Squeaky brakes driving me mad!!

[8potdave]

My bike developed squeaky brake syndrome a few months ago. I put it down to contamination on the disc and finally got round to replacing both discs today along with fresh pads. I cleaned up the calipers and refitted everything...Only to find they still bloody squeak! To be fair I haven't been far, just up and down the drive to test it but what can I do to rid this irritating problem?

[gazza285]

Try greasing the wheel bearings, and use a good quality skewer, might help with the vibrations, and try aligning the caliper.

[Watchman]

Pads with metallic compounds are often squeaky. Resin compounds are quiet but wear more and can be less effective if you use them on wet and dirty courses.

[boyse7en]

I had this with the discs on my Cube. They didn't just squeak, they wailed like a small child denied an icecream every time I slowed down. People would look around in the street.

Replaced pads numerous times to no avail. Replaced discs too. Didn't work.

In the end I bought a complete new caliper, disc and lever setup and fitted that.

[joema]

It could be down to alignment.

Undo the two bolts that hold the calliper to the bracket (not the ones that bolt the calliper to the frame), hold the brake on, do the bolts back up. Check the wheel spins. That should align the brake.

[richardxjr]

Bed them in properly.

[PTaylor73]

If they do need cleaning, a YouTube video showed brake cleaner spray on the discs, washing up liquid on the pads, then rinse (remove pads for cleaning)

I recently changed to sintered pads, plus new discs for them (were resin pads with resin-only discs). No noises yet, should last longer and need adjustment less often for pad wear.

[Fluffsri]

joema said:

It could be down to alignment.

Undo the two bolts that hold the calliper to the bracket (not the ones that bolt the calliper to the frame), hold the brake on, do the bolts back up. Check the wheel spins. That should align the brake.

This! Main issue for squeaking is alignment, although some pads will cause a squeak I have found in the past that aligning the calliper will help.