Lightly sand the brake surface on the rim and then smear talc powder on it. Repeat as necessary.

I used to do that - but won't do it any more - I don't want to break the spring!

I think part of the problem is that I"m using the Salmon KoolStops and the new rims. I put the new rim on a bike with a newer set of brakes and pads (2006 Campy Centaur) and the brake/rim is quiet. I put a machined brake surface up against the new pad, and it too is quiet. Think I'm either A) going to get a set of black koolstop pads for these brakes, or B) Get a different set of brake pads & holders that will allow for toe in without bending the brake arms!

I think that you can get the salmon KoolStop shoes with the funny toe-in washers; at least I bought some several years ago (still in my parts box while I continue to put up with squeaky Campy shoes on Mavic G40 [gray painted] rims). I'm afraid that the KoolStops will be so ugly!

Bending a little toe-in to the arms is not all that difficult; just proceed with extreme caution, and just a teeny bit at a time. The most I ever bent a caliper arm was on a used replacement Victory arm (don't ask how I broke it's predecessor!) whose previous owner had way overdone it; so I ended up taking a lot of toe-in out. That one still has more than all the others, and it squeaks too! I think you're right that some combinations of rims and shoes just squeak, period.

Let me know if you decide to part with the pads/holders.

I'll hold on to the holders, but if you're interested in the like-new Kool Stop salmons PM me and I'm sure we can come to an agreement.

PM sent.

Clean the rims well with rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad Then clean the pad surfaces with same. If there is any sort of manufacturing contaminants this should safely remove them. It evaporates fast and cleans better than mineral spirits of detergents. It was pure enough to clean the old audio cassette player tape heads of the NR/SR era, right?

Make sure your mounting bolt is tight on the frame - you don't want any play which can cause chattering.
And, make sure the adjustment nuts for the caliper arm tension are tight enough too.

Be sure the pads are contacting both sides of the rim simultaneously (the reason we love the simple little adjustment screw on dual pivots).

And, as someone suggested, are the pads contacting the rim flat (parallel) or could the caliper be cockeyed in an enlarged or mis-aligned bolt hole.

As a last resort, you might just put a bit of talc on the pads. They'll still work. If the rubber compound is a bit too sticky, this could help until they simply wear-in or dry out a bit.

Might want to take apart the Q/R mech and make sure everything is correct in there. But, they're really simple, so I can't understand this issue. Stripped bolt or nut?... excessive wear in the alloy hole?... Nah! Must be vibration related. Good Luck!

Larger scan HERE.

Jon,

The problem is that Kool Stops have a definite lack of compatibility (sound-wise, anyway) with grey, hard-anodized rims.

Case in point, my '61 Paramount is presently running the Kool Stops I had installed on it when I was running a pair of polished and clear anodized Araya box-section rims on it - I recently swapped those wobble-prone Arayas out for my Phil Wood wheelset equipped with hard anodized Mavic GP-4 rims.

The resulting squeal from the mix is virtually intolerable (and shock-inducing) to anyone within 300 feet of the bike, while the sound is audible for at least a mile. Works good to scare the **** out of the cagers when they try to blow stop signs, but I am still wary of the legality of the sound these brakes emit.

I do not know if the Kool Stop black compound is any different, but give me a shout if it works.

As for the red compound, unless someone is in want of VERY noisy brakes, don't use them on hard-anodized rims.

Take care,

-Kurt

The rims are the clear annodized (silver) Campy Omega 19's. I'm going to make an order from Harris and see what I can get to work, keep what ever doesn't for later projects. The lever opening is most likely a result from the vibration caused during braking. I am still trying to get the brakes working well enough that both pads contact the rim at the exact same time. Also I think the arms have a little extra play in them I need to get out. I had loosened them some to get some oil down in side to aid in operation and don't think I got them tightened back up enough before putting them back on the bike.