rachel120

My front brake screeches when I brake and the noise is driving me nuts. I've tried cleaning the rim and pads, that made it louder. I've tried adjusting the pads so the front is angled inward, that did nothing. Something online said to sand the surface of the pads in case of glazing, that did nothing. What else can I try to get rid of the noise?

fietsbob

I like the performance of the soft compounds that Kool Stop Uses,, Aka 'Rim-Saver' compounds..

I get them at my Local Bike Shop.

keg61

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001CLSW...504810314&sr=1

cpach

Knowing what kind of brakes you have would be helpful in giving you advice.

Iride01 

Rim brakes? Go as fast as you can downhill. Brake the front as hard as you can without fipping yourself at the bottom. After anywhere from a dozen to six dozen times, the squeal will go away. At least it does for me, and in fact I just did this. Took a week of rides to get it to stop. Or maybe I'm deaf from all the squealing. It really is quite loud and attracts everyones attention..... so maybe its a safety feature!

Otherwise I wouldn't clean it with anything but alcohol. Isopropyl or Ethanol. Both the pads and brake surface on the rim.

I clean the rotors on my cars brake with alcohol after changing brake pads. This cleans any oils or contaminates that will cause them to squeal. So maybe it will work for discs on bikes too.... don't know.

Jon T

What make is the brake? Some are just so flimsy and vibrate terribly that there's nothing you can do, shy of replacing the brakes with beefier ones. Make sure all of the mounting hardware is properly tightened. Loose mounts can cause noise.
Jon

LaughingBasher

your brake pad is mostly contaminated with oil, you can try slightly pressing the brake and cycle forward for a few meters it will help to remove the surface dirt on the pad.


It work for me whenever my disc/v brake making such noises

headasunder

think of it as an added safety feature... people will hear you coming

Tandem Tom

One solution I have used is to "toe in" the pad. I have used various thickness him to accomplish it. Work well for us.

HillRider

All of these replies are conjecture. The "cure" for noisy brakes is somewhat dependent on the type and model of brake and the OP hasn't clarified what they have.

europa

Go buy some new pads -the cartridge type are the best because next time, you can just change the pads without disturbing the carriers. If this doesn't solve the problem, report back but at least you have a spare set of pads. Realistically though, nearly all of us let our pads go too long and they either harden or become contaminated.

rachel120

FYI, rim brakes, manufacturer unknown as it is OEM.

So today I got the new brakes and installed them. The sound decreased both in volume and when it is triggered, but it is still there and still embarrassingly noisy. I haven't tried a second cleaning of the rim. So if cleaning the rim again fails, what is the next step? And if it works, does that mean I have to replace my brake pads every two months?

bikeman715

try a softer pad , they may wear faster but not as nosier as you been having .

rachel120

So I cleaned the rim again, and I used rubbing alcohol both the first time and this time. It started off squeaky clean, it ended up squeaky clean, and there's still noise. Nice and loud. I tightened the brake nuts as hard as I dared, still noise. I verified that the pads are nosed in, still noise. However this time I did notice that it is only on one side, the right side.

I bought the bike already assembled, and that side has always been really finicky about moving, like barely doing so. Today when putting the new pads on I noticed some screw on the side was farther out than on the other side, said "why not" and tightened it, and it helped in movement but not in noise. Basically when the brake is released, the left side springs outward really far while the right side barely moves the pad from the rim. I can manually move it without stiffness or difficulty, it's not a matter of something being frozen, it's like whatever has tension where doesn't make this part tense up and release. When I do move it to where the wheel is centered between the pads and I then squeeze the brake, the left side springs fully out and the right side barely moves, putting it right back into original position.

Below are some photos, a front view and then I tried to get a good image of how the pads are in relation to the rim without the brake depressed, left one first and then right. I don't know if the pictures are even relevant for the noise problem.

