Originally Posted by
PaulRivers
1. Disc Brakes. They work great in the wet, and on my winter bike it's nice that I'm not grinding stuff into my rims when I brake. But damn it, I have 2 different bikes with 2 different brands of disc brakes (Shimano Alfine disc brakes, and something Avid and hydraulic) and they both have the same issues - once it gets cold or they get wet, about 50% of the time when you brake they squeal really, really annoyingly. And any time I take off the front tire and put it back on again, there's always a good chance the brake pad will start rubbing against the brakes slightly, requiring adjustment to get them well aligned again. My rim brakes just don't have these problems, and with decent pads haven't been to bad in the rain either.
You might try changing your brake pads. If you're still running the stock pads, they're probably metallic. Try switching to an organic brake pad; you'll lose a little bit of stopping power (but discs have this in spades, so I didn't even notice), the pads will wear faster, and they will run much quieter. I switched to organics back in spring, ran them through one of the wettest Augusts on record, and they don't hardly make a peep.