MTB solution to Brake squeal

[NixM]

So what do you say now?

 

Avids are like Landrovers - the second best day of your life is when you buy them. The best day of your life is when you sell them. And yes I have owned both a Landrover and Avids. The Landy still has a special place in my heart, the Avids have a special place in hell.

[Wannabe]

Avids are like Landrovers - the second best day of your life is when you buy them. The best day of your life is when you sell them. And yes I have owned both a Landrover and Avids. The Landy still has a special place in my heart, the Avids have a special place in hell.

 

And I love mine to bits.

Horses for courses!?

[EdGe]

Hi Guys

 

I have been battling with brake squeal for quite some time now and have noticed that many other riders complain as well. It became so bad that I sometimes avoided rides with friends because of the excessive noise. I tried all the advice. Cleaning and sanding and even burning of brake shoes and rotors.

Realigning brakes. You name it. Ended up buying new brake shoes and rotors. Same noise!!!

 

I then took the brake shoes out and sanded them on the back of the brake shoes where the paint is until they were smooth. I then polished them with braso until smooth and shiny. I then applied a very thin layer of copper slip and "Wallah". No more brake shoe squeal.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Glad it is sorted. I have had it before, but it was not the problem... I had slightly slightly loose water bottle bolts that "echoed" through the bike when braking. Solved after WEEKS of searching and trying to fix the pads.

[SwissVan]

Someone needs to link this to the roadieshavediscovereddiscbrakes thread

[NixM]

And I love mine to bits.

Horses for courses!?

 

For sure, I just got badly burned by an older set of Avids which caused me so much grief I ended up in tears. I am sure the new one are a vast improvement over the old Juicy's.

Edited August 18, 2014 by NixM

[madmarc]

I love this debate and all the remedies, because there are lots out there. I first read about sanding the back of the pads and using a thin film of lubricant on MTBr forum which seems to work in some instances. I've even heard that you can check your hydrailic hose routing where it touches the frame, simply wrapping insulation tape at that point has also been known to stop squeeling brakes.

What i have worked out, is the noise is what is known as resonance as a result of vibration emulating from the the brake caliper. this vibration resonates through different parts of the bike depending on the design, type etc etc. So finding out where the vibration is, is already 50% of solving the problem.

 

I recently changed my brakes from XO to XO Trail on my superfly 100 FS. I did not have any noise with either set. However i recently took off my ZTR wheels to have them tightened and re-trued so i used my STD Bontragger wheels in the mean time. Presto !!! i got the dreaded Turkey Warble.

 

the noise is only on the front and coming from the wheel (i used the rotors that where on my ZTR's). which i suppose one can assume the noise is because of the wheel and not the brake. so now i'm messing around with different ideas to see if i can get rid of the noise. when i check the spoke tension, my Bontraggers are a lot tighter and more rigid than the ZTR wheels. so i'm leaning towards that maybe the spoke tension is to high. I also have a different hub on the front of the Bontragger wheel being the standard one as opposed to the EVO i have on the ZTR's.

 

I believe stopping this irritating noise is a lot of trial and error due to the different designs in bike frames. suspension and brake systems.

[the nerd]

That actually makes sense, when a garage fits brake pads to performance cars the pad a layer of copper slip on the back...

[V12man]

 

 

Avids are like Landrovers - the second best day of your life is when you buy them. The best day of your life is when you sell them. And yes I have owned both a Landrover and Avids. The Landy still has a special place in my heart, the Avids have a special place in hell.

Losing the landy was a good day.... hate to lose my avid trails... looking forward to a set of guides soon.

[porqui]

Q20

 

NEVER!!

 

Creepy stuff that.

 

 

Avid Avid fan.

Edited August 18, 2014 by porqui

[MrJacques]

Won't the copper slip damage the caliper's piston seals?

 

Another remedy I heard was to cut 2 vertical groves into the brake pads. Worked for someone I know, but not for me. Tried sanding the pads and rotors but they are still noisy. And they are Shimano XT brakes (M775), so any brakes can squeal under the right / wrong circumstances. Mine are definitely contaminated, I can feel they don't have proper stopping power. Will probably fit new pads and maybe rotors with a different pattern.

 

I think madmarc is right about the resonance - the noise goes away if I put water on it. Now to develop a permanent liquid cooling system

Edited August 18, 2014 by Jacquers

[W1Z@RD]

 

I think madmarc is right about the resonance - the noise goes away if I put water on it. Now to develop a permanent liquid cooling system

 

Mine comes with water..... When they get wet. After I use brakes quite a bit the squeal front and rear goes away... Very frustrating! So bad that I can actually use it as a hooter when riding the spruit... And I upgraded my epic when I bought it with XT

 

At least I have a few solutions to try now.

[Tankman]

 

NEVER!!

 

Creepy stuff that.

 

 

Avid Avid fan.

 

True nannas!

 

Q20 should be applied directly and generously to all Avid pads and rotors.

Stops squealing, stops braking and keeps breaking.

 

*Disclaimer: We are having a relatively slow day in the workshop today.

 

Oh and I aint no Avid fan.

It is very easy to follow the instructions on the label.

Tankman AVOIDS!

 

 

 

 

[Elvis]

i found that metal compound brakes squel more than resin compound. I just changed the pads.

[Elvis]

i found that metal compound brakes squel more than resin compound. I just changed the pads.

[Mr X]

Alligator Crown and Hope rotors silenced my Avids. Try some Alligator Crown rotors available from CWC.

[MTBc]

i found that metal compound brakes squel more than resin compound. I just changed the pads.

 

i went from resin to metal for longer durability (the resins felt like they worked better too).