So what is next for stopping the stupid ear-cringing noise?

bikeman715

There are a few things you can do , On the side the pad not moving you can screw that screw in more to make the arm ?pad move away from the rim , or you can loosen the screw other side so it will move inward . What you want is the arms/pads to move the same distant at the same time . The other thing you can do is unhook the spring arm if there is one behind the arm and bend it outward or downward a little ,then reconnect it back onto the arm and that in itself should move the pad away from the rim .

maddog34

"so the front is angled inward,"... by "front" do you mean the FRONT of the bike? if so, you have done exactly opposite of what should be done. The LEADING EDGE of ther pad should be closer to the rim than the trailing edge... this means the REAR(in relation to the bike) of the pad needs to be closer....

fold a business card in half, then fold it again... use it between the pad and rim as you reset the pads.... place that shim card only at the back 1/4 of the pad, ok? then, once the pad is tightened, check that it has not moved during tightening.... reset again if needed.

and those screws you "tightened" set the spring tension that CENTERS the brakes, preventing unwanted rubbing of the pads on the rims while the brakes are open... you'll need to recenter the brakes after the other task described above.

Iride01 

In the photo's, are you pulling on the brake lever? The rim clearances look too small to me, but that may well be the angle it's taken from. Also, is that a new pad? Looks already worn out. But again maybe camera angle.

Park tools has some pretty good YouTube vid's and help guides on many aspects of bike maintenance. At least they are well thought out and you don't have to listen to uh's and duh's.

Here is one of their guides on cantilever's, though they are center pulls instead of your side pulls. The part where they talk about toe-in, they reversed one of the pic's so don't let that throw you. Cantilever Threaded Post Brake Service | Park Tool

another site I found is just to show you that you are in good company with others that have squealing cantilever brakes The Dark Art of Cantilever Brakes | Bikeridr

Good luck!

bikeman715

In his photos for what there is to see , they are toe in . They are cheap brakes and pads , the OP need to replace the pads and or brake assembly on the bike to resolve his problem .
maddog34 , your advise on toeing is wrong , It the front of the pad is closer to the rim , not the backside , If the OP takes your advise he will have more noise instead less . To toe in yes use a coin or card or paper or even a rubber band on the backside of the pads , use a rubber band to hold the lever to the handlebars which will hold the pads to the rim so you can tighten down the hardware . once is done then remove the items and the brakepads will be toe in .

rachel120

Well, I got the pads to move as equally as I could eyeball it, and the sound is still there. I did notice that it doesn't make that sound when I'm pushing the bike, even when I'm running, I have to actually be on the bike. Could weight have something to do with it?

rachel120

Oh, now I feel dumb. Everything I read and the YouTube video I watched all said "front". Let me try reversing that.

rachel120

WOOT!!!!!!!

Maddog34, if you were here right now, I'd kiss you. You solved it, you found the problem. No noise!

europa

Nah, the rotten brutes do that to you just to make it hard to diagnose problems

maddog34

gee... i'm blushing now... a hug would be thanks enough...

enjoy riding your now much quieter bike, Rachel.

and do recenter those brakes, ok? it might take a bit of trial and error... and don't screw the screws all the way in if possible, it puts things in a bad position at the spring/screw interface.... setr both to about a 1/4" from all the way in, then back out the side that is farthest from the rim until both pads are equa-distant from the rim after you squeeze/release the brake lever....

explanation of the "brake noise"... as the pad first contacts the rim, it will kinda grab and release over and over... if the leading edge(BACK, in relation to the bike) contacts first, the rest of the pad is drawn towards the rim by the grabbing... if the FRONT(trailing edge) of the pad contacts first, the pad begins grabbing and releasing in a rhythm we humans hear as a SQUEAL... an annoying as heck sound. The thing that confuses most folk is that at the brake's location, at least on your bike, and MOST other bikes, the wheel/rim is going FORWARD... this is why i always use the terms "trailing" and "leading" edges of the pad.