Brakes still squeaking

[John Dombrowski]

even after the 100 mile tuneup at the dealer. Got home and within an hour they were squeaking again.
Can anyone recommend different/better pads?

 

[EddieJ]

Just change from sintered pads to resin/organic pads.

Organic 7.4 Performance (replaces 7.1), 7.2 Endurance

You will have to do your own research to find a supplier, as I'm in the UK.

 

[J.R.]

I switched from Sram sintered pads to Kool Stop organic pads last summer. Noise stopped, great braking, but not as long lasting. Kool Stop makes replacement pads for most brands.

 

[John Dombrowski]

I switched from Sram sintered pads to Kool Stop organic pads last summer. Noise stopped, great braking, but not as long lasting. Kool Stop makes replacement pads for most brands.

When you say not long lasting, how many miles are you talking about vs. the stock pads. And they can't cost that much right?

 

[J.R.]

When you say not long lasting, how many miles are you talking about vs. the stock pads. And they can't cost that much right?

I made a mistake in saying Sram, I meant Avid. Avid and Sram are owned by the same company. I haven't run through the Kool Stop's yet. Here's where I posted about switching: http://electricbikereview.com/community/threads/kool-stop-brake-pads.2339/

With two ebikes now they all last a long time (thousands of my miles) and no not expensive, I think I paid $15 +/- from Amazon. I think you'd like organic replacements, they stop great in all weather.

 

[David1]

I just put some Jag pads on my St2 (semi - metallic , I think, ) Got mine from NYCE E-bikes, super sweet no noise yet. I wore them in as to recommended process. Swiss Stops go on next. Thanks Ron for the tip on these. Scale of difficulty 1 to 10 . A 1 , very easy to install.

 

[Marko]

Before changing the pads you could try this:

 

[John Dombrowski]

Before changing the pads you could try this:

Tried this exact thing. No better.

 

[JoePah]

You can try this but it may not last:

Remove the pads and sand them until there are no ridges left.. Use 100 grit or so.
Sand the discs both sides.

What's really important is bedding the pads.
Run the bike up to full speed and brake hard on only one wheel.. Do this 5 - 10 times
Do the same for the other wheel.

IF you go with new pads do the same thing.. It works most of the time.

 

[John Dombrowski]

You can try this but it may not last:

Remove the pads and sand them until there are no ridges left.. Use 100 grit or so.
Sand the discs both sides.

What's really important is bedding the pads.
Run the bike up to full speed and brake hard on only one wheel.. Do this 5 - 10 times
Do the same for the other wheel.

IF you go with new pads do the same thing.. It works most of the time.

Did all this too and finally took it in to the dealer for a tuneup and brought it home and they started squeaking again after a hour.

 

[Rich Reano]

If you tried everything and the brakes still squeak, you might need to buy new pads. Another thing... is it just the rear? My rear would start squeaking even though I put new pads in. It turns out, my rear disc brake mounts were too weak. They would flex ever so slightly when you hit the brakes. After I put on a torque arm to stiffen up the motor mount, the problem went away.

 

[John Dombrowski]

If you tried everything and the brakes still squeak, you might need to buy new pads. Another thing... is it just the rear? My rear would start squeaking even though I put new pads in. It turns out, my rear disc brake mounts were too weak. They would flex ever so slightly when you hit the brakes. After I put on a torque arm to stiffen up the motor mount, the problem went away.

It is just the rear actually but this is a brand new $3000 bike so I shouldn't have to put any money into to stop squeaky brakes. The dealer will have to take care of this.

 

[JoePah]

Yeah they can't do much about it... Just spend $15 and get better pads.. That's what a lot of us do. It is a common problem.

 

[MegaGrogan']

I had the same problem for quite some time on my turbo (with the formula one brakes) - it went away after about 2500k's

If it's bugging you get organic pads like others suggested, otherwise it takes a coupe of months for those crappy pads to wear in properly it seems.

 

[Barry Langdon-Lassagne]

I've gotten the squeaking to reduce (but not disappear) by pedaling for a minute with the brakes lightly applied. This works pretty well after the brakes get wet as a way to dry them and reduce the squeakin.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

I put my bike on the stand on Thursday, pulled both wheels and pads. I cleaned the discs using alcohol and clean T-shirt cloth (didn't have any brake cleaner) and cleaned the pads using the soap and water method described above. After reassembly, I tried out the bike. The braking is quieter right now, though I suspect it will start squealing again. The stock Formula pads are clearly metallic. Once can see the embedded metal particles in the pads once you have cleaned them. I ordered 2 sets of Kool-Stop KS-D330K pads (organic with heat sinks) for Formula R1/C1 brakes. Once I receive them, we will see how it works.

Also, while I found I did not need to recenter my calipers, I did find that my front disc was slightly warped (a small drag at one location). A quick push in the opposite direction at that location to straighten the disc caused the front wheel to be completely drag free.

Doug

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Update: I went on a 18.3 mi ride today. The brakes were definitely quieter, particularly the front. The rear still squealed some. I should have the new brake pads in next week. Interesting to see how they work.

 

[Jim123]

I notice metal brake pads have shiny metal flakes in the area around them. Seems like it would make an inhalation hazard in an apartment, so I rinse mine off before bringing the bike indoors. Organic pads might have a benefit beyond being quiet.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

The base Turbo with Formula C1 brakes has metallic pad material mounted on steel backing plates. Cleaning the pads and the disc per the above helps. But they will still squeak and squeal. Period.

I purchased 2 sets of Kool Stop KS-D330K organic pads mounted on aluminum heat sink backing plates from Amazon. It took some grinding and filing of the backing plate and I had to clip 4 heat sink pins from each pad, but I now have effective, quiet brakes. See pic below:

 

[Marko]

Why would there be a need to have a heat sink. I mean the brakes can't heat that much in normal riding. Maybe if you come down a high mountain for miles and are constantly braking, but even then what does it matter if the brakes get "red".