Help with squeak or chirp on front disk brake.

[gggplaya]

No problem, just make sure the gauges you buy has a 0.3mm blade. You'll definitely need to redo the adjustment to maintain the same gap as your pads wear down. Otherwise you'll have to pull further and further on the lever to stop.

 

[Berniejockjr]

Your probably going to laugh at this: How will I know when it is time to replace the pads? Do I wait till they look thin, or is there an actual wear point showing when to replace them? Thanks again!

 

[gggplaya]

You actually have to take the pad out and look at how much material is on it, if it's super thin like 1mm or less, than you should replace them. But to be honest, brake pads are so cheap that i just replace them every winter. <$10.

 

[Berniejockjr]

Sounds like a plan! Thank you.

 

[Steven A Bean]

Just got my RadRover this week and the local bike shop said that the chirping on my front brakes was due to some of the disk bolts not being sufficiently tight and causing some rubbing of the disk with the pads.

 

[walawn]

It's always good to go over every nut and bolt on a new bike. And to recheck them at least once a season.

 

[goose2die4]

Could be. But it's usually caused from contaminants on the braking surfaces. Even if you cant see anything. Some rotors ship with a coating that protects them from rust. I would buy some good brakeparts cleaner and a stiff brush and scrub both the rotor and the pads and reassemble.

You are so right and this is the same problem with car rotors !

 

[walawn]

Haha. I agree with you on that since I was a manager of a brakes and services quick oil change shop for a couple of years lol.

 

[Dallant]

Knowing how to Stop Bike Brakes From Squeaking Big Time can help our focus on the road a lot. To completely stop bicycle brakes from squeaking, you have to follow these steps: Before you start fixing, ensure that the wheels are suitably planted in the dropouts or chainstays. The next thing you should check for is the caliper’s alignment. You should constrict the caliper nuts evenly. Slowly spin the wheel and observe if there’s rubbing. If rubbing is present, it’s more likely that your bike’s brake rotor is bent. Carefully loosen the mounting bolts. You can also reposition the pad or the bike’s disc brake mount, or you can use a Truing Fork to help you fix the bent rotor into place. One reason bike brakes squeak loudly is lack of cleaning. You should clean bike parts by using sandpaper on the disc pads & brake blocks or using a dedicated disc brake cleaner for an immediate fix.

Boy talk about resurrecting an old thread!
I bought a new Trek Rail 5 a couple months ago and had a similar issue with the Tektro 4-piston front brake‘s 203 rotor. Made a very intermittent raspy sound that was very annoying. It happened mostly without me even applying the brake but it’s important to note that the front brake worked perfectly! My local Trek guy (who I did not buy the Rail from) did attempt to adjust it with no real success. Took it to the nearby Scheels Trek service center (I did buy it from Scheels but not that one) and they adjusted with no success. They eventually called Tektro and Tektro stated they were having issues and sent them a different rotor with a stouter center area that solved everything...under warranty!

 

[fooferdoggie]

noice can also be the disc. who nI tried metallic pads on my margua setup it was ok till they got wet then a got a wobble that would not go away with cleaning. finally had to buy a new rotor and go back to the regular pads. but with those same rotors and the Shimano xt 4 piston calipers and metallic pads no warble. so it can be the pads it can be the calipers or it can be the pads. so faster all else fails then its time to look at the parts. cheap parts can be noisy. I always get squeal when it rains a lot. but lots of braking can fix that.

 

[pawtoki]

Ride it like you just stole it for about 300 miles, adjust brakes if needed. Squeek will go away, if not, ride it another 300 miles.