has evaporated off.

spare_wheel

i have disc brake rotors that are over a decade old that have yet to be cleaned...and yet...somehow...the braking surface remains shiny.


:rolls eyes:

acidfast7

i'm not worried about the shine of the surface :rolls eyes: did I even say that?

i'm don't like the squeal if I depress the level slightly.

my guess is that it's a poor design (the bike was 500€ after all) and that there is some vibration of the pad in the housing or against the piston. but it takes 2 seconds to clean it (and i have 10 different bottles of 2-Propanol lying around) so i thought i'd give it a shot.

in the end i kind of like it because pedestrians can hear me coming, if I depress the front brake slightly (rather than using the bell.)

thanks for the information

spare_wheel

if your brakes squeal its probably the rotor, the pad, or both. try a new pad (especially one with organic resin). i've found that drilled rotors squeal less than avid-type rotors. you can buy a high-quality light-weight taiwanese rotor for $10-12 online.