might not be the right forum but MY BRAKES ARE SCREECHING AND IM READY TO KILL MYSELF
 

hi. like i said, im a little worried that this isnt the right forum but i didnt see a "help and repairs" section so i thought id post here.

so: a few months ago i bought a coda comp road bike. three days later the front brakes start making a HORRIBLE screeching sound. i take it to the shop, they fiddle around with the brakes, and for about a day the noise will stop but it always returns. ive had the brakes tilted in in the front. ive had them tilted in in the back. ive gotten new brake pads. ive had the rim totally, utterly, and completely cleaned. nothing, NOTHING has worked (although, after the rim was cleaned for almost 2 weeks the brakes were fine unless i really pressed down hard on them--but then they got dirty and the noise started again. im not about to clean my rims every 2 weeks for as long as i ride my bike for this nonsense. and besides, i had a cheaper mountain bike for years [which got pretty damn dirty] which i never cleaned and which never screeched).

a note or two: the back brakes never screeched--unfortunately i took those off because the back wheel wasnt true and i didnt want to buy a new one =/--and the front ones (which are AWFUL) are the only ones i use. ive heard that this is stupid (and it assuredly is) because if i have to press extra hard on the front brakes they are more likely to make noise. but i dont think they should be making any noise at any time, regardless. plus, i see trendy fixed gear people with just front brakes and they dont seem to have any problem.

what the hell am i to do? i used to love love love biking and now i utterly dread it. is there any hope? im probably going to go buy new wheels tomorrow...

Take it to a bike shop and get the wheel trued and the brakes looked at. Cheaper than buying the new wheels.

-R

You might try posting over on the Bicycle Mechanics forum:

http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=10

The front of the brake pad should touch the wheel first. You might have to bend the brake arms slightly to achieve this. Why not take it to the shop where you bought it?

Try Avid Pro pads. I've had very good luck keeping them quiet. Kool Stops (aka 'Loud Stops)? Dump them. bk

Your bike has v brakes.

Here is the adjustment procedure for V brakes from Park

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=21

and from Sheldon Browne

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/canti-direct.html

Clean and degrease your rims. Use a scotch brite pad. Wipe them down with rubbing alcohol or the like to make sure they are clean.

Take your pads off and make sure they are clean and debris free. Many new bikes with rims that have a machined braking surface will deposit metallic debris in the brake pads. You can use coarse sand paper to get a new surface on the pads.

Then follow the adjustment steps above and you should be good to go.

buy a spoke wrench and true the back wheel. Try different brands of brake pads. The noise isnt a problem it is a feature to make pedestrians move out of your path.

First off, as mentioned, true your rear wheel and put the brakes back on. I never futz with toe-in on v-brakes, I just switch pads. The cheap generic 3-5 dollar pads are what I use, they never squeal. FWIW I've tried expensive pads(kool stop) and found them to be noisy. Secondly, while mechanical issues can be frustrating, they are also an opportunity to learn- so there is less dread in the future. Keep your chin up!

Noise can be due to something loose on your front end also. Make sure the headset and brake caliper are both tightened properly. Toe-ing the pads definately helps with certain brakes. Get those rears back on there and have somebody true that wheel for you.

+1 on the sandpaper. Get those pads scuffed up a bit. Works like a charm for me everytime.

These are V brakes and if these come with asymmetric blocks then they should not be toed-in.

Seems like you have two problems here, and people have addressed only your brake problems.

:)

Having only a front brake and a freehub is a super-bad idea. You can't recover from a front skid if you're leaning at all. It works of fixies because you can still stop the back wheel with your legs. In fact, many run without any brake at all. The front is to supplement the back.

The rear wheel needs to be trued. You can do it yourself if you're willing to spend a couple of hours learning how and can put a couple of dollars into spoke wrenches. Then put your back brake back on.

The bike sounds like it needs a tuneup in general, frankly. You might want to start with the Park Tool site and Sheldon Brown. When you don't understand something, come on back here and someone will help out.

Be sure to give enough information so folks can help!

First the LBS, then crisis intervention?

Not sure, you've certainly hit the normal points.

There is some hope for your bike!

In addition to getting your wheels trued and brakes back on, I usually remove my pads and file them gently to remove any built up dirt/grease and to scuff em a bit. It takes less than 5 minutes and does the trick for me. If they're really worn, time to replace them for about $10 a pair.

Good luck!

You say that the squeaking stopped when you had the rims cleaned but it started when they got dirty again. Sounds like you need mudguards dude.

Mudguards being the British term for fenders.

Also, couldn't you get the rear wheel trued under warranty. It shouldn't go too out of true in three months.