kyle6286

Hey everyone,

So you guys talked me into getting a Coda Sport. I just picked it up at EMS. The guy showed me how to remove the front wheel so I could fit it in my car (civic). He showed me how to put the wheel on as well. It wasn't difficult, but I just got home and attached the front wheel and took it for a test ride and the front brakes squeaked when I used them. Is this normal, or did I screw something up? I looked at the rear brakes and it looks the same. I can attach a picture if necessary. Thank you

bjjoondo 

Make sure you didn't "knock the brake" pad out a bit putting it into your car. Brake pads have to be "toed in" just bit at the front edge so it hit's first, if the pad got jarred it might be hitting the rim "flat" and that can cause squeaking. Also, make sure you didn't get any "fluid", (oil, sun screen, etc.) on the rim, use a little achohol on clean rag and wipe down the rims. I'll let the "wrenches", here on forum explain "toe in better", my suggestions are from my experiances. FYI, YMMV.

kyle6286

While I'm here, since I haven't ridden a bike in a while, is there a preferred way in which to use the brakes (is there a proper time to use the front, rear, or both?) The front brakes only make a noise when I use them by themselves. Sorry if I'm making this more complex than it needs to be. I want to make sure I use everything properly.

bjjoondo 

JMHO, use the brakes "together" as much as possible, If coming to a stop your can, "feather" the rear only to slow you down, (just slight pressure), it's best not to "clamp" on the front brake only as that might just jerk the handle bars out of your hands and put you down hard on the pavement. We just went to the LBS today as my wifes bike had a squeaky front brake, I asked them to check the "toe in", he said it seemed ok but there was a residue of some sort on the rim, that I didn't get off with my pre-ride rim cleaning. Who knows what it was but the brakes didn't squeak after he finished.

kyle6286

Thanks for the help. Since I literally just bought it and took it out of my car, I attributed it to either how I attached the wheel or the fact that I was solely using the front brakes to stop. When I use both brakes at the same time, there's no noise. Also, I know not to use the front brakes by themselves when going high speed or else I'll end up over the handlebars lol.

bjjoondo 

No problemo, still IF you just happen to be going by the place you bought the bike and it has a "Service Dept", you might ask them to check the "toe in" adjustment on the front brake. ENJOY the bike, I've got all most 1700 miles on my Coda Sport (Bought 2012, Sept. 2011) and I REALLY like the way it "rides". I also have a 2011 Jamis Allegro 1 (alum. frame-cro-mo fork) but I use the Coda Sport as my "every day" bike due to the "Limo Feel" ride it gives me!

permanentrecord

Hey Kyle, I get the squeaking on the front wheel on my Coda every now and then as well (especially after the wheel gets wet) or when I haven't cleaned the rim for a long time (you'd be amazed how much dirt there is on the rim from the brake pads after a while).

Give it a proper ride (a few miles) and if the squeaking sound continues I'd recommend cleaning the rims with a bit of alcohol, toeing in the pads as BJ said, or even simpler have the LBS fix it. Here's the proper technique/checklist for future reference: https://sheldonbrown.com/rim-brakes.html#noises

One thing you may want to know now: you are supposed to use your front brake to brake, contrary to what you always thought about using both brakes (and I was like you). It sounds wrong (and there are exceptions such as rain, while turning, and type of surface, etc) but the rule according to Sheldon Brown is on dry well-paved road is to use the front brake only: https://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Enjoy

kyle6286

I'm going to try and take the wheel off again tomorrow and reattach it. Hopefully, it's something as simple as I put the wheel on a little crooked (even though it looks straight to me right now). If not, I'll read more on how to toe in. I tried watching a video but it wasn't very helpful. Thanks again

Whiteknight

The front brakes sometimes squeak on both of our TREK Multitrack bikes. I set linear pull brake pads up with some toe in to avoid noise. But if the bikes sit unused for a few days the front pads get noisy until we use the front brakes a few times. The aluminum rims produce a very thin film of oxide on the braking surfaces when they sit unused. As soon a the brake pads wear off the oxide film they get quiet again